Quicksand Fans

Questions for those of you who've built your own tub.

-What kind of dirt did you fill yours with? From what I've seen, bentonite is good, but I'm open to other options.

-How much did you purchase by weight? I plan to use a 3 x 8 x 2 tank for mine, and I have 100 pounds of bentonite in the cart. Would this be enough for a fairly thick bath?

MkIII wrote:Questions for those of you who've built your own tub.

-What kind of dirt did you fill yours with? From what I've seen, bentonite is good, but I'm open to other options.

-How much did you purchase by weight? I plan to use a 3 x 8 x 2 tank for mine, and I have 100 pounds of bentonite in the cart. Would this be enough for a fairly thick bath?

In my judgement, you need a good deal more bentonite.

Your use of the term "cart" worries me. With a volume of 48 cubic feet, the weight with just water will be on the order of a ton and a quarter, which is pretty heavy for something described as a cart.

Fred588 wrote:

MkIII wrote:Questions for those of you who've built your own tub.

-What kind of dirt did you fill yours with? From what I've seen, bentonite is good, but I'm open to other options.

-How much did you purchase by weight? I plan to use a 3 x 8 x 2 tank for mine, and I have 100 pounds of bentonite in the cart. Would this be enough for a fairly thick bath?

In my judgement, you need a good deal more bentonite.

Your use of the term "cart" worries me. With a volume of 48 cubic feet, the weight with just water will be on the order of a ton and a quarter, which is pretty heavy for something described as a cart.

Ah, when I say cart, I mean shopping cart. Still trying to figure out exactly how I'm going to do this. While I've got you here, how well do you think a steel tank will hold up to this kind of weight?

Side note: the QS community is awesome. I've got the master of the mire himself giving me the math on my probably ill-advised project. No disrespect to the other legends of the fetish who also hang out here!

MkIII wrote:

Fred588 wrote:

MkIII wrote:Questions for those of you who've built your own tub.

-What kind of dirt did you fill yours with? From what I've seen, bentonite is good, but I'm open to other options.

-How much did you purchase by weight? I plan to use a 3 x 8 x 2 tank for mine, and I have 100 pounds of bentonite in the cart. Would this be enough for a fairly thick bath?

In my judgement, you need a good deal more bentonite.

Your use of the term "cart" worries me. With a volume of 48 cubic feet, the weight with just water will be on the order of a ton and a quarter, which is pretty heavy for something described as a cart.

Ah, when I say cart, I mean shopping cart. Still trying to figure out exactly how I'm going to do this. While I've got you here, how well do you think a steel tank will hold up to this kind of weight?

Side note: the QS community is awesome. I've got the master of the mire himself giving me the math on my probably ill-advised project. No disrespect to the other legends of the fetish who also hang out here!

Well steel is a strong material but how much weight your tank can hold will depend on how it is put together. If the tank was deigned to hold water, wet clay will be heavier but not THAT much heavier. The specific gravity of your wet clay will probably be around 1.3 or do. It will depend on just how thick you mix it. You describe the tank as 48 cubic feet, so if it is full of water it will weight 48 X 56 pounds. Multiply that by 1.3. Also consider what will the tank rest on. It needs to be flat and level. I assume the tank is made of stainless steel and not something that will corrode.
It might be a good idea to experiment with a smaller tank, less water, and your one bag of clay just to see how it works. Always add the dry clay to the water, not water to dry clay.

I know a fellow fish keeper who tried to create a temporary holding tank by lining a shopping cart with plastic and filling it with water. Seemed like a great idea, but when he tried filling it the wheeled base started to bend and the liner bulged out between the bars like one of those netted stress balls and then burst.

If you cut the lower frame off so that the basket was sitting on the ground and use something rigid like plywood as a liner it might work.

im not sure if you have powder clay or wet clay, but either way 100 pounds for 48 cubic feet will be barely enough clay to make grey water. I have a tub with about 6-7 cubic feet of fairly thick clay and that took 400 pounds of wet clay. i'd have needed about 3/4 that amount if using powder clay. clay is extremely heavy so for the project you're looking at, 100 pounds is a drop in the bucket. for a project of that scale i'd plan on renting a truck and driving somewhere to pick it up because shipping as much clay as you need is unrealistic

Visit a nearby art or ceramic supply store. Get 10-12 20 kg bags of powdered clay. Dump three bags at a time into your tank and stir as you add water until it's as thick as you want it. keep any extra to make up for inevitable loss. Great stuff. Trust me.

As Fred points out, weight is a big consideration. You want this load sitting on the ground.

Duncan Edwards wrote:Visit a nearby art or ceramic supply store. Get 10-12 20 kg bags of powdered clay. Dump three bags at a time into your tank and stir as you add water until it's as thick as you want it. keep any extra to make up for inevitable loss. Great stuff. Trust me.

As Fred points out, weight is a big consideration. You want this load sitting on the ground.

Depending on your location you may be able to get bentonite at a hardware store. In my location bentonite is used by ranchers as a binder for cattle feed and to seal farm ponds. It is also used in the oil-drilling industry but that variety might have additives you don't want. It is also sold, albeit at a higher price, in grocery stores as clumping kitty litter.

Fred588 wrote:

Duncan Edwards wrote:Visit a nearby art or ceramic supply store. Get 10-12 20 kg bags of powdered clay. Dump three bags at a time into your tank and stir as you add water until it's as thick as you want it. keep any extra to make up for inevitable loss. Great stuff. Trust me.

As Fred points out, weight is a big consideration. You want this load sitting on the ground.

Depending on your location you may be able to get bentonite at a hardware store. In my location bentonite is used by ranchers as a binder for cattle feed and to seal farm ponds. It is also used in the oil-drilling industry but that variety might have additives you don't want. It is also sold, albeit at a higher price, in grocery stores as clumping kitty litter.

Yes, it's available in quantity at the local farmer's co-op. We've discussed the relative merits of clay vs bentonite on several occasions. Bentonite seems to offer superior sinkability and seems slipperier than clay. Nothing on earth beats if for "playtime" with a friend. Clay would be the choice for more coverage types. It's "wammier" and generally heavier. It covers better. After that it's just a matter of preference.

Duncan Edwards wrote:

Fred588 wrote:

Duncan Edwards wrote:Visit a nearby art or ceramic supply store. Get 10-12 20 kg bags of powdered clay. Dump three bags at a time into your tank and stir as you add water until it's as thick as you want it. keep any extra to make up for inevitable loss. Great stuff. Trust me.

As Fred points out, weight is a big consideration. You want this load sitting on the ground.

Depending on your location you may be able to get bentonite at a hardware store. In my location bentonite is used by ranchers as a binder for cattle feed and to seal farm ponds. It is also used in the oil-drilling industry but that variety might have additives you don't want. It is also sold, albeit at a higher price, in grocery stores as clumping kitty litter.

Yes, it's available in quantity at the local farmer's co-op. We've discussed the relative merits of clay vs bentonite on several occasions. Bentonite seems to offer superior sinkability and seems slipperier than clay. Nothing on earth beats if for "playtime" with a friend. Clay would be the choice for more coverage types. It's "wammier" and generally heavier. It covers better. After that it's just a matter of preference.

Let me add a detail here. The term "clay" really refers to any mineral of a certain size. There are many kinds. Bentonite is one kind (actually there are several kinds of bentonite). There are dozens of different kinds.