Building a Home Mud Pit - what to use

[QSMud]

Well, what do you know. I might be in luck:
https://www.wyoben.com/find-a-dealer/

[Fred588]

One more thing to think about before going ahead is what you will do when you no longer want a mud pit. Bentonite is, obviously, an inorganic material that will not decay. Also keep in mid that it is used to SEAL things such as old walls so you cannot flush it down the toilet.

[QSMud]

True. Not a big deal if you live in a wooded area.

[Mynock]

I think what Fred is getting at is don't step out of your homemade mud pit, then go in the house and shower it off. You will NEVER unclog that drain.

Fred, how many cubic feet per bag at $10.50?

[Fred588]

I think what Fred is getting at is don't step out of your homemade mud pit, then go in the house and shower it off. You will NEVER unclog that drain.

Fred, how many cubic feet per bag at $10.50?

The material is sold by weight, not volume, but I would estimate the volume at around 1 cubic foor or a bit less. That is dry, of course. How much wet mud you get out of a bag will depend on how viscous (thick) you want your mud to be, but at the viscosity I try for in the Studio 588 clay pit I would guestimate I get about 3 cubic feet of mud per bag. Also, it can take several days to fully mix with the water. Because of that it will be a disastrous mistake to dump a whole bunch of it into a dry pit and then add the water. It could take months to fully mix that way, and that is with the help of someone or some thing stirring it.

[Fred588]

A very long time ago, before I did any production of my own but after I had constructed the clay and peat pits, one of the things I wanted to do was to make a sort of instructional video on how to build a mud pit. I had intended to try to do that during a shoot by one of the other producers at that time and had made that, or thought I had made that, part of the agreement with that producer (not MPV, BTW). That producer never found time to let me do that scene. It would be perfect now for this thread.

[Mynock]

It's been pretty helpful even without a video, the cone shaped concept alone was worth this discussion. Cutting the cost of material by two thirds is a huge improvement!!!

[QSMud]

Wow, after looking at the Wyo-Ben website I found a local dealer less than a mile from my house. Bought two 50 lb bags of extra high yield bentonite. Added one to my existing pit that needs some more clay. Amazing! Just what it needed. I am mixing into some natural sandy clay, but do realize I will have to mix to prevent settling (fun!). Right now my pit is about 6 ft long x 3 ft wide x 4 feet deep.

I will say... this stuff loves to absorb water!!!

[maria]

Not sure if this has been answered yet, excuse if it has ... hypothetically, if one were to fill up a 50 gallon leak-proof plastic tub with bentonite clay mixed to the desired thickness (thick seems to come to mind), then put a reasonably good fitting lid on the tub, how long would the mud stay tactile and sinkable before more water and mixing would be required? This would be for a warm climate.

Another thought, if this is practical is to use a plastic rain water tank of desired capacity and depth, dig the thing into the ground and cover when not in use - just a thought. Again, how long before the thing dries out and you end up exhausting yourself getting the texture back to sinkable?

BTW, really interesting and informative thread. Thanks Fred and all for the constructive comments along the way.

[Fred588]

Not sure if this has been answered yet, excuse if it has ... hypothetically, if one were to fill up a 50 gallon leak-proof plastic tub with bentonite clay mixed to the desired thickness (thick seems to come to mind), then put a reasonably good fitting lid on the tub, how long would the mud stay tactile and sinkable before more water and mixing would be required? This would be for a warm climate.

Another thought, if this is practical is to use a plastic rain water tank of desired capacity and depth, dig the thing into the ground and cover when not in use - just a thought. Again, how long before the thing dries out and you end up exhausting yourself getting the texture back to sinkable?

BTW, really interesting and informative thread. Thanks Fred and all for the constructive comments along the way.

I think the answer is it would last indefinitely. The clay pit at Studio 588 is covered by a plastic screen from mid September to late May and does not even have a liner and stays wet all that time. It might dry a little on the surface if the weather is very dry but that's no problem. It has had fifteen winters like that.