clay pots

[blitzen25bm]

I must not have the "hammer technique" down to well. I went through too many clay pots trying the score and chisel method, decided using up cutting wheels was far more to my advantage. Plus, you get a precise hole/opening.
I don't think I soaked them before hammering... :thud:

soaking helps a lot. there was a video on one of the cichlid boards with a guy preparing pots for his tanks. it was almost if he had them prebroken cause he would pick one out of the water and wack with the hammer and he has a perfect hole in it and he did them with different size holes too.

 

[tuvok]

I have had some recent experience making a "cave" out of a clay pot. I started with a dremel but I found the process to be very time consuming and the cutting wheel seemed to succeed only at scoring the pot but not cutting it. I then tried to finish the job with a hacksaw but did not get very far. The last step was to take a hammer and tap away on one side where the pot was scored. The side where I was hitting the pot was ruined but it seemed to break off fairly cleanly from the other side which was left in good enough condition to be used as a cave. This procedure provides different result from what pucknut was looking for but I just thought I'd add this info in case a clay pot cave was a possible follow-up project.

 

[N8DOGG]

OK, I gotta ask... What the heck are you using these for, anyway??? (Newbie here, I'll never know if I don't ask, right?)

THIS!!!

 

[blitzen25bm]

wow awesome. i just got a colony of those from rapps too. do they breed better in pots with the floors? i usualy just break them in half but i realized theres no place for them to lay their eggs.

 

[N8DOGG]

I've had them breed in clay pots with out the bottom and with the bottom. I have a few of each in the tank with them. That was my first clay pot that I broke the bottom out....this one is better much cleaner break.

I put it on the floor and used a hammer and flat head screw driver to chip the bottom out.