Time for July 2025’s Maker Monthly Challenge from Winona Creators Collective. How can you make noise or audio… involving clay? @erik this one seems like it’s a project made for you!
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cool! this sounds like fun. I’d like to try making some clay.
I kinda of have a plan now? Is anyone else giving this a shot?
I will, because it’s embarrassing to make the video and not contribute 
I’m tempted to make a cute little rattle out of clay, but not sure the shape.
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Cool!
I got some baking soda and corn starch at midtown last night but haven’t tried any clay experiments yet.
I made this goofy little house for a motor with a bit of chain soldered to the end of it and am planning to try wrapping the whole thing in clay.
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That’s a good rattle - has some rattlesnake vibes to the sound
I’ll admit, I can’t picture what the result is going to be, so I look forward to your progress photos!
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Hopefully a blob of clay (with a flat bottom so it doesn’t roll?) with the potentiometer knob sticking out the top, and the leads for power sticking out of the back?
I’m curious how the clay will dampen / alter the sound.
That’s so cool, Erik! I was picturing a cute little gingerbread house based on the shape you made!
I, too, was thinking of making a rattle - there’s an artist in MN (Kelly Jean Ohl) that makes really cool ones, so I wanted to try my hand at a simpler version. Kelly Jean Ohl – Northeast Minneapolis Arts District
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Just a few days left on this challenge! What do you know, I again left mine to last minute. Guess I’ll be buying some clay this weekend 
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Wow, yeah those look beautiful!
I still haven’t made any clay, so tonight is the night I think. Just hoping to get something that doesn’t crumble away, but looking at Kelly Jean Oh’s rattles is inspiring!
Edit: I just tried formula #2 from this page: Homemade Air Dry Clay That Doesnt Crack - [Mom Prepared]
There’s a big glob of it wrapped around the box air-drying in the alley now. I stuck some misc bells into it… I’d already like to try this again, I think I might have mixed the dough clay up poorly (I just eyeballed the proportions) or maybe it’s normal that it drooops. I don’t know if it’ll hold any kind of form at all, but blob accomplished I guess! Next time maybe some small plastic container as a mold to hold the shape would be cool to try.
Edit: it’s kind of starting to hold a shape – a very ridiculous shape 
– and is somehow kind of appetizing like a big blob of marzipan. I’m curious if it’ll crumble apart when it’s dry!
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What started with a easy-enough-looking video on how to make a clay whistle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIfAPZ9mNHw) devolved quickly into a tube whistle, then further devolved to me making a turtle shaped rattle. Probably the use of sculpy, and my lack of skills, but I couldn’t really get the thing to whistle.
It’s in the oven - mildly afraid of what is going to come out!
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Well I guess the chain in that little house got stuck lol. I can’t get the rattle to rattle anymore… sometimes, with great effort, but something is going on inside of that great gloop of blob that I can’t fix without breaking it apart.
I’m playing with a beeper to put into a new blob… the little dome is a stand-in Helmholtz resonator, maybe with clay around it the resonant frequencies will be more clear! I was trying to sweep it to find them, but it’s too thin prolly.
PS I loved that whistle video, such a cool project! I’m curious to hear about the difficulties in whistle-production! (Those kinds of stories are lovely for learning.)
So the sculpty was difficult to work with, partially because it was soft and too pliable. (Likely my technique too). I then tried to make a turtle rattle, and between too many washers and the plastic-ness of the clay, the sound is really muted. I had to abandon the project, but maybe one day I’ll go decorate my sad turtle
