Grrr just made my first mistake!

**Shary** · 01-03-2010 10:16 AM

I'm so cross , received my new extruder and tried it for the first time this morning. It's almost impossible to use without dislocating my thumbs.
I tried to save money and went for the silver plunger type, what a waste of money!!!

Shary
x

**olympiart** · 01-03-2010 12:26 PM

You are not on your own!
I've this same problem with my silver type extruder.

**ejralph** · 01-03-2010 02:04 PM

Ah Shary

Don't worry, you can salvage the situation if you make yourself a set of wooden "bellows"

http://s96.photobucket.com/albums/l1...rrent=18e5.jpg

They can act as a lever to help push the clay out of the extruder.

Before the Makin's Extruders came along, all we had was these silver plunger types of extruders, so we had to get inventive as to how to make them usable!

So glad the Makin's ones did come along though

**Shary** · 01-03-2010 02:44 PM

Are the Makin's extruders a lot easier to use or will I be wasting my money again. I have RA so I need them to be pretty easy to use.

Shary
x

**ejralph** · 01-03-2010 03:22 PM

Originally Posted by Shary

Are the Makin's extruders a lot easier to use or will I be wasting my money again. I have RA so I need them to be pretty easy to use.

Shary
x

The makins extruders work on a totally different principle, which is you screw the plunger down rather than push it.

So yes, a lot easier.

Although, much depends on the stiffness of your clay, how full the barrel of the extruder is, how small / large the die you are trying to extrude the clay through.

It may still be that even operating that extruder could be hard for your hands - I really couldn't say. I would have though anyone that can open a jam jar easily will have no problem with the makins extruders though - that is a similar movement, if that makes sense.

Seeing that you now have the silver extruder though, it may still make more sense for you to knock up a set of the wooden bellows and stick with that. Since you can then operate that with your foot and its dead easy.

The only downside then is that you can't use the cool additional dies, open-core adaptors etc that can be used with the Makins type extruder.

Emma

**Shary** · 01-03-2010 04:51 PM

I had to go and look didn't I???????

Hmmm wondering how long it would take to get to me if I ordered one now? Hubby is home Thursday.

Shary
x

**ejralph** · 01-03-2010 05:19 PM

Are you BFPO? Not that I can remember if that arrives any quicker anyway. Usually it doesn't take that long to Germany, but with Royal mail these days - really it's anyone's guess!

Emma

**Shary** · 01-03-2010 05:20 PM

I can be either BFPO and it usually takes a couple of days later than normal post or I have a German address where I pay that bit extra postage.
But with the BFPO address I have to wait for hubby to bring that post home.

I can't remember how long the bead roller took to come now.

Shary
x

**Bev478** · 02-03-2010 09:48 PM

I also got one of the silver ones. Didn't think I could justify the cost of the Makins ones. Probably another false economy

Have got some Sculpey clay softener to see if that may help.

Thanks to Emma for the link to the bellows. May try that, or I had been trying to figure out some way of utilising a mastic gun. Have visions of clay ending up on the other side of the room tho'

**ejralph** · 02-03-2010 10:41 PM

I think extruders might be one of those areas where a few more pence makes a lot more sense in the long term. Certainly when it comes to saving your hands anyway!

But the bellows are pretty easy to make and at least make the silver plunger-type clay guns usable.

Softening the clay isn't necessarily the answer, because you can only soften it so much before the working qualities will be changed and also it won't be as strong after baking.

Emma