Who wants to try and make something like this for the Ceramics studio!?!? 
Pottery Tools for Creating Feet, Handles & More - Handheld Extruders – DiamondCore Tools
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Does it cut on the draw or push? Or both?
You pull it through a slab of clay and it cuts the profile. You can move and set with the screw the little finger that’s sticking down to control the depth of cut.
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Could we make something to change the shape of the extruder as well? Make an attachment slot and plates?
Geez! I’m in the wrong business! I would expect those could be made from common materials but those might be hardened. I’m trying to think of any other reason they would be so expensive.
A tool to refine their shape could be made but that would depend a lot on how much control you want over it. A “generic” former could be made but you’d have to understand how you want the tool’s shape to change. A more shape specific jig could be made but might require a different one for each shape you want to alter.
If you can find a way to bend it, steel banding would probably work week for this.
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I have a small piece of zebra wood that might make a nice handle material. If someone has some steel band we could give it a shot. Maybe a worn out bandsaw blade? Or just some sheet metal?
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We probably have some hardened steel rule cutting rule in the Letterpress shop that could be tempered and bent to just about any shape. Here’s a video of one way to shape things…I’d think their forms could be milled out of just about anything, and we could just use threaded rod to press the former up against the form: How Cookie Cutters Are Made - YouTube
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Hmm bet you could make die cutters for leatherwork that way too.
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We could actually die cut leather directly on the Heidelberg. Might want to roll it over by hand for low volume items, but we do have a die cutting jacket for it, and lots of pressure.
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My first thought was… would a cookie cutter work… lol
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So glad everyone is interested in this. You guys 🪨!
They have a wide variety of profiles so you can make any sort of handle you want to attach to your cups depending on your artistic preference. Flat, round, curvy, angular, etc.
They just say stainless steel in the description. Not sure if the edge has been sharpened or not. A used saw blade does seem like it would be just about right; also, recycling. 
They have to be water resistant as they’ll get washed a lot, and occasionally dropped in a bucket. So a hardwood handle with some oil/finish on it and stainless hardware to resist rusting. There’s some force involved, but not tons, so maybe a 3D printed handle might be possible.
They are pretty simple (the best tools usually are). The biggest driver in the price I suspect is less about materials cost and more about appealing to the amount of time the tool will save the consumer. Not having to do all the setup and tedious cleanup on the extruder, or to pull handles by hand which is a bit of an art, would save lots of time.
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Wellllll…I have signed up for the wood saftey course. After 3 years in ceramics I’m venturing into the wood woring department. LOL…I have ideas
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The ones I’ve used in the past all had a knife edge. I certainly think it’ll leave a smoother finish on the clay. Without that, it’s not really cutting but tearing.
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I’ve seen these and also felt the price was crazy. And yet, to be able to make one just one handle without messing with an extruded for it sounds very appealing. I’ve seen somewhat similar looking things (but not as good of a variety for handles) on Amazon in far better price ranges, but not being sharp enough seems to be the issue with most of those designs from what I’ve read in reviews.
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Seems like it would make sense to do the initial grind, then bend the shape, then harden it.
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