David Hendley on mon 5 nov 01
I've been making extruded Bonsai-type pots for years.
Some use 3 different dies for the walls, feet, and handles.
There's a picture of one in Diana Pancioli's 'Extruded
Ceramics' book.
These types of pots, with assembled extruded walls,
are time consuming to make. Mine sell for at least $100,
while a similar sized thrown pot would be half that.
I sure won't be pumping them out.
I think aluminum is the best material for extruder dies.
It's easy to cut and file, but tough enough to last forever
in a hand extruder.
I use highway signs, which have the added advantage of
an easy-to-clean plastic coating on one side.
You don't have to steal signs to get them. Highway signs
are replaced on a regular basis, and the old ones end up at
the aluminum recycler.
Aluminum is $1 a pound at my local aluminum junk yard.
I use a Bosch jig saw with a fine-tooth metal-cutting blade
for cutting the die blanks, and for simple dies with
straight lines.
For more detailed dies, I use a jeweler's saw, with a #4
saw blade. That is a coarse blade to a jeweler, but a very
fine blade to a potter.
A good set of files, both standard size and jeweler's size
is need to clean up the cut edges and make a smooth
bevel.
For small solid-shape dies, I use cast acrylic (Plexiglas).
The key to working with it is to go s-l-o-w. You need
a variable speed drill, and either a variable speed jig saw
or a hand saw. For all but the smallest, simplest dies,
Plexiglas dies will break if not supported by another
material that closely follows the cut-out area of the
Plexiglas.
David Hendley
Maydelle, Texas
hendley@tyler.net
http://www.farmpots.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dai Scott"
To:
Sent: Monday, November 05, 2001 12:50 AM
Subject: Re: Bonsai pot competition
> Klyf, can you tell me what you make your extruder dies out of, and what
you
> cut them with? Your post sounds like you just went out to the studio and
> whipped up a couple of dies. It seems to take forever around here to make
> dies; we make them out of plexiglass, using a drill or Dremel, and it's a
> tedious process. Nothing seems to cut/drill the plexiglass very well, and
> it's hard to free-hand the bevelled edge---most of our home-made dies look
> like someone CHEWED them out! I'm thinking a thin metal would be better,
> but wonder what other people use.
> Dai in Kelowna, BC
> "There is no right way to do the wrong thing."
> potterybydai@shaw.ca
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Klyf Brown"
> To:
> Sent: Sunday, November 04, 2001 4:52 PM
> Subject: Re: [CLAYART] Bonsai pot competition
> > I have allways been fond of Bonsai and like the pots too, but never
> > tried making one. With all the posts lately on the competition I just
> > had to give it a shot. Went out to the shop this morning and worked
> > up a new extruder die for the walls and another for the feet. They
> > assembled beautifully when they stiffened up a bit. A right handsome
> > pot if I do say so myself. Not that difficult to make. The extruder die
> > is one of the easiest to make that I have done except for the coil one.
> > I'll be pumpin out the Bonsai pots now!!
> > Klyf Brown in New Mexico, I wonder if there is a market for Bonsai
> > pots in NM and west Texas.
> >
Ababi on tue 6 nov 01
My friend who makes all the metals for me explained me how he makes the
dies .
You can see them in my site, UTILITY.
He makes them out of old irrigation pipes. These are thinner than
highway signs, I think about 1 m"m (0.003 foot). He made chisels out
of handles of old stainless steel knives, where the handle was
stainless steel too. Shimon, my friend, says the chisels cuts the
aluminium like it has been butter!
If you do David's way, you can buy For Bosh jig saw, special saws for
aluminum, it speciality is that the metal does not clog the saw's teeth
too much.
Ababi Sharon
Kibbutz Shoval- Israel
Glaze addict
sharon@shoval.org.il
http://members4.clubphoto.com/ababi306910/
http://www.milkywayceramics.com/cgallery/asharon.htm
http://www.israelceramics.org/
---------- Original Message ----------
>I've been making extruded Bonsai-type pots for years.
>Some use 3 different dies for the walls, feet, and handles.
>There's a picture of one in Diana Pancioli's 'Extruded
>Ceramics' book.
>These types of pots, with assembled extruded walls,
>are time consuming to make. Mine sell for at least $100,
>while a similar sized thrown pot would be half that.
>I sure won't be pumping them out.
>I think aluminum is the best material for extruder dies.
>It's easy to cut and file, but tough enough to last forever
>in a hand extruder.
>I use highway signs, which have the added advantage of
>an easy-to-clean plastic coating on one side.
>You don't have to steal signs to get them. Highway signs
>are replaced on a regular basis, and the old ones end up at
>the aluminum recycler.
>Aluminum is $1 a pound at my local aluminum junk yard.
>I use a Bosch jig saw with a fine-tooth metal-cutting blade
>for cutting the die blanks, and for simple dies with
>straight lines.
>For more detailed dies, I use a jeweler's saw, with a #4
>saw blade. That is a coarse blade to a jeweler, but a very
>fine blade to a potter.
>A good set of files, both standard size and jeweler's size
>is need to clean up the cut edges and make a smooth
>bevel.
>For small solid-shape dies, I use cast acrylic (Plexiglas).
>The key to working with it is to go s-l-o-w. You need
>a variable speed drill, and either a variable speed jig saw
>or a hand saw. For all but the smallest, simplest dies,
>Plexiglas dies will break if not supported by another
>material that closely follows the cut-out area of the
>Plexiglas.
>David Hendley
>Maydelle, Texas
>hendley@tyler.net
>http://www.farmpots.com
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Dai Scott"
>To:
>Sent: Monday, November 05, 2001 12:50 AM
>Subject: Re: Bonsai pot competition
>> Klyf, can you tell me what you make your extruder dies out of, and
>what
>you
>> cut them with? Your post sounds like you just went out to the studio
>and
>> whipped up a couple of dies. It seems to take forever around here to
>make
>> dies; we make them out of plexiglass, using a drill or Dremel, and
>it's a
>> tedious process. Nothing seems to cut/drill the plexiglass very
>well, and
>> it's hard to free-hand the bevelled edge---most of our home-made dies
>look
>> like someone CHEWED them out! I'm thinking a thin metal would be
>better,
>> but wonder what other people use.
>> Dai in Kelowna, BC
>> "There is no right way to do the wrong thing."
>> potterybydai@shaw.ca
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Klyf Brown"
>> To:
>> Sent: Sunday, November 04, 2001 4:52 PM
>> Subject: Re: [CLAYART] Bonsai pot competition
>> > I have allways been fond of Bonsai and like the pots too, but never
>> > tried making one. With all the posts lately on the competition I
>just
>> > had to give it a shot. Went out to the shop this morning and worked
>> > up a new extruder die for the walls and another for the feet. They
>> > assembled beautifully when they stiffened up a bit. A right handsome
>> > pot if I do say so myself. Not that difficult to make. The extruder
>die
>> > is one of the easiest to make that I have done except for the coil
>one.
>> > I'll be pumpin out the Bonsai pots now!!
>> > Klyf Brown in New Mexico, I wonder if there is a market for Bonsai
>> > pots in NM and west Texas.
>> >
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