I made something!

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Thought it was about time.My wife and a few of her friends do a bit of clay work in her studio out the back of our house. When they make big pots, they build the walls up by rolling long sausages of clay, making them into a loop and lying them flat, and then putting another loop on top and so on. It takes ages to build up the sides of a big pot.So I figured it couldn't be too hard to make something that would extrude a sausage of clay.I looked at a few things on the internet and got to work with some scrap.So the clay goes into the square tube.Then that articulated handle has plunger that pushes the clay down. To get leverage, there is a point on the end past where the two bits of the handle join that fits into the holes on the bit that goes up the back of the hollow tube. (That probably could have been better explained.)At the bottom is a sliding thing with four different sized holes for different thickness sausages.It works amazing well and earned me a load of brownie points.And so far, only two people have walked into the handle! One was a mate of mine and he's pretty accident prone so that was amusing. The other was one of my daughters and that was less amusing - especially for her. Attached ImagesYeah, I carry.House keys, wallet, some change, usually a newspaper, maybe a pen.
Reply:So let me see here, you pack that tube with clay, start with the handle and plunger in a high position then as the clay gets lower in the tube you move the handle and plunger down to the next position and so-on right?? Pretty snifty idea."The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:Yep.I was amazed that it worked. And worked really well - no leakage out of the bottom around the bottom or anything. I surprised myself.I didn't spend much time on it because I didn't think it would work and I figured I would have to remake it after working out what I did wrong.Yeah, I carry.House keys, wallet, some change, usually a newspaper, maybe a pen.
Reply:Here is a side on view of the handle.It's a bit of a hazard, so doesn't sit like that when not in use - after my mate ran into it. Attached ImagesYeah, I carry.House keys, wallet, some change, usually a newspaper, maybe a pen.
Reply:Alrighty. I kinda thought maybe there'd be some squoosh out the sides of the slot on the bottom but it's good that it doesn't. Maybe your next version can be 6 inch pipe, hydraulic ram and all that.  60 feet of mud rope a minute. "The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:Adult sized play dough fun factory?
Reply:That whole room is like a fun factory for grown-ups.Yeah, Sandy, I was expecting stuff to squeeze out everywhere. It's not a super tight fit, so I don't why it doesn't. I assume it's because the whole for the clay to come out is pretty big so the contents of the tube aren't under a whole lot of pressure.Of course, when it worked perfectly the first time I said,  'Yep, I knew it would work. I'm a genius.'Yeah, I carry.House keys, wallet, some change, usually a newspaper, maybe a pen.
Reply:Neat idea and nice work!! Originally Posted by scott brunsdonOf course, when it worked perfectly the first time I said,  "Yep, I knew it would work. I'm a genius."