Clay extruders are handy tools for the ceramics studio and can be used to make some amazing work – and you don’t have to spend a lot of money to own one. You can easily make a simple handheld extruder out of a caulking gun or, if you really have a knack for making tools, you can make a heavy-duty model.

Maydelle,Texas, potter David Hendley knows extruders. He’s been using them in his pottery since the 1970s! In today’s video, and excerpt from his three-disc DVD set Extrude It!, David gives a helpful introduction to extruders. He shares his expertise on making homemade dies, clearly explains the physics behind using two-part dies and demonstrates how to pull an extrusion using a two-part die. – Jennifer Harnetty, editor.