Making Bonsai Pots with Polymer Clay🪴

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Nicely done Adam, such cool little pots, they look very strong too!! Awesome watering!

[@notionbonsai]

Thanks Nigel! 😄 They're super strong!

[@ebcornell23]

Just got some polymer clay after hearing Nigel mention it in a video. And now here you are with some. Need to make a pot of mine own now!

[@ohsnapShan]

I've read that these likely won't hold up as bonsai pots but I'm itching to make 1 anyway and probably will, lol! Would you say these are best to use for indoor bonsai only so to not expose them to the elements/frost etc.?

[@zicada7661]

Please do a video series on hormone compounds!! Many plants without, and many plants with, planted simultaneously. We could then follow them over time to determine through experiment what if any effect it has!

[@notionbonsai]

This could be an idea for a video in the future! In general though I only use rooting hormone with the ingredient IBA

[@zicada7661]

@@notionbonsai great! So with and without that for a year on maybe 5 plants each, so 10 total ? I don't understand the underlying biology at this level, but would love to see data

[@DarleneHerman-k2n]

I like your clay pots, Cute. I’m going to try it. I ll report on it later. Darlene USA

[@notionbonsai]

Aw nice! I hope it goes well for you!!

[@annevb6987]

I recently was thinking of making really small pots for flowers indoors to make a sort of fairy garden beneath my ficusbonsai. I was toying with the idea if this was possible for bonsai as well. I just started bonsai and want to try mame style and bonsai pots are quite expensive. And then I stumbled upon this video! This is so awesome! Also it feels very 'gezellig' to watch your videos. Thanks!

[@notionbonsai]

Aw nice Anne! Making them yourself makes them unique too!! What is gezellig? 🙂

[@annevb6987]

@@notionbonsai🙂: it's kind of a mix of sociable, homely, cosy and just overall nice feeling. In the Netherlands often used for instance when two people meet up and have a good time and afterwards when they go home say to each other: it was gezellig! to let the other know they enjoyed their time together. But also it can be the vibe of a room or place, that radiates 'gezelligheid'. It's a bit like the Scandinavion 'hygge'. Watching your videos gives me besides just really good and well structured information also inspiration and 'gezelligheid' on the gray rainy days here. I ordered some polymer clay and it will be delivered tomorrow, so I'm excited to start! I've also been watching your other videos and they are just as nice and well done! So I'll keep following for more videos and updates 🙂

[@notionbonsai]

@@annevb6987 Aw nice! I like this word! Might start using it over here haha! Good luck with your polymer clay pots! Send me a message of them on instagram when you have them made! I'd love to see how you got on!

[@jerrycallender9927]

Greetings from Tucson, Arizona USA. I've been working with polymer clay for 25 or so years and the first thing we learn is to have a dedicated oven and never use an oven that is used for food. You've made some very nice little pots.

[@notionbonsai]

Ohh wow!! Thanks for this tip! I don't make these often! Hopefully I will be ok 😅😅

[@jerrycallender9927]

@@notionbonsai Toaster ovens are very cheap.

[@sagebonsai]

I never thought using polymer clay, then again I've only used firing clay. The pot in my icon was recently made using a low fire red clay. There was a few people in my local club who saw it in person. Even better that day they saw me work on this Sagebrush and some was shocked at how small of bonsai can be achieved. The smaller you go the harder it is to keep it hydrated, while keeping it tiny.

[@notionbonsai]

Ah nice! It must be great to have access to a Kiln! I'd make so many haha! I've definitely had a few trees die from dehydration that were in small pots! I always add some spaghnum now to hold moisture when I cannot water! 😊

[@sagebonsai]

@@notionbonsai i have no access to kiln yet, but I do have a rocket stove that worked wonders for low fire clay. It's good size to make one two at a time. Charcoal is great as it slowly comes to temperature preventing your pots from breaking. My shohin mix is 1-1-1.5 vermiculite, chick grit of crushed granite, and quartz sand. I use slow release all purpose organic fertilizer hope that helps you.

[@bobcatbonsai]

Nice work on these Pots. They are looking very good. The Damascus pattern is very tricky to accomplish with a soft material. You stack and press, stack and press, stack and press, then you can twist, drill or grind ribs, then you sand till it is all flat which is what brings out the Damascus pattern. I would say for using clay though, yes you achieved the Damascus pattern.😉

[@notionbonsai]

Hey thanks very much! Oh damn you know your Damascus! Any tips would be greatly appreciated 😁 Clay could be a good medium to experiment with getting a Damascus pattern before doing it with metal to see how it goes 🤔

[@bobcatbonsai]

@@notionbonsai Adam you are a very smart young man. Clay is also used in practicing getting the right movement with hammer strikes. For some good example look up pattern welded steel, that is what damascus acrually falls under.

