Lube ribbon extruder

[jackley]

Being to cheap to buy one, I decided to make one. My first attempt was a made from a strut from the dump box of a Polaris Ranger. It worked fine but only got a 10" X 1"X 1/8" ribbon and it was a real pain to load it up. If you heated the lube and poured it in it took forever to cool to make another ribbon.

Well when I was doing chores this mourning I saw the answer to my problem a hand air pump. I took the air hose off and screwed a screw into that hole to plug it. And with a die grinder cut a 1 1/4" X 1/8" slot in the bottom of the barrel going vertical with the pump barrel. This slot was about 1/4" above the air hose outlet. Knocked the pump handle off with a hammer and filled the barrel with lube, pushed down on the handle and got a 1 1/4" by 1/8" ribbon of lube. Works just like its supposed to. And instead off spending 75 bucks for one I made this one that holds alot more lube and is easier to load for nothing. I Found the air pump along side off the road a few years ago while out for a walk. So no money and only about 10 minutes to make this extruder.

Jerry

[montana_charlie]

So...that's what happened to my tire pump! I thought I lost it in Nebraska...
CM

[Lead pot]

Just drop a couple #4 lead shot in a bread loaf pan and pour in the lube till there covered.
If you want a thicker cookie use B-B's let it cool and it will drop right out of the pan.
Make several and just store them in a covered plastic container your Wife has stashed some place. Just don't let her see what your doing with them, she will just think she miss placed it some where:lol:

Kurt

[Southern Son]

Jerry, yours is alot more simple that the one I made. I was mainly using Matthews No. 2 lube (from one of his books). I thought that it would be to stiff to push through a ribbon extruder just by hand. So I got about 18 inches of 2 inche PVC pipe. I glued a cap on one end and then cut a 1/8 inch slit in the cap. In the other end I put a screw in/screw out cap. I drilled and tapped a hole in the middle of the screw cap and then put a bit of threadded rod through the hole. On one end of the threaded rod went a handle and the other I put a washer that would seal the 2 inch pipe. I melted the lube, poured it into the pipe while there was a piece of electrical tape over the slit. I could then screw the cap in the other end and when the lude cooled and hardened, as I turened the handle on the threaded rod, that would push the washer down the pipe forcing the lube out through the slit. Cranking the handle was kind of difficult, so I made a bracket that I could put into the vice on the bench and the pipe could be stapped to the bracket with a couple of hose clamps. It all worked quite well untill I left the hose clamps done up too tight and the last time I went to use it, the pipe had buckled and was stuffed.

Could you post a photo of your set up, Jerry?

[jackley]

Son
I really don't have a camera right now. Just plug the air hole with a screw and cut a slot in the barrel the size you want. Take off the plunger and fill. push down on the pump handle and the ribbon of lube comes flowing out. You don't have to make up any in advance. So storage of the lube is in the barrel of the pump. Cut a piece of inner tube from a bike to cover the slit and you're done.

Jerry

[boommer]

I just take a piece of wax paper put it on the bench then take two wooden slats 1/8" thick or what ever thickness you want your cookies put your lube between the slats, mush it down a little then take a piece wax paper over the top take a rolling pin or pipe just roll it out. What ever you don't use,wad it up and throw back in the bag. This is fast and cheap and you can adjust to any thickness you want.

[jackley]

The reason I wanted an extruder is that every now and again I go out into the prairie and camp cast and load. Then shoot at a few prairie dogs. The rolling pin technic works fine at home but is tuff to do around a camp fire. With the air pump its all self contained and you only squeeze out as much as you need. The scrapes are thrown back in the pump no mess no fuss.

Jerry

[Southern Son]

When I first started, I used bees wax/crisco mix. I found the best way to get all you cookies from one batch to be exactly the same thickness was to fill a pie tin with hot water then pour the melted lube on top of the water. But then I changed to Matthews Number 2, and that mix has soap in it. The first time I tried it, the soap in the mix broke the surface tension of the water and the lube mixed with the water. What a mess.

[Alan in WI]

Seems like you are going to a lot of work for about 20 bucks. I bought a clay extruder and it works great. Spits out just the right size ribbon and with all the inserts you can come up with about any size you want. I made a bunch of molds out of pvc pipe that fit into a board and you can pour the lube and come up with just the right size to fit into the extruder. Here's a picture:
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj183/alans49/clayextruder.jpg

Alan