docweathers Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 Here are some pictures of a small vertical slab roller I built, which takes almost no studio space. I have it mounted on the end of some steel shelving, but it could be mounted on a wall.. It requires no welding and just a little drilling and bending of. strap metal. The most expensive part was the canvas. It is powered by my big foot and 200 lbs If anyone is interest, I would be glad to explain it in more detail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 wonderful solution for folks with little space and very quick hands to catch the slab. wish i could use my foot that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judy_in_GA Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 Very ingenious. I think we need details. Can you switch out the canvas for different colors of clay? Do you have to catch the rolled slab or is it caught by the canvas? How do you transfer it to a board? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Eberhardt Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 Yes! Yes! Yes! More detailed information please!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted June 13, 2015 Report Share Posted June 13, 2015 I like the vertical slab roller idea, there is a commercial version on the market that I saw at NCECA. Seems like to me you had a lot of materials on hand to stay in the $20 range. Rollers themselves are difficult with bearings. I think your solution to studio space is elegant as the commercial one is. It really makes sense to maximize the studio space. best, Pres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docweathers Posted June 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2015 Everything except the canvas, a bungee cord and some dowel came from my local scrap metal recycling yard, ( where I get my art welding junk) for $0.35/pound. The slab clay does stick to the canvas pretty well when coming out. You could make it so you could change the canvas, but I did not. It might be a bit of a pain to switch. You can put it on a board by laying one against the slab as it comes out. Some time in the next week I will try to generate a more detailed description of the construction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted June 13, 2015 Report Share Posted June 13, 2015 do a video for us all to see the process, maybe you have a new tool that will be seen in every studio soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docweathers Posted June 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2015 Attached are some more pictures of the slab roller. They're pretty self-explanatory. The strap metal is 1 1/2" by 1/8" and 1 by 1/8" Turning a wing bolts adjusts the thickness of the slab. The cord is nylon clothes line. In the stirrup picture you will see 2 stirrups. I usually only use the bottom one but if I'm pulling a very long slab I will have to also step step on the higher one. One thing that may not be clear from the pictures is that the top of the bungee hooks into a loop in the top of the rope so that it pulls down and thus pulls the back sheet of canvass up when you remove your foot. The 17" wide rollers are from a junked package moving conveyor that the local post office scrapped and it ended up in at my scrap metal recycling source. They have PVC tube slipped over them and glued to make them a little larger. The scrap metal and rollers were purchased at $0.35 a pound and weigh about 10 pounds total The canvas was about $10 and there were assorted bolts and nuts for about $4. Judy asked if different canvasses could be swapped out. If you put hooks vs just tieing the canvas to the rope, it would work well.. The basic idea of this roller could be adapted in many ways and sizes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judy_in_GA Posted June 16, 2015 Report Share Posted June 16, 2015 Larry ... thanks for the additional instructions and pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted June 16, 2015 Report Share Posted June 16, 2015 ........................but i will wait for the video. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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