tool to loosen a stuck bead - Page 3

laserglass · #61 2009-02-03, 12:05pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by maren

Love the idea, but resorted to the "hammer" method again last night.

so did you try the rivit tool, and it didn't work