I went to Michael's Saturday looking for the Makin's Professional Ultimate Clay Extruder, but I could only find the discs. The manager checked the inventory and said they do not carry it. So I settled for the Loew Cornell Clay Gun. I haven't opened it yet because I wasn't sure if I wanted to return it and try to find the Makin's again. I have read posts from several on here that recommend the Makin's one, but I don't know anything about the one I bought. Does anyone know anything about it? Should I return it? Thanks!

Our Michael's doesn't carry the Clay gun either..might try a couple of sites: www.makinsclay.com or www.sculpt.com (Compleat Sculptor, Inc.) I got the one from Sugarcxxxxxxx....... and it's the pitts.

what makes the makin' one so great is that you screw/twist the plunger. most others you have to push the plunger.

I just bought a Makins Clay Gun from ebay.
THe Michael's near me didn't carry it either. Good luck!

yeah, i meant to mention i had trouble finding it in the stores, too and i got mine from ebay.

I had read a post on here that someone got their's at Michael's for around $19.99 so I hoped I would find it there since I already had to go there for some other cake stuff. The Makin's site says they are available at Hobby Lobby, so I may check there if everyone says my gun is no good. Thanks!

And yeah, mine is the plunger you have to push. And it's so small/short. I think the Makin's one is a little longer.

I just called Hobby Lobby and they do have it! But they only have a 25% off coupon this week so I may wait and see if they have a 40% off next week. Since it is such a long drive and will use alot of gas I prefer to save as much as I can. As long as I can get it before the 14th.

I've used the plunger type for years but with clay and they worked fine since the clay could be thinned out really easy. With fondant I found the plunger ones difficult to use. I bought a red handled one with a pistol grip that works better than the plunger. I've never tried the twisting pluger type but they sound great as long as the threads hold up

Hobby Lobby is only required to carry one on the shelf so if someone buys it. You maybe out till next week if they turn their freight order in early. I have seen it go sale, but last week the had the pasta machine on sale and that is great for rolling fondant.

Wait and get the Makin's (?spell?) from Hobby Lobby. It's wonderful, you'll love it!

I bought the clay gun with the discs for a graduation cake I made last week. I thought it worked pretty well for what I need it for.

I have the Makin clay extruder from Hobby Lobby. It's the only one I have ever tried. You can get a long piece of fondant from it but most the time I can't even use the long pieces because the edges of the piece I extrude are all feathery. Like really dry and the whloe thing breaks really easy when I try to pick it up. I have ordered some premade fondant and am wanting to try that in it in place of my mmf. If I try the premade fondant in it and don't get the feathery dry edges, I will consider it a great and useful tool. Until then, we will see.

Thanks for the informative thread. I wish those Michael's people would take down the dang Price sign for the extruder, it is sooo interesting to hear that your local manager said they "don't carry it". My Michael's wouldn't even check to see if they do or don't carry it, they just said "Sorry, we don't know what we will or won't carry. Just keep coming in and looking on the shelf

Oops, sorry, that was a rant. Anyway, yes I've seen it numerous places online, and I believe with shipping it tends to come out to about $23. If you consider that if you were to buy it at Michaels' with the 40% coupon it would be roughly $18 plus tax, and tax will run you $1-2...well $23 isn't really that far off if you don't have a Hobby Lobby in your region. Would cost you $4 in gas to go get the darned thing these days!

ceshell-I'm sorry they wouldn't check it for you. I hate when they act like they could care less.

I wish I would have just went to Hobby Lobby in the first place, but I had some 50% off AC Moore coupons and 40% HL coupons and Michael's will take both. I tried to talk dh into going to HL (it is just acros the street) to see if they carried the Makin's before buying the LC one, but a bad thunderstorm was coming up and he wanted to hurry up and get home. So I went ahead and purchased the one Michael's had. Since I'll have to take this one back anyway, it won't be any extra gas if I do it all in one trip the next time we go to Sam's Club (it's across the street too)......I'm just hoping there will be a 40% coupon and a gun on the shelf.

Is this what your looking for? If so you can get it for $5.90 shipped on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/MAKINS-CLAY-GUN-EXTRUDER-w-20-Disc-Designs-Makins_W0QQitemZ140238575818QQihZ004QQcategoryZ28104QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Sorry if this isn't it, I've never seen one or used one before!

