All Things Metal Clay
An Expert Guide to Making & Selling Jewelry

by Elaine Luther

Have you noticed the incredible inventiveness coming out of the metal clay community? The inventions are coming faster and faster. As an inventor myself (Silicone Texture Plates), I always notice the new inventions out, and usually try them too.

Just in the last thirty days, there have been at least three: the hollow tube extruder adaptors (two different ones from two different companies) and now the mini caulk gun type thing for metal clay syringes. And before that, the Makins Clay screw type extruder became available in stainless steel.

It used to be metal clay-ers had to borrow all their tools from the scrapbookers and the polymer clay people. Now we’re a big enough market that folks are inventing and producing new tools just for us. I think that’s pretty exciting.

Now, those hollow tube extruders I mentioned. One is sold by www.cooltools.us (designed by Hadar Jacobson and called Texture Tube Adaptor) and one by www.pmcsupply.com (called the Hollow Core Adaptor). You may be wondering which one to buy.

Here’s my ten second review.

Both sets are designed to be used with the Makins Clay screw type extruder (the professional) in stainless steel or aluminum. Being cheap, and not totally convinced that the stainless steel is necessary, I bought the green aluminum one. Why? Well, I’ve been using the Kemper Klay Gun, which I think is aluminum for years, and no trouble. Plus, maybe the fact that the green one is anodized aluminum makes it okay, maybe that’s why it’s not affecting the clay.

Oops. My ten seconds are up already. I tried both sets of hollow tube adaptors. The one from Cool Tools requires a screw driver to take out. And even then, it was a little hard to get out. Maybe this is because I was using the aluminum extruder. I found the PMC Supply one easier to remove after use.

Both functioned equally well in extruding. The only challenge in using both is making sure everything is lined up so your tube is centered and the walls will all be the same thickness.

So how to choose? They are not that expensive, I would buy both, mostly because the Cool Tools set makes hollow tubes that are a little bit larger. So if it is important to you to have the full range of sizes, you’ll need both sets.

See a super cool youtube video on how to use the Cool Tools adaptors at:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=h15vNIUw_Zg

You can also buy one of the sets from

www.cardinalcreations.net

I have yet to fire my extruded tubes. When they’re fired, I’ll post them.