September 19, 2008
Clay Extruder Video: Make Your Own Hand-Held Clay Extruder
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in today’s pottery video, David Henry returns with a follow up to his pitcher throwing video, which was shown a few weeks back. David takes us through the process of making your very own hand-held clay extruder in his usual down-to-earth manner. With a few readily available and inexpensive parts, you can be well on your way to making your own custom extruded handles for your pots. But handles are not all extruders are good for! Extrusions can provide an element of precise control, with defined edges and form that also strengthen the fragile edge of a piece of pottery. Below, you will find a great idea for using extrusions to enhance the rims of pots. - Jennifer Harnetty, editor. |
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Using Extruded Elements to Make Beautiful and Functional Rims by Jim Robison Rims are one way any vessel comes to a visual close, as all lines lead upward to the mouth of the piece. The ways to achieve a successful ending are many of course, but a generous rim or lip is seen by many potters as a key to a successful pot. I suppose in throwing terms, the presence of a well-finished, proportional rim means that you did not have to struggle to raise the cylinder in the first place and had plenty of clay left over for this final ending curve. Often the profile of the lip is formed early in the process to make sure that this is possible, and the final shape is refined afterwards. |
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The form of the slab planter above is enhanced by a substantial extruded rim. Extruded detail elements can add precise control and strong defined edges to handbuilt vessels.
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| Just as with thrown forms, irregular slabs and extruded tubular pots seem to cry out for a finishing detail that makes the endings visually proportional to the form and an integral part of the overall design. It may be smooth and clean or undulating and active, a small line or a large architectural detail casting a shadow over the entire piece. One design solution may simply draw a line around the edge while another might be quite imposing and become a focus in its own right. The choice is yours and with extrusions, there is the opportunity to determine the size and weight of the rim as you study individual pieces. |
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This content was excerpted from the July/August 2008 issue of Pottery Making Illustrated magazine, which focused on the many uses for extruders. Subscribe today to get great content like this delivered straight to your studio door!
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| A piece of thin plywood, plastic or metal, a drill (or Dremel), fret saw and set of files will create myriad die shapes (as shown below). I have begun to incorporate notches into the die shapes I make, creating an indented groove in the final extrusion that helps it to register securely over the top edge of the slab (as shown below). The increase in the surfaces of the pot and the rim that now come into contact means that the rim is securely attached to the piece with no messy joins to smooth out. |
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Tags: Ceramic Studio Tools and Equipment Videos, Handbuilding Techniques
Lynn | July 17th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Love, love, love this. Can’t wait to make it. Thanks so much Dave.
Blessings!
Lynn
Lynn | July 17th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
How do I find more of your videos?
Karen | July 17th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Thanks, David! Once again, you are an extraordinary helper.
Karen Foster
http://www.MudMagicPottery.com
Laura | July 17th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
This is awesome. Thank you!
Holly | July 17th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
That was great the only bad thing is that the hardware stores are closed for the night. I’ll be there first thing tomorrow.
Larry | July 17th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
really loved your humor creativity
qeestion: is there a way to extrude a tube. i Guess that I’d have to make a negative lollipip cut plywood so there would be a center circular block and a stem cumming up to hold it in place. Anyway tanks for sharing our ingenuity Lrry
jackie | July 18th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
I am wondering if Dave Henry knows where to purchase the test cap for the extruder. I tried to find them at Home Depot and they didn’t have the correct ones. I now have all of the materials to make the extruder except for the test cap. Could you please have him email me at the following address: jackiestilwell@verizon.net. Thank you for your help.
Jackie Stilwell
michele | July 20th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
I had the same problem as Jackie above. Found the gizmos that you hang a closet bar do fit into the pvc pipe and can be drilled to extrude coils..The closed end can also be cut out and a die be placed inside similar to those little 5 inch extruders..
But, yes, I would like to find the one Dave has.
Michele Sinkez
Carla | August 1st, 2009 at 12:02 pm
I made this extruder after watching the video. It was quite easy to make, the hardest part for me was cutting the pipe. I found the test caps and all my supplies at Lowes home improvement store. I also cut the edge off of one test caps to make it small enough to just fit inside the pipe for the plunger end. This kept the clay from squeezing out around the caulking gun plunger. It works wonderfully! Thank you Dave for this. I would not have been able to afford an extruder otherwise. I can’t wait for more videos from you.
Carla McAlister
Lindsay | August 6th, 2009 at 1:11 am
Thank goodness for people like you! What a great idea, thanks for sharing.
zsavon | August 18th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
Absolutely Amazing!! Thank you so much!!!!!
Markie | August 31st, 2009 at 10:16 pm
I loved this video and I can’t wait to make one and use it myself. Like Carla, I too can’t wait for more of your awesome videos!
Thanks,
Markie
maureen | September 16th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
WOW…THANK YOU SO MUCH…I HAVE BEEN WRACKING MY BRAIN …I THOUGHT THERE MUST BE SOME THING I COULD USE…YOU ARE BRILLIANT..DO YOU HAVE ANY MORE SIMPLE IDEAS? I AM NEW TO THIS GAME AND AM GRATEFUL FOR ALL THE HELP YOU CAN GIVE .
DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS FOR A PRESS?
AGAIN THANK YOU
mAUREEN
Janet | September 20th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Very easy to make, but even with the test caps on, the clay left in the extruder dried out.I wish the test caps were not rough; makes it harder to cut a design through the raised printing. Amyone find test caps without the raised printing?
rebecca | October 11th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
I love this video! Well, like it a lot, anyway. I have been trying to make hair for some stuff (technical term) and have just about lost my mind trying to use a hand held extruder and getting cramps and skinny, easily breakable strands. This is the way to go. Thank you so much.
Amy | October 14th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Has anyone tried making the extruder out of the 20 oz caulk gun? for bigger forms..? Loved your video.. can’t wait to give it a go..
Sue | November 1st, 2009 at 7:20 am
I found very large washers (2″) at Home Depot. This made for perfectly round coils. To make smaller and smaller coils, I simply stacked smaller washers on top the large 2″ washer. I placed these washer where he indicated to put the test cap. I did not have much luck cutting nice shapes from the test caps.
Gil | December 4th, 2009 at 6:17 am
great!
Thanks.
going to try it out this weekend.
Ed | January 4th, 2010 at 9:04 am
This worked exactly as described. I did find that there is some small variance in the diameter of chalk guns so that not all chalk guns will easily fit in 1-1/2 inch pvc. So bring your pvc to the store when you buy your chalk gun.
Jeanette | February 13th, 2010 at 10:21 pm
how do you cut the shapes in the test caps?
dani | February 14th, 2010 at 10:04 pm
You had me in stitches, and what a fab idea should work better than my little plastic icing gun!
helle | February 22nd, 2010 at 5:21 am
Great idear. Love it.
Jackie | February 23rd, 2010 at 8:54 pm
Jaqui, Australia. I love this idea. I have 2 very expensive extruders for white and dark coloured clay, and hate cleaning them so much I don’t uses them. Can’t wait to start.
Amanda | March 5th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
thanks so much for making this video. It is incredibly kind of you and everyone who watches it is really appreciative :D