Newbie Home Oven Clay Question

[david77]

Dear Forum! My first post is this:

 

I am looking to make some homemade rectangular pots for some wild strawberries!

When  looking at containers,  clay sprang to mind! 

My question is this:

If I bought a standard terracotta clay from amazon -> made a small pot -> and put it in the oven at 200oC for a long time - would it make it strong enough to hold some soil as a plant pot?

I read lowest clays need is 600oC-900oC, but Im curious if thats purely to give max strength.

Bonus: I have also heard of 'Paper clay'. If one was to try and avoid plastics and glues, might there be a paper clay / terracotta / paper mix that would work in a home oven? If only for a weak and meak plant pot?

 'At homeness' and 'sustainable naturally sourced materials' are my aim really...and fun.

Thank you!

 

[Chilly]

No, a domestic oven won't get hot enough to remove all the moisture from the clay, let alone turn it into anything sturdy enough to hold soil.

You can pit-fire clay, where it will reach 700 - 800 deg C, but even that does not fully mature the clay.  Most clay gets it's first firing at around 1,000 deg C, but that isn't usually hot enough to make the finished item frost-proof.

Wait till the community centres and pottery studios re-open and book yourself some classes.

[JohnnyK]

Hi David, as @Chillysays, all of the clays that we, as potters use have to be fired to higher temps than what you are suggesting. However, you might look into "polymer clays" for what you are trying to accomplish, many of which come in a rainbow of colors, some of which are air dried and others, oven cured. All of which are available from Amazon. Good luck with your new journey!

[Mark C.]

Clay and ovens in homes are not compatable .You need to fire it in a kiln.

[Callie Beller Diesel]

If you don’t have access to a kiln and still want to make the pots, you might try making some hypertufa, or making them out of cement.

 

[david77]

Thank you everyone!

[oldlady]

david, saw this and thought of an alternative i saw recently online.  if you are still looking for more info.    someone is growing strawberries in house builders drainage gutters and suspending them so the strawberries growing are at eye level.   looked like a great idea to me, no slugs or other critters crawling all over the fruit, snacking on some of it.   visible fruit so picking is easier.  

been looking at a lot of plant info lately so i do not remember where it was, sorry.

[Bill Kielb]

On 3/6/2021 at 4:33 AM, david77 said:

f I bought a standard terracotta clay from amazon -> made a small pot -> and put it in the oven at 200oC for a long time - would it make it strong enough to hold some soil as a plant pot?

I believe at a minimum you will need to provide enough energy to remove the chemically combined water. Once done, the clay cannot go back to its former state as clay. Generally 350c to 500c. Reasonable sintering  occurs likely as low as 800c, but generally done around 1000c. Sintered products are generally porous and sturdier to handle but often still fairly fragile.