I love this clay press. I had seen the various reviews, and decided to take the risk and buy it using a giftcard. It's awesome! I love using clay with it. (Though you do really need to condition the crumblier clays before running it through the machine.) I would recommend running sheets of clay through it rather than small pieces; it would probably come out easier and more smoothly. But using average-consistency clays in small pieces works great too. The thickness levels on this press are perfect for use with polymer clay. The knob isn't as hard to move as I expected; you just have to pull out and turn in order to use it. It's only occasionally difficult to change levels.
I've seen that people have been asking about the table clamp. That was the major risk of buying it for me, because my desk has a butcher-block top that is either 1.5" or 2" thick. But this clamp works great! It could even probably work with a 3 or 4" thick table. Just make sure you have at least 1" of a lip to clamp it onto. The clamp keeps the press very stable and firm; even if your table is wobbly, it won't move an inch. The clamp is also easy to take in and out-- there is a large hole underneath the handle you put the clamp into. The clamp has a flat spot with edges, so to keep it in the hole all you have to do is tighten the clamp to the table. It works fine.
I also saw that people were complaining about the turn handle. And while I understand their complaints, it's really not that big of a deal. You can store this press much more easily because you can remove the table clamp and the handle. And to keep the handle in the hole, all you have to do is just barely push it towards the press while turning. I had no problem with the handle. It was also much easier to turn than I expected; nothing like trying to turn the handle on a grain mill.
The only thing I would say against it so far, is that it's really hard to keep fingerprints off of it. They are very obvious against the bright metal, and can be hard to wipe off. I will try washing it according to the instructions, and see if that makes a difference. However, it'll be a little irritating if I have to wash it every time. I'll see how it turns out. Also, whenever you run clay through the rollers, it seems to leave a grease mark on the rollers. I'm assuming it's the clay, because the rollers aren't leaving marks on the clay itself. Again, I will try washing them and seeing how that works.
But other than those two minor complaints, I am glad I bought this press. It makes it so much easier and faster to use polymer clay. Now it takes less than an hour for me to make a charm, instead of two or more. I would recommend this product to all who use polymer clay.
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Decent entry level unit and value
The clay roller seems to be of decent quality. I've only used it for a couple of days, and this is my first one, so I have nothing to compare it to. It worked well and made mostly clean, flat "pasta". Sometimes there was a bit of grey discoloration. But after painting it doesn't matter to me.When reading reviews on many different rollers I saw that some people didn't like the fact that handles can easily fall out and it squeaks. I figured out something that solved those problems, for me. I used a ring magnet, slipped over the handle and pushed up to the handle hole (see photos). I had to pull the grip off the crank to put it on. The internal dimension of the ring (.375" / 9.6mm) was small enough that the splines couldn't pass through it. So when the handle was inserted, the magnet seated on the metal and the crank was held in. There was enough magnetism to hold it in but could easily be pulled out. I held it upside down and shook it with all my might and I couldn't get it to fall out. The metal is stainless steel, but a magnetic alloy which allows this to work. I'm pretty sure I bought these ring magnets on Amazon. While I had the handle off I put a bit of thick grease on the metal where the handle goes. That stopped the annoying noise. I would not recommend a liquid lubricant as it could ooze out and contaminate your hands and clay.Not a bad unit but there are some sharp-ish edges. I would still recommend it to people looking for an entry level roller. As a hobbyist, I'm satisfied with it.
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The clay roller seems to be of decent quality. I've only used it for a couple of days, and this is my first one, so I have nothing to compare it to. It worked well and made mostly clean, flat "pasta". Sometimes there was a bit of grey discoloration. But after painting it doesn't matter to me.
When reading reviews on many different rollers I saw that some people didn't like the fact that handles can easily fall out and it squeaks. I figured out something that solved those problems, for me. I used a ring magnet, slipped over the handle and pushed up to the handle hole (see photos). I had to pull the grip off the crank to put it on. The internal dimension of the ring (.375" / 9.6mm) was small enough that the splines couldn't pass through it. So when the handle was inserted, the magnet seated on the metal and the crank was held in. There was enough magnetism to hold it in but could easily be pulled out. I held it upside down and shook it with all my might and I couldn't get it to fall out. The metal is stainless steel, but a magnetic alloy which allows this to work. I'm pretty sure I bought these ring magnets on Amazon. While I had the handle off I put a bit of thick grease on the metal where the handle goes. That stopped the annoying noise. I would not recommend a liquid lubricant as it could ooze out and contaminate your hands and clay.
Not a bad unit but there are some sharp-ish edges. I would still recommend it to people looking for an entry level roller. As a hobbyist, I'm satisfied with it.
When reading reviews on many different rollers I saw that some people didn't like the fact that handles can easily fall out and it squeaks. I figured out something that solved those problems, for me. I used a ring magnet, slipped over the handle and pushed up to the handle hole (see photos). I had to pull the grip off the crank to put it on. The internal dimension of the ring (.375" / 9.6mm) was small enough that the splines couldn't pass through it. So when the handle was inserted, the magnet seated on the metal and the crank was held in. There was enough magnetism to hold it in but could easily be pulled out. I held it upside down and shook it with all my might and I couldn't get it to fall out. The metal is stainless steel, but a magnetic alloy which allows this to work. I'm pretty sure I bought these ring magnets on Amazon. While I had the handle off I put a bit of thick grease on the metal where the handle goes. That stopped the annoying noise. I would not recommend a liquid lubricant as it could ooze out and contaminate your hands and clay.
Not a bad unit but there are some sharp-ish edges. I would still recommend it to people looking for an entry level roller. As a hobbyist, I'm satisfied with it.
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