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Tips, Techniques, and Questions -- Technical questions or tips |
2017-02-26, 2:01am
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Junior Member
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Join Date: Feb 23, 2017
Posts: 3
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Bead release help
Are there some brands of bead releas that work better than others? I've been using the bead release that came with my kit and I find that sometimes it cracks apart while I'm making a bead and the bead ends up falling off.
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2017-02-26, 10:25am
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Lisa Berczel
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Join Date: Feb 11, 2015
Location: Southern California
Posts: 45
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I prefer to think of it as each brand of bead release has it's own strengths as opposed to some working better than others. Some are more tenacious... some are designed for smoother holes. I have 3 brands on the shelf but my go-to is a mix of 2 brands.
What I find more important to cracking and release failure is starting with a CLEAN mandrel - I wipe all my mandrels down with alcohol before dipping. And, if I see ANY cracking when I'm heating up the mandrel it gets set aside. Not going to risk it.
Then of course keeping the released area good and hot while working. I've had release failure on bigger beads because I forget and the release cools too much & cracks.....
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2017-02-26, 1:32pm
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SCIENCE Teacher!
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Join Date: Jul 19, 2005
Location: Wylie, TX
Posts: 2,140
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Elizagrey
Are there some brands of bead release that work better than others? I've been using the bead release that came with my kit and I find that sometimes it cracks apart while I'm making a bead and the bead ends up falling off.
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Usually the stuff that comes in a kit is the worst/cheapest release out there. If you would like a (free) sample of FosterFire, just send me a PM and it will go out in tomorrow's mail.
To send a PM, just click on the username "FosterFire" next to my picture at the top of this post. From the drop down menu choose private message. Please include your full snail mail address. If you are new here you might consider adding yourself to RAOGK, the Random Acts of Glass Kindness.
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Yes, I am FosterFire Bead Release.
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2017-02-26, 1:42pm
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Member
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Join Date: May 16, 2010
Posts: 79
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Fosterfire, you my Dear are an Angel! Very nice of you! And have heard great things about your bead release!
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2017-02-27, 9:34am
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Feb 21, 2017
Posts: 422
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I can't speak for brands since I'm not that knowledgeable on them, but have you checked to see if your release is too thick? Add some water and mix it up well, that might help tide you over until you get something to compare it to.
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2017-02-27, 1:37pm
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Junior Member
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Join Date: Feb 23, 2017
Posts: 3
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Thank you, this has all been very helpful. I'm just a beginner but I'm loving the bead making I find it very therapeutic and satisfying. And finding this sight is like the icing on the cake, I like that there are other people out there who love it too.
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2017-02-28, 1:26am
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Phill
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Join Date: Mar 21, 2009
Location: Winnebago, MN
Posts: 2,489
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Be sure the water you add is distilled or reverse osmosis filtered.
If the water where you live is full of hard minerals I have heard that it helps but if your water is "softened" the salt used to do that will ruin your bead release forever and you will then need to throw it out.
If your house has a water softener it will ruin it.
Also I have found that since I don't torch very often my bead release tends to dry out on my shelf. I tried turning the jar upside down so the lid stays wet and the wetness provides a better seal and it doesn't dry out nearly as fast.
As Foster Fire will point out bead release is a suspension of material in water and it will need to stirred up every so often.
Lot of folks put some of the wonky "learning beads" in the jar and shake it the with the lid TIGHTLY closed.
I emphasize the tightly because more than a dozen stories are written up here about how the lid came off when being shaken and the bead release is still being found in various corners of the ceiling even decades later.
A bent mandrel in a small hand drill at the slowest setting can help take the work out of stirring the stuff but again being in a hurry will lead to a large mess.
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The Zombie Apocalypse is Upon Us.
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2017-02-28, 11:04am
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Dec 31, 2009
Posts: 504
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My preferred bead release is K.R.A.G Mudd made by Kittrell Riffkind Art Glass ( www.kittrellriffkind.com). It's tough enough to take a lot of shaping and it cleans out very nicely. It's a little awkward to get because they don't sell it directly on their website--you actually have to call them up and ask nicely. Worth it, though!
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2017-02-28, 11:13am
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Feb 21, 2017
Posts: 422
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Speedslug
If the water where you live is full of hard minerals I have heard that it helps but if your water is "softened" the salt used to do that will ruin your bead release forever and you will then need to throw it out.
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This is the first time that I heard having nasty hard water to be an asset! Finally!
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