Debbie

Debbie

That looks exactly like the one I bought at Michael's (except a different brand). Heh, cheaper too, even after I used a 40% off coupon. I had never seen them before either, so I really didn't know what I was looking for, lol, just the name Makin's. The one I want to get is green metal with a "T" on top that you turn instead of pushing and it's a little bit longer than the LC model that I found. Thank you for taking the time to look.

Debbie you are so kind to try to help track down that gun!!

Here's an Ebay auction that is actually the gun in question, I've seen nothing but glowing reviews on it here on CC
http://cgi.ebay.com/Makins-Professional-Ultimate-Clay-Extruder-Set-Makins_W0QQitemZ300230646524QQihZ020QQcategoryZ116496QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
It's the Makins Professional Ultimate Clay Extruder.

Right now it's $1.94 with free shipping, but it's been my experience that Ebay items tend to sell for "the going rate"/market value, i.e. that thing isn't going to sell for $3, it will surely be bid up to $18-30. It has a whole week to get there, they never get bid up to fair market value till the last 2 days of auction. Still, can't hurt to try. Hopefully we won't all bid on the same one LOL

Ya'll are so sweet to look up that gun (((hugs))).

I totally agree ceshell, those things tend to go for around market value, especially when there aren't alot of sellers selling the same item. That same seller had one that I was watching that went yesterday for $21.50 and yeah, I'm watching this one too. They're pretty smart only listing one at a time so the item will get bid up higher. If I don't get my hands on one at Hobby Lobby when I go return mine to Micheal's (if it hasn't been sold before I get there), I'll probably just buy from ebay. I know I can save up to 40% at Hobby Lobby, but if I have to waste $40 in gas to find a HL that has it in stock, what's the use?

Aha, well if that doesn't work out for you, I finally found the website with the best price and best shipping value http://www.polyclayplay.com/Products/Extruder/ProdClayGun.htm

The extruder goes for $19.25+$4.80 shipping for a total of $24.05. Not as palatable as the $16 I was hoping to spend at Michaels but at this point I have to admit, the amount of time I wasted "checking back" there borders on the obscene! You are so lucky to have a HL nearby, there are none in the western US.

I was able to get one at HL on Saturday. They are $24.99 there! But the sign said they were on sale 25% off. Well, it was almost closing time so I think they may have already changed their sales over for the new week because when the guy scanned it it was full price. So I pulled out my 25% coupon and when he scanned it, it scanned it as 40% (which is this weeks coupon). So it came out to $16 exact with tax! I was happy!

Now I just have to practice and try it out. I'm hoping to be able to do a fondant or gumpaste name. We'll see how it goes, I guess. Thanks everyone for your advice/help in trying to find the gun!

I don't like you anymore.

Oh and by the way the one on Ebay is already at $29!!! So silly, when you can get it for less from an online retailer?!!

I would love to see an example of work done using one of these.. I don't know what you use them for on your cakes... I'm reading thinking, maybe I should get one, but what do I do with it?! haha

I'm planning to use mine to make a number topper and name like on this cake. This is not my cake, it belongs to DianeLM. And I think you can make ropes and other things as well, but I got mine specifically for this purpose.

Oh! that is so cute, now I definately want one!!! Thanks for sharing!

You're welcome!

I've always loved this cake by AuntieElle, I'm pretty sure she uses a claygun (or else the S ugar craft fondant gun--no relation) for it, it would be quite difficult to otherwise roll all of the fondant that uniformly. http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1035093

The Makins extruder has a bunch of different discs to change the shape you can pump out. You can pump out a flat shape to do a quilled cake http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=837443

Also good for something as simple as a border http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=152353 or double the snakes and you can make a twisted rope border.

You do have to soften up your fondant and grease it (and the extruder) well with shortening or else it will just come out all raggedy (from what I've read here, I've yet to use one). Search "clay gun" in the forums and I'll bet there's even more info!

I am learning tons, thanks everyone!

It would be interesting to keep this thread going for a little while and see how everyone likes this gun. I am planning to get one tomorrow and was told it makes a big difference which kind of fondant you use in it. You should also be adding a little tylose to the fondant to make it dry better. This gal also said she uses crisco to smooth out the rough edges that come along with using this gun. She does some amazing things with this product and could give us a lot of pointers.
Lily