Die Sets for North Star Equipment Clay Extruders:
The stainless extruder and the Accessory Die Kit are packaged together at a money-saving price as the "Stainless Extruder Package."
Several of the coil clay extruder dies contain 4 cavities of different sizes and the die mask is used to block off any three of them. The Accessory Die Kit contains a stainless steel Z-Bracket (die brace), 4 coil dies, 2 ribbon dies and 6 hollow dies. All clay extruder dies are made of 1/2 inch thick polyethylene, which is extremely wear-resistant and completely non-contaminating. The top edge of the die cavity is beveled to compact the clay as it passes through, giving a crisp, more solid extrusion.
In the hollow dies, there is a bevel on both the interior and exterior portions under each side of the bracket (which holds the center of the hollow dies) that helps the extrusion to "heal" after is has been cut apart by the bracket. This bracket fits into a Z-shaped slot machined into the top of the hollow die and is held in place by the barrel of the extruder. If a hollow die is mounted in place, the center part of the die is in exactly the right place and the wall thickness will automatically be even all the way around.
OUR PROCESS
Natural Sheffield Clay is mined on our property from as seen at one of the open clay pits. The Sheffield Clay deposit is located in Sheffield, Massachusetts, on U.S. Route 7 in the Southwest corner of Berkshire County.