Quicksand Fans

mscfmjkj wrote:700lbs of bentonite clay: CHECK! (4 more bags not shown)
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This extra high yield stuff is much finer than what I've seen before. It's a very fine powder - meaning mask & eye protection while mixing is a must! I have a feeling a little is gonna go a long way. I scooped out just 3 cups of dry powder and that soaked up nearly 2 gallons of water super fast. We'll see how much more it settles overnight.

Just another thought... my one complaint with bentonite is that it's not as tactile as some other clays. Bentonite swells up to be wonderfully smooth and gel-like, but it doesn't have elasticity or stickiness - it doesn't grab on to you. For some, that would be a positive, but I like thick, sticky, stretchy stuff! I've ordered a sample of sodium polyacrylamide (PAM in the industry), which is commonly used in agriculture. It can also be found as Slime Baff. Now here's some seriously sticky and stretchy slime!

I plan to experiment with combining PAM and bentonite. They may end up being immiscible, but wouldn't that be stellar if they mixed together to create something with the consistency like heavy, sticky, stretchy dough?!?

I got doubts about the combination but that's why you experiment. Gonna be real interesting to see what results you get with the bentonite. I'd suggest adding water slowly to the first bag until you get some idea of how much works best. You most definitely have plenty to work with there.

Duncan Edwards wrote:I got doubts about the combination but that's why you experiment. Gonna be real interesting to see what results you get with the bentonite. I'd suggest adding water slowly to the first bag until you get some idea of how much works best. You most definitely have plenty to work with there.

It works!!... well, mostly...

This first test is 50/50 bentonite to PAM (sodium polyacrylamide). You can clearly see how much sticky stretchy clinginess the PAM adds to the mix. It would be way too expensive to scale up with this ratio, so next test will be more like a 10:1 ratio of bentonite to PAM. Ultimately I anticipate using something in between for full scale.

https://youtu.be/DaF5bwwpqR8

Not for me. I like clay consistency.

I would recommend adding clay to the bentonite. Either way, my pit was like a living creature. Every time I changed the composition it was like new. My addition to bentonite was mostly clay and sand.

It might just be me but I think you boght waaaay more Bentonite than you needed too. If you don't mind me asking what was the price per bag?

mscfmjkj wrote:

Duncan Edwards wrote:I got doubts about the combination but that's why you experiment. Gonna be real interesting to see what results you get with the bentonite. I'd suggest adding water slowly to the first bag until you get some idea of how much works best. You most definitely have plenty to work with there.

It works!!... well, mostly...

This first test is 50/50 bentonite to PAM (sodium polyacrylamide). You can clearly see how much sticky stretchy clinginess the PAM adds to the mix. It would be way too expensive to scale up with this ratio, so next test will be more like a 10:1 ratio of bentonite to PAM. Ultimately I anticipate using something in between for full scale.

https://youtu.be/DaF5bwwpqR8

Okay, very interesting. I hope you let that mix just sit there for a while and gather some data on -

1. How long does it take to dry out?
2. What happens when you add water back to it?
3. Does the heavier bentonite settle to the bottom?
4. More stuff I haven't thought of.

I'm thinking 10:1 might yield a more usable result based on what you have there. It also might not be worth doing at that point either since you could get a sticker mix by just using pottery clay. Regardless it's a great experiment and thank you for sharing. Getting it on video is a great way to understand what you are talking about. Nice job.

Well, it has been a few days since my first test combining equal parts dry powdered bentonite clay with PAM (sodium polyacrylamide). In this PAM Test 2 revisiting that 50/50 mix, the bentonite has hydrated into a fantastic consistency! I know this may not be everyone's cup of tea, but for me, it's heavenly! What a dream it would be to settle into 250+ gallons of this thick gooey clay slime!

https://youtu.be/rmnMEReeDPs

In my next PAM Test 3, I scale back a 9:1 ratio of bentonite to PAM. In this video, I try two approaches. In the first segment, I combine dry ingredients: 9 tablespoons of bentonite and 1 tablespoon of PAM. While not as viscous as the 50/50 mix, the PAM is still very prominent. The clay may continue to hydrate and even out into a smoother consistency over the next few days.

In the second segment, I combine one cup of fully hydrated bentonite clay with one tablespoon of dry PAM powder. You can see how aggressively the PAM envelops the clay. This will also be revisited in a few days to see if the mixture evens out like the 50/50 mix.

https://youtu.be/jisR9jL538w

While I find the 50/50 EXXXTREME!!! mix to be the most... stimulating, it will be impractical to scale up to the full 275 gallon tote. It's promising that the PAM is still having such an effect in a 9:1 ratio with the clay. A single 55lb bag of PAM should be all I need to mix with my bentonite.

More to come!

Ok, 55lbs of sodium polyacrylamide (PAM), 700lbs of bentonite clay... LET'S DO THIS!!!

mscfmjkj wrote:Ok, 55lbs of sodium polyacrylamide (PAM), 700lbs of bentonite clay... LET'S DO THIS!!!

So how's the progress?