Making Rainbows - Polymer clay canes with clay gun Czextruder with a Step-By-Step guide - Free tutorial

When making rainbow themed canes there are a lot of preparations and work, but the outcome is always bright, happy and surprising. About a year ago Lucy from Czextruder send me a present, a prototype of the Czextruder and since then making clay gun canes is a breeze; this tool is designed very thoughtfully, it is sturdy and also very easy to use and operate.
What can I say,… Thank you Lucy, I love it !

At the end of this post there is my Step-By-Step guide on How-to use the Czextruder with some maintenance tips, but first, enjoy the preparations.

 

When I mix the 24 rainbow colors, they have to be the exact hue I need.

In my rainbow there are 6 main colors and each color has 4 tones.

I love to keep samples

The second stage is to cut all the sheets to small disks.

And then I assemble each 4 color tones to 1 roll

I squeeze, tighten and then roll each one of them to a narrow roll

 For my "Night Rainbow" cane I've added dark blue to the rolls.

Czextruder time - game on!

 Did I mention it's a lot of work...?

 …but I love it!

My "Noon Rainbow" cane

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I found that the Czextruder is very easy to work with, here is my

Step-By-Step guide:

How to use the Czextruder
(I use the Czextruder's Demo version)

1. The Czextruder has 2 sides. Open the lower cup lid and slide in the disk. Clean the white plunger with moist wipes, even if it is your first time or if you've used it a few days or weeks ago; this will ease the entry of the plunger and all the way through the Czextruder tube.

2. Open the top cup lid and take it out of the Czextruder.

3. Insert the plunger in - to the top side of the Czextruder tube.

4. Push the plunger inside, about an inch / 2.5 cm.

Do not use the end of the threaded rod or your fingers or sharp objects to push the white plunger in, so you won't damage the plunger or yourself.
Use only blunt objects, I suggest to use the end of a wooden spoon.

5. Screw the top cup lid to the down part of the threaded rod.

6. Attach the top cup lid to the extruder tube and fasten it.

7+8. Slide the polymer clay roll into the tube and close it with the cup lid (don’t forget the disk).

9+10. Hold the Czextruder firmly and spin its handle until all the clay is out and cut it out.

11. Open the lower cup lid; if it's difficult, it is because the disk is stuck to the clay. So, spin the handle slightly to the other direction - this will release the disk from the clay and open the lid easily.

12. To release the plunger - continue to spin the handle as if there's still clay in the tube.

13. Continue until the plunger is out.

*** Take the plunger and the disk out of the cup and clean it with wipes.

I clean the inside of the cup lid with a needle/pin to remove any clay residues.

This will ensure the good condition of the Czextruder and its parts.

Now you can start again all over from step 1 :-)

More TIPS for maintenance:

* Clean the inside of the tube with wipes also to ease the pushing of the clay through the Czextruder and of course to keep it clean after use.

* Oil the threaded rod: for the safety of the Czextruder use only LC lubricant, using some other oils will voids the warranty as its not an approved product and it can't be guaranteed that it may not cause damage to other parts of the tool. This also will ease the device activity.

Last thing. I have the first version of the Czextruder and a lot has changed as far as the tool itself and it's been upgraded a few times - there's a larger HD thread, crank handle, the LC lubricant and a cleaning brush for proper care of the tool.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this process explanation and steps.

If you have any questions, please post them in a comment below, and I will gladly answer.

 

Polymer clay canes from the "Rainbow collection"
You can find them at my Etsy shop

Polymer clay can be bright, joyful and most inspiring.

Do you want to know how to mix the clay

and get 24 beautiful colors?

Now available at my Etsy shop
24 Polymer clay FIMO color mix recipes tutorial eBook
plus instructions and tips + 1 extra color

ENJOY CREATING!!!

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Thank you :-)