pottery clay

[karls-geckos]

anyone try makiing feeder / water / calcium dishes out of clay ? im gonna pick up 10 pounds of clay tomorrow and start sculpting my own dishes / hide boxes etc... you can make dishes with ledges for easy access by the geckos im wondering what kind of clay to use, some are air hardened , some oven hardened. are they strong ? are their any dangerous ingredients ? i seen something called mexican clay air hardened that looks nice:main_yes:

 

[Leopardbreeder]

If you used a natural clay, I really dont see a problem with it. I would research how to fire them.

 

[Swampman]

I know sculpty clay would work pretty good. It will only dry out if you put it in the oven, so you don't have to worry about keeping it moist when storing it.

 

[fallen_angel]

I LOVE making things out of clay, I took two clay classes in high school and had a blast!! Best wishes to you and your projects! My only advice is that you may want clay that isn't porous (some kinds are still very porous after being fired and cannot hold liquids).

 

[Alusdra]

I've made lots of gecko stuff out of clay- for bowls, though, you really should o something glazed. Otherwise it won't hold mealies or water. Mealies will crawl out, water seep through. I make my dishes with a sloped, non-glazed outside and then a steep glazed inside so that they keep everything in while having good access for my disabled gecko.

 

[Lizard Lair]

You also need to be careful that your glazes are non-toxic. The glaze container should be labeled "food safe". I just took a pottery class and also want to start making clay things for my geckos. It would be fun to see pictures of everybody's projects! One thing I was thinking would be cool about pottery bowls for the leos is that sterilizing would be a snap - just pop them in the oven and bake away all the evil things.

 

[fallen_angel]

I agree, that would be much easier to sterilize :main_yes:

 

[n1nn0]

They will also look good. More natural than plastic.

 

[Bling_my_leo]

Why is ur leo disabled
?

 

[BettaDragon]

I would use a fired clay and glaze it with food safe glaze.

 

[leolover23]

I never thought of making clay things! I love clay! Thanks for the ideas! I'll check into it! :smiley2: Wouldn't it be cute to make like a clay toilet and appliances and stuff? Aww...man I have some planning to do! :wink:

 

[liljenn]

I just bought 25lbs of terra-cotta clay that air dries (I'm making LOTS of stuff). Anyway, after much research, I found a product "Porcelaine 150" by Pebeo. It is non-toxic and "toy safe". It's dishwasher safe & used on plates. But they say not to use as in something that holds water. It's kinda like a glaze you can do at home. After the paint dries, you bake it in the oven at 300 degrees for 35 minutes to harden. I bought it at Michaels Crafts.
Here's the site: http://www.pebeo.com/us/index.htm

I'll let you know how it works out. If anyone else has something that can be used at home to seal clay & is safe, let me know.