I love the extruders but I'm at my wit's end. I've broken two cheap little extruders (simply by trying to use them....fondant is impossible to get through a cheap extruder!) and finally got the green Makin's that everyone loves. I was trying to use it with mmf that got relatively hard. I had put it in the microwave but less than 10 seconds later, it cooled off and got hard again. Five minutes later, my friend broke the Makin's! From now on, I will never use mmf in an extruder again--the Satin Ice went through much better because it stayed soft.

I was just wondering--what extruder should I buy for the future? I contacted Makins, who recommended that I buy the stainless steel Makins extruder instead of the green aluminum one. Has anyone tried this one? Does anyone know of an extruder that I won't break and that will actually work?

You need to add some crisco to your fondant to make it a little softer so it will extrude better. I use the green Makins on both fondant/gumpaste and clay which is much harder with no problems, as long as what I'm running through it is the right consistancy. Still trying to figure out how you broke them??? Do you mean you bent the aluminum discs???

yes, the stainless steel Makin's is the cheaper one & when I first tried to use it I thought it was a complete piece of junk, there was absolutely no way I could squeeze fondant through it. Then I saw a post with a tip to just rub some shortening on the fondant you're putting into the extruder so I tried it & it totally worked! I made some hair with the disc with little holes, and a rope border with the disc with one larger hole. HTH!

I added lots of shortening to the fondant. However, the marshmallow fondant I make doesn't stay soft for very long after you heat it and within a matter of seconds becomes too hard to force through. The Makins was broken by a friend of mine who didn't know better and tried to force the fondant through regardless. When I found the extruder, the end would not screw on because part of the metal end broke off. As for the cheap ones, they just didn't work at all. I think I only broke one of those--the other one was just as good as broken because I couldn't use it because the fondant wouldn't push through.

dang- my husband is notorius for breaking stuff ( he is a big guy and pretty strong.. ), and he loves doing all my extruder work. I have the green aluminum.. is the SS one bigger?

I think the SS one is the same size but Makins told me it's supposed to be stronger. It was more expensive too. Mbark, did you find the SS for cheaper than the green one? I'm finding the SS for $25 more than the green one.
Here it is: http://www.riogrande.com/MemberArea/ProductPage.aspx?assetname=111575&page=GRID&category|cat_194|4856=Extruders

This is the stainless steel extruder they were recommending:

http://www.artclayworld.com/cartgenie/prod-1008.htm

It looks heavy duty, but to me, the barrel looks pretty short

Rae

hmm, mine must be plain metal then. the one I have you have to push the top part down, it doesn't twist. I don't make/use MMF, I use Wilton or SI

Blakescakes, you're right! The green one is 6.5 inches long, the SS is only 4 inches. I guess I should stick with the green, use plenty of shortening with commercial fondant and avoid the mmf at all costs!

Oh I am sold on twisting, cause I cant pipe to save mylife, my hands cramp up too easy, and start getting arthritic so I cant hold constant pressure.

Iswear I am going to invent an extruder that holds more than the makins one.. LOL

I've already been looking at my mag flashlight, its threaded on both ends.. and getting the welding done will be no problem, hubby can do that, I just haveto get the exact size needed to make the plunger out of.

I have the green Makins extruder and put MMF through it all the time. You have to knead some shortening into the MMF, you want it softer than you would for covering a cake. If you have to microwave it to work with it, then you should be adding more water when you make it, it shouldn't be that hard.

Would this one be overkill?
http://www.bigceramicstore.com/Supplies/ClayGuns.htm#DieCompatability

I am just thinking that if I add up all the money from the cheap extruders I bought, I could've bought this one!

Texas_Rose--I did put shortening in it, but it didn't seem to help too much. I usually need to microwave my mmf before I roll it out. I do add a couple of tablespoons of water to it. I find that if I add too much water (enough so that I don't have to microwave it at all), it tends to tear too easily.

tiggy--what do you think of it?

I still add a little shortening to my fondant but it holsds so much more then the little ones.

There are quite a few larger extruders that work quite well if you want to spend the money for them. Most do work quite well if you need to work a large amount at a time.

http://www.polymerclayexpress.com/clay_extruder.html

I spray a little cooking spray thru the barrel of my extruder and the fondant slides right through.

Don't microwave your marshmallow fondant. That's what is making it so hard. To experiment, put a regular marshmallow in the microwave. Let it cool completely then try to take a bite from it. It will probably turn really hard. I first found this out from nuking some peeps.

Same thing happens to bagels.

Instead, try softening a tiny amount by kneading it with some shortening. It may take a bit longer than usual, but the warmth of your hands will help soften it.

Hopefully you will find a method that works well for you.

im using the green Makins one with MMF.. i just have to keep microwaving it and it works fine.. if the fondant cooled down i just take it out and microwave it again. adding shortning wont work cause the fondant will come out cracking from the extruder.
i have not tried adding water though it might work..

Thanks Barbaranne and Nusi! I'll experiment.