A clay extruder can enhance productivity, consistency, and creativity in ceramic art by offering precise shaping capabilities and expanding the range of techniques and designs that artists can explore. However, the interchangeable dies that come standard with extruders can be limiting. Creating custom dies can be expensive or involve the use of power tools. Luckily, with the help of an expired bank card, you can alter existing dies to create custom effects.
To begin, choose a thin, flexible plastic that can be cut easily with scissors such as PVC (see 1). Saving expired ID, bank, and prepaid cards will afford endless masking material. Cut the plastic card into a size that covers the area of the die you want to mask off. Ensure that the extruder die is clean and free of any debris or clay residue, use blue painter’s tape to affix the plastic mask to the metal die (2). If there is any excess plastic extending beyond the edges of the die, trim it carefully with scissors or an X-Acto knife for a clean and neat fit.
Finally, once the plastic mask is in place, test the extruder with clay to ensure that the masked-off area of the die does not extrude clay while the rest of the die functions as intended (3, 4). Tip: Position the die so that the plastic mask faces inside the extruder and the commercial metal die is on the exterior so that the force of extruding doesn’t pop the mask out of place. See more of my process and work on Instagram @bugaboo_eyes.
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A clay extruder can enhance productivity, consistency, and creativity in ceramic art by offering precise shaping capabilities and expanding the range of techniques and designs that artists can explore. However, the interchangeable dies that come standard with extruders can be limiting. Creating custom dies can be expensive or involve the use of power tools. Luckily, with the help of an expired bank card, you can alter existing dies to create custom effects.
To begin, choose a thin, flexible plastic that can be cut easily with scissors such as PVC (see 1). Saving expired ID, bank, and prepaid cards will afford endless masking material. Cut the plastic card into a size that covers the area of the die you want to mask off. Ensure that the extruder die is clean and free of any debris or clay residue, use blue painter’s tape to affix the plastic mask to the metal die (2). If there is any excess plastic extending beyond the edges of the die, trim it carefully with scissors or an X-Acto knife for a clean and neat fit.
Finally, once the plastic mask is in place, test the extruder with clay to ensure that the masked-off area of the die does not extrude clay while the rest of the die functions as intended (3, 4). Tip: Position the die so that the plastic mask faces inside the extruder and the commercial metal die is on the exterior so that the force of extruding doesn’t pop the mask out of place. See more of my process and work on Instagram @bugaboo_eyes.
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