What Bead Release Are You Using...

sugarenie · #1 2009-08-02, 6:29am

WOW...I haven't had to buy bead release in long time and I now find myself empty...So, I was wondering...

WHAT BEAD RELEASE ARE YOU USING THESE DAYS...and...WHERE ARE YOU GETTING IT FROM?...

I was using Bucket O Mud and Foster Fire...

fourpawsglass · #2 2009-08-02, 6:48am

Dip N Go Sludge from Arrow Springs. Only one that has held up for me using soft glass and boro.

Kristen · #3 2009-08-02, 9:14am

I don't know if its me or what...but ever since I have been doing pandora type beads( using the bigger mandrels) I have had trouble...stopped using the "bom" doesn't work for me anymore..."sludge" is thick and icky..."Fusion" is working the best so far and still its not fabulous...I never had any problems with smaller sized mandrels...now its just become a bear getting the beads off...I dread removing my beads now days.

glasswinder · #4 2009-08-02, 9:26am

I'm using a powder that I mix with water. I LOVE it and it's working great on long tubes and big bicones....It holds up VERY well but it's still fairly easy to remove the beads from the mandrel.........the trouble is I bought it so long ago I don't remember where or who...can anybody help me with that??? I'd love to buy more!! I may recognize the name..

theglasszone · #5 2009-08-02, 9:36am

I use Sludge Plus from Arrow Springs (3rd down on this page http://www.arrowsprings.com/html/mandrel_release.html) - best release evah!!! I like that you can thin it a bit with (bottled) water, and do a double dip. It's an air dry (overnight or in the sunshine for a couple hours) but it holds up great even when I do my BHBs and Blown Vessels, and it's just a twist off when cooled - no pliers or man-handling required to get the bead off the mandrel.

De

killerbeedz1 · #6 2009-08-02, 9:46am

Jan is it Alice's bead release? Here's the link:

http://www.alicesstainedglass.com/release.htm

I like Alice's for soft glass, but it isn't strong enough for boro. I think it's the cheapest bead release out there though and you get a lot of it.

Patsy

tasminann · #7 2009-08-02, 10:51am

I use a mixture of BOM + FosterFire. Seems to work well.

framerak · #8 2009-08-02, 10:51am

For soft glass I use Sludge Plus and BOM mixed together. For boro I use Fusion.

crystalflipz · #9 2009-08-02, 11:26am

KRAG Mud from Kittrell/Riffkind Art Glass in Texas. I love the stuff! It is super with transparents, and I've worked with pretty big beads using it with no trouble. You have to order directly from them.
Here is the link
http://www.kittrellriffkind.com/studio/krag_mudd.php

lunamoonshadow · #10 2009-08-02, 1:31pm

I

Fusion.
Nikki uses it & sent it to me. And I know Loco uses it for everything & if Loco uses it, it's gotta be good, right?

dpglassworks · #11 2009-08-02, 1:47pm

Alice's

http://www.alicesstainedglass.com/release.htm

stacied · #12 2009-08-02, 1:54pm

I have been using a new release that Moretti and More sells called Mohawk Mud and I really like it.

mtarara · #13 2009-08-02, 3:37pm

I like Dirty Louie's. Works well on long beads and presses and cleans out of transparents easily.
Mary T.

JoeDeM · #14 2009-08-02, 4:27pm

Sludge Plus from Arrow Springs, it's the only one I've used, only because it's the only one available around here, but it seems pretty good.

sugarenie · #15 2009-08-02, 6:17pm

thanks for your replies...great information...

GlassyEyedGirl · #16 2009-08-02, 7:06pm

I have used Fusion and liked it better than BOM, because it is easier to air dry and rarely breaks while making beads.

Fusion seems to work TOO well with my ring mandrel and cone mandrel though. All beads so far on those mandrels have been stuck fast.

lunamoonshadow · #17 2009-08-03, 6:36am

The best thing about Fusion (for me) is I can use mandrels I've dipped 6 months or a year ago....or....10 seconds ago....

....they all work!

pam · #18 2009-08-03, 6:54am

Dip-n-Go Sludge for me. I've used probably all the Sludge products and love each of them, but the Dip-n-Go works really well and no problem removing the beads.

Beckah · #19 2009-08-03, 7:44am

I like Dip-n-Go.

But I ordered lots of samples of different bead releases to check out. I didn't like any of them on an individual basis. But when I was running low on bead release, I cleaned out all the sample bottles with distilled water and mixed them together. That's been my favorite. Of course I'll never be able to get the same mix again because some of the releases are no longer around and I have no idea of the proportions.

nickandryan · #20 2009-08-03, 10:18am

Hi-

I second the BOM and Fusion mix- 2/3 Fusion to 1/3 BOM-

You get the staying power of the Fusion- 1 day to 2 months on the mandrel- and you can still use it. Good workability too- the glass can be pulled and worked without the bead release breaking.

You get the ease of cleaning of the BOM- the holes clean up really easily.

I did this by accident when I was low on bead release- I mixed the two together and it turned out to be a happy accident!

Good luck in your search! Laura

Judith Billig · #21 2009-08-03, 10:24am

I used FosterFire for nearly 3 years, because it was in my beginner's kit

.