[@TheBonsaiGarden]

I gotta get me some of that clay and have a go. That mame larch is super cute. Great result 👍

[@notionbonsai]

Definitely should give it a go Jason! It's good fun too 🤗

[@paulblanchette9583]

Interesting video on using poly clay for pots. I am just about to use the poly clay for making some crescent moon pots as i have serval cascade trees which i cant find the correct pots for the.

[@snylilith]

OMG I NEED THAT CAP!!! Also, I really like the idea of this pots, I will try to make one!

[@_gabe_9556]

Nice👍

[@notionbonsai]

Hey thanks 🙂

[@_gabe_9556]

@@notionbonsai I love ur videos😁 I made my own pot because of u :)

[@notionbonsai]

@@_gabe_9556 Aw thats awesome! Thank you so much!!

[@onceyler]

Love it

[@notionbonsai]

Hey thanks OnceyLer 🙂

[@mandyhernon2238]

Well done Adam, to get thinner clay you can use a pasta maker and form it over pots you have already. PC is firedcured at such a low temperature it won't do your originals any harm. I have quite a lot from when I used to make jewellery. So a great idea for making my own mame pots. Keep growing.xx

[@notionbonsai]

Oh my god Mandy I'd love to give this a go! This has now opened a whole new world! Thank you!! 😄

[@TonysBonsai]

Very interesting material. I'm definitely going to have a crack at this!

[@notionbonsai]

What supprised me is how strong it is in the end! I look forward to see how you get on Tony 🙂

[@TonysBonsai]

Indeed. That was what impressed me. I think I'm going to attempt to make a bigger one

[@notionbonsai]

@@TonysBonsai That would be sick!!

[@TonysBonsai]

I've just ordered two pounds of it 🤣

[@notionbonsai]

@@TonysBonsai Omg nice!

[@mattbrennan647]

Well done Adam. Whenever I try to make something my grandkids will ask “Grandpa what grade were you in when you made that?” I usually fib because telling them it was just made is too embarrassing 😂

[@notionbonsai]

Hey Matt thanks! 🙂 Aww thats so sweet haha

[@fishautawater73]

Adorable!

[@tacobonsai]

Very cool! I want to give this a try and see if I can make some interesting mame pots. Thanks for sharing!

[@notionbonsai]

Hey thanks Taco Bonsai 😄🌮🌳It's great fun! Let me know how you get on if you try it! 🪴

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Great work Adam! Very cool way to make your own pots without having to find an appropriate furnace.

[@notionbonsai]

Hey thanks Dave! You should give it a go 🤗

[@planterbanter]

Just found your channel mate and I’m so happy! Haha. Keep the videos coming 👍🏽👍🏽

[@notionbonsai]

Welcome! 🤗 There will be lots more videos to come man!

[@charityrocks]

I love you sharing your talents with us! ❤ I am very inspired and getting ready for spring in the Rocky Mountains of Canada 🇨🇦 I never thought to make my own pot. Please keep sharing. 👍

[@charityrocks]

I really like the Damascus pot 👍🔥

[@notionbonsai]

Hey! Thanks so much for watching! 🤗There will be lots more videos to come!

[@heartfullkitsune1213]

Beautiful

[@notionbonsai]

😄😄

[@pattykelly6621]

You will find the clay easier to work with if you condition quite a bit more. That just means rolling it and kneading it in your hands. It will soften and be easier to form.

[@notionbonsai]

Ohh nice! Thank you very much for this advice!! 😄

[@inekev.d.heijden3393]

Absolutely gorgeous little pots Adam. I shall try that as I have a lot of polymer clay. I also make my own bonsai pots. I make them from cement and with some handmade scrapers, I make them look like bonsai pots. btw, i love 💕 your channel😀

[@notionbonsai]

Thank you Ineke 🙂🪴I think theres plenty more talented people at this than I am haha! Let me know how it goes if you give it a try! Aw nice! I love cement pots too! 🤗

[@rabiaatani8704]

Merci beaucoup c'est très gentil de votre part (thank you very well 👍🇩🇿

[@notionbonsai]

Awesome it worked!! 😄

[@Cryptochinodotsol]

Thank you so much I've been looking at videos for quite a while feeling overwhelmed that I would have to make so much of an investment doing it I may do it with normal clay one day but this is a great way to start off specially with the mame pots that I want

[@notionbonsai]

Glad I could help!

[@debcampbell4076]

Adam, great job on the pots. Nice of you to pass on your ideas on making your own pots,thank you.

[@notionbonsai]

Hey Deb 😄 Thanks very much! I'm sure there's lots of talked people who work with clay that could do much better than I! 🤣🤣

[@joegarland4885]

Good having a go at doing your own pots, how much does the clay cost it’s not cheap to buy, nice to experiment with different materials to see if it is possible to do it yourself, well done Adam.

