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extruder-build, or buy?

updated tue 13 feb 01

 

David Hendley on sun 11 feb 01


You Clayart old-timers knew I wouldn't be able to let this pass,
didn't you?
The answer is BUILD, BUILD BUILD.
You can save hundreds of dollars for a few hours of work.
An extruder is so simple, if you are handy, have access to
good tools and welding equipment, and are used to building
things, you don't even need any plans; just look at what's
for sale, modify and combine until you have what you want,
and go to work.

If you need ideas, go buy 'The Extruder Book', by Daryl Baird,
published by the ACerS (the publishers of Ceramics Monthly).
Actually, you should buy it anyway to see what other people
are doing with extruders, how to make dies, what size extruder
you should build, etc.
There are plans for 4 or 5 extruders in the book.
The easiest extruder to build, by far, nothing even comes close,
is the bumper jack extruder. The plans are in the book, as
well as in Pottery Making Illustrated, Winter 1999.
Even if you do nothing but buy a car jack, some pipe, and some
channel iron at the junk yard and take them and the plans to a
welder, he will be able to put one together in less than an hour
(less than $50 where I live).

Sylvia Shirley recently wrote to Clayart about a bumper jack
extruder built with no welding required. I've pasted it below.
--
David Hendley
Maydelle, Texas
hendley@tyler.net
http://www.farmpots.com/




----- Original Message -----
From: Bill and Sylvia Shirley
To:
Sent: Friday, February 02, 2001 12:27 PM
Subject: Bumper Jack Extruder - easy!


| I got a wonderful present yesterday. A clay friend's mother
| (Mary Kate Sullivan) built me a bumper jack extruder.
| OOOOOOH is it nice! I had given her a copy of Pottery
| Making Illustrated with plans for an extruder, and she
| modified them to suit what we had available. There was no
| welding involved! This consists of basically a 3-sided
| wooden box, pvc pipe, a plunger cut from scrap wood, a die
| cut from a piece of aluminum, and a bumper jack. I did
| supply the jack, just so you don't think I just sat around
| and let her do all the work. Later, we found our extruder
| was very similar to plans in The Extruder Book.
|
| This lady is amazing, and can build just about anything she
| can imagine. She's my hero! I sent her home with pictures
| of a slab roller, so I can't wait to see what she comes up
| with next.
|
| If anybody wants to see this extruder, I have drawn up plans
| showing the way she built it. If you have Microsoft Word, I
| can e-mail them to you.
|
| Big thanks to David Hendley and Daryl Baird. Who's big idea
| was it to use a bumper jack, anyway? Brilliant. The jack
| does all the work, and makes extruding incredibly easy. No
| muscles required.
|
| My advice is, if you have any interest in extruding, this is
| the way to get started. If you don't have any interest in
| extruding, build it anyway, and you soon will. (You might
| as well go ahead and buy Daryl Baird's book, cause it's a
| "must have"!)
|
| Sylvia Shirley
| Pittsburg, Kansas
|

Gabrielle on sun 11 feb 01


Hi everyone,
Well I'm going to do it. Either I build one, or buy one. (I'm cheap, =
(well, just not rolling in it :o) ) and I usually try and improvise, but =
maybe I'd be better off buying a ready made
extruder. So who wants to give me their two cents worth!

I build exclusively by hand, I produce 75% commercial type stuff, most =
of my pieces are smallish, under 12"s. I'm in Canada so I'm not really =
cosy with paying in US dollars right now...don't hit me :o) Oh, yeah and =
I'd really like to buy a second hand with the dies if =
possible...thoughts?
Gabrielle

mailto:gabriellem@telus.net

Jeremy McLeod on sun 11 feb 01


Gabrielle wrote:

> Hi everyone,
> Well I'm going to do it. Either I build one, or buy one. (I'm cheap, (well, just not rolling in it :o) ) and I usually try and improvise,

So, Gabrielle describes my life pretty well... especially the improvisation part. I've been told that ACS's "The Extruder Book"
includes plans for same that are easy to follow and save one the price of the book. That's my gameplan in about four months.
It's a tube with something to push the clay and something to push it thru. Not all that complicated.

Jeremy McLeod

ian vonthaden on mon 12 feb 01


build it!

for under fifty dollars you can probally have a local welder make one for
you. just take him/her a picture and explain what it does. as for the gigs,
you can make these by laminateing two 1/4" pieces of laminate together and
cutting them out on a band saw. if you know any one who is a hobby
craftsmans or professional woogworker they coulc do this for you.

over the years i have found that if you involve other craftsman in your
trade they will cut you a deal on the price just to learn about what it is
that you do?

good luck,
ian in albania
(prices and sizes are American...eh)


>From: Gabrielle
>Reply-To: Ceramic Arts Discussion List
>To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
>Subject: Extruder-Build, or Buy?
>Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2001 10:46:54 -0800
>
>Hi everyone,
>Well I'm going to do it. Either I build one, or buy one. (I'm cheap,
>(well, just not rolling in it :o) ) and I usually try and improvise, but
>maybe I'd be better off buying a ready made
>extruder. So who wants to give me their two cents worth!
>
>I build exclusively by hand, I produce 75% commercial type stuff, most of
>my pieces are smallish, under 12"s. I'm in Canada so I'm not really cosy
>with paying in US dollars right now...don't hit me :o) Oh, yeah and I'd
>really like to buy a second hand with the dies if possible...thoughts?
>Gabrielle
>
>mailto:gabriellem@telus.net
>
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