But then I gave Fusion a try, and I love it ... I can use a really thin coating and still the release doesn't break as often, especially if I have to flamedry some mandrels on the go. It's a tiny bit tougher to get beads from the mandrel than FosterFire, but it's worth it.

Elizabeth Beads · #22 2009-08-03, 11:10am

Arrowsprings Dip & Go Blue Sludge (not to be confused with the regular D&G). I get a very clean smooth thin coating. Great holding power yet still easy to remove beads.

bousky · #23 2009-08-03, 5:08pm

I use fusion. It has been great for me.

You can buy it direct from:

http://www.fusionproductsintl.com/

FairyVerre · #24 2009-08-03, 5:42pm

I tried most of them and found they had scary ingredients that we breath in as they are heated, so when I found out BOM was organic (it is even edible) I tried it and it is good ! I have a really strong aversion to toxic fumes and noticed ALL the others had terrible smells and some even have aluminum or fire retardants that are dangerous if inhaled ! Sooo I strongly recommend Bucket O'Mud if you want to stay healthy

loco · #25 2009-08-03, 11:05pm

I've posted this before and I still feel the same way...

Please take no offense. I understand that people have their likes and dislikes in bead release. I understand I do. I have used various releases at various venues: Blue Sludge, FF, some pink crap at a studio (because I didn't know enough to bring my own), Dirty Looie's (yup wasted 3 bucks on that!).

I use Fusion (FPI), always have. Other than the 3 bucks for the DL (used it twice. Once with good success, the other causing a painful death by water, but at least I enjoyed the sound effects!). I have only bought Fusion. It's what I started with. It's never given me any problems. For me it's easy to clean, easy to release, easy to have a relationship with. By that I mean I have used mandrels I dipped over 6 months ago, mandrels that I have double dipped, and mandrels that I have flame dried.

I have had to thin the stuff, but it works just as well when it's thick. I have thinned with lots of different things: Tap water, bottled water, water out of my bead cleaning can, and yes, even beer!

I expect a lot from a bead release:
I want one without a personality! I have enough of those in my head as it is. I want it hold when I burn, twist, jab, add glass and pull. I want it to not be offended by those wonkers that have been in all the jars I have owned for the last 4 years (I do occasionally wonder what they look like. I'm just not brave enough to pull them out).

I want a release that’s abusable, I abuse my glass, my mandrels, my torch, my tools, and my Studio Wench Pam, before she left. I expect nothing but the best performance from everything in my studio. OK so sometimes my Studio Wench would busy torching along with me and couldn’t get me that beer I want, but otherwise she was the greatest!

I hate to shop, I dislike decisions, I don't like change. I have found the release that gives me everything I need so I'm sticking with it. Fusion.

Woooooooo guess I went off on a rant.... Sorry about that, I now return you to your regularly scheduled bead release discussion. .

tammydownunder · #26 2009-08-04, 12:58am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icarus Beads

I used FosterFire for nearly 3 years, because it was in my beginner's kit

.

But then I gave Fusion a try, and I love it ... I can use a really thin coating and still the release doesn't break as often, especially if I have to flamedry some mandrels on the go. It's a tiny bit tougher to get beads from the mandrel than FosterFire, but it's worth it.

this is my story too. But I am having trouble with the fusion breaking when I hardly abuse it or work too long on a small bead. The beads that behave, I have a difficult time removing them from the mandrels and I have bent a fair few of my 1.6 mandrels.

Cherine Perrin · #27 2009-08-04, 2:45am

FosterFire Smooth and Tough. I have used just about every bead release out there and this one is my fav!

DaBatt · #28 2009-08-04, 3:58am

I was given some Alice’s which I loved as far as durability went. Anything that will withstand a 5 1/2” bead being repeatedly marvered & manipulated without cracking or flaking has my respect, the fact that it enabled me to remove them from the mandrel with ease further endeared it. However when it came to cleaning it out of the bead holes, the same qualities that enabled it to endure my treatment made it a PITA to clean out, the stuff seemed to be set like concrete.

Now I make my own

After the first few purchases of smaller jars of the various bead releases available, I decided that I was too tight to spend money that I could spend on glass, getting the 'water content' shipped from overseas. I researched the basic ingredients, experimented with amounts & different additives, tested, then played around some more until I found a blend that I liked which performed the way I wanted.
I now have a tough bead release, that dries quickly or can be gently flame dried & cleans out of the beads easily. I’m happy … & so is the person that cleans my beads for me.lol!

neagle · #29 2009-08-04, 9:34am

Dip-N-Go Sludge, but I thin it with water because it's too thick. I thin it to the consistency of very heavy cream, and I never have a problem with it breaking off or getting my beads off the mandrel.

tnehlers · #30 2009-08-04, 10:17am

Does anyone know how this holds up on larger mandrels? I'm using BOM and on my 1/4" mandrels it cracks right off. I also have a hard time with transparents, and would like to solve two problems with one release!
Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by crystalflipz

KRAG Mud from Kittrell/Riffkind Art Glass in Texas. I love the stuff! It is super with transparents, and I've worked with pretty big beads using it with no trouble. You have to order directly from them.
Here is the link
http://www.kittrellriffkind.com/studio/krag_mudd.php