Cookie shooter to clay shooter conversion

[tyger]

A local artist, Leslie Wallace-Coon (http://www.lesliewallace-coon.com/), makes dogs out of clay (life-sized small dogs), and the hair is made by extruding the clay out of a syringe-like thing. It makes your thumbs and fingers hurt just to watch her do it. It is a real struggle, let me tell you. She says that there isn't any other way to do it.



I have been thinking about that for a few months now: there has to be a better way to extrude clay. Well, I found this cookie shooter at the local charity thrift store for $1. As you can see, it works much like a caulking gun.



I removed the plastic end from the notched stainless steel pusher, and replaced it with a new end that consists of a cut-down penny soldered to a piece of steel brake line, in turn soldered to the stainless notched pusher rod.



Then, I fashioned a nozzle out of a larger brass disc into which I cut a large hole, soldered in a piece of copper water pipe, and soldered on a smaller brass disc into which I drilled a few dozen size 56 holes.



The new barrell liner is made from a piece of black irrigation pipe.


The gun is assembled and ready to test.

[ChattanCat]

Ok, then. When do we get to test the clay shotgun shooter?

[tyger]

We get to test it........Wednesday, if all goes well. But, one never knows with artists......they work when they are moved to do so. I sure hope this thing works. I know that the gun will extrude clay- that is a given. The question is: "Will the gun extrude clay with the plasticity characteristics that are desired by the artist?"

[Bugbear]

Ya, they've made those from calking guns down at the ceramics studio; they can work out well.

Usually people use the table mounted extruder that holds about a leter of clay and has a leverage arm about three feet long. It doesn't have as many types of extrusion patterns, though. I have one of the little cake icing sized, thumb powered extruders, and they aren't too bad for small sculptures. They tend to have a whole bunch of patterns, like stars, that you can change out.

On the other hand, when I make dogs or cats etc, I usually comb in the hair with any number of knotched tools, but I'm only making greenware for people. It depends on how much detail they want to start with.

[Panache]

tyger,

An interesting project. I look forward to seeing what the artist thinks

However because this is not kilt related I have moved it to the "Off Topic" forum

Cheers

Jamie

[tyger]

This rascal WORKS!

Here is the Tyger Forge caulk-gun-like cookie shooter conversion, compared to the commercial 'syringe' used to extrude clay strands or, in this case, dog 'hair.'


The conversion extrudes clay as effortlessly as one can imagine. No white fingers, trying to grip the tiny syringe, and force the plunger.


And the new dog gets his whiskers:



An absolute 100% success, and a very happy ceramic artist.

PS: She told me "Size matters." So, she must be happy with her new toy.

[###KILTEDKIWI###]

Those are very cool looking dogs...

also, a cookie shooter? owesome. only in America huh, never seen one here.

[McMurdo]

Nice work, good for you.

[ccga3359]

I know I'm lazy but I have one of these for on the job:

http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/R8804-Du...n/EN/index.htm

Love the artwork, would love one of my little guy, less to clean up as well!

[Bugbear]

Glad it worked, congratulations.