[@notionbonsai]

Thanks Joe! I hope you are well! For me it was £5 for two of the little squares. I've seen it cheaper in some shops around me occationally though! 🙂

[@jmmvangoor]

Nice idea to make your own bonsai pot out of clay, also maybe a nice idea to make a pagoda or oriental lantern out of clay. thanks for the nice video and greetings from the Netherlands

[@notionbonsai]

Ah neat idea! you should give that a go! Greetings from Ireland! 🤗

[@jmmvangoor]

@@notionbonsai I did, turned out very nice

[@raymondplodzien7459]

What a great idea Adam. I will have to give it a try.

[@notionbonsai]

Thanks Raymond! I hope it goes well for you!! 🤗

[@JuanjoBalones1]

Thanks for the great idea you gave us, I noticed it on your last video, and since then I already made 3 small pots. It surely is a difficult task to get a good-looking pot 😅

[@notionbonsai]

Aw, nice one, Juanjo! How did they turn out?! I'd love to see them! Getting the rectangle shape is tricky for sure!! 😅

[@JuanjoBalones1]

@@notionbonsai I will post my pots on Instagram and tag you, so you can see.

[@MikaAlfred]

Очень классные горшки, надо поискать у нас такую глину, налепить. Спасибо!!!

[@gloriablanco7856]

Nice job! Thank you.

[@notionbonsai]

Thanks Gloria 😄

[@ancientoak]

I Love This Idea!

[@notionbonsai]

Hey thanks! 🤗

[@zahiauro]

Damascus steel is folded over and smashed with a hammer and folded again over and over. You can take your clay and fold and smash it and then maybe stretch it to and then fold. You will end up with a bunch of tiny layers 😊

[@notionbonsai]

Great tip!!

[@KevinCleaver-r3e]

Thanks you have help heaps Tauranga nz

[@natrjack965]

Nice work adam is it expensive to buy I think I will give it a try myself ...

[@notionbonsai]

Hey thanks! It's not too expensive! 😄 Please let me know how you get on if you try it!

[@natrjack965]

@@notionbonsai will do mate 👍

[@Warriori2i]

great idea !!!

[@notionbonsai]

😊

[@TrafalgarD.Shambles]

I was wondering if you can do a flame tree bonsai explanation :)

[@notionbonsai]

Great idea!! I'll be doing a video on that this year! 🤗

[@TrafalgarD.Shambles]

@@notionbonsai Thanks

[@kimrichardson8376]

Hi there, do you know if the clay softens over time? I was going to use it too but I was worried it wouldn’t stand up to wet weather. Kim🇨🇦🍁

[@notionbonsai]

It shouldn't soften. I have one outside almost a year now and it's just the same. It is waterproof too! 😃

[@kimrichardson8376]

Oh awesome!

[@kimrichardson8376]

I recently bought some tea cups and ceramic dishes that I put holes in myself and I’m using those as bonsai pots! Their beautiful patterns and colours!

[@notionbonsai]

@kimrichardson8376 Aw nice one Kim! 😃 I bet they look great! I love recycling things like this too!

[@kimrichardson8376]

I have an eastern larch forest to repot and I’ll send you a pick when I’m done! It’s going into a beautiful blue pot I recycled!

[@forrestcrabbe]

Yup, ima give it a go 🤘🍻🤘

[@ragilpotrelief]

Kerja bagus kawan

[@Yurup]

Polymer clay still isn't frost proof. Just so everybody is aware. If you want to create paterns you should look at polymer cane making. They do a lot with paterns. After baking, if you want to add more clay you should really use a product called liquid polymer clay or bake and bond. Polymer clay wont bond to itself properly after baking.

[@notionbonsai]

Hey! Thanks so much for these Polymer Clay tips! I've had pots I made out all winter in the frost and none of them cracked. I'll definitely keep this in mind!

[@LRSTUDIOCREATIONS]

Don't you have to glaze the pot to make it Waterproof?

[@kimrichardson8376]

Also where did you get the spout? Kim🍁🇨🇦

[@notionbonsai]

I got them on Ebay! I'm sure you can find them if you just search watering can bottle cap or something! 😄

[@kimrichardson8376]

Ok perfect thanks

[@georgelsanchez4792]

My 5 years old son did one similar to these from school last spring 😂. Good job for both of you! Just joking.

[@Alexela03]

If you know who Harry Harrington is, British himself, he has a different recipe to make one, check it out, I made quite a few , love your channel ❤

[@rabiaatani8704]

It's very good 👍 but I can't follow you when you explain I don't know English very well and I am 52 old (facilitiez s'il vous avez en mettant une traduction pour se concentrer à votre sujet de votre chaîne merci et très bon courage 🇩🇿👍💐

[@notionbonsai]

Thanks! I have updated the subtitles in this video. Can you let me know if it is ok? 🙂

[@rabiaatani8704]

yes 👍 Merci

[@bonsaitime621]

Foist

[@notionbonsai]

Woo! 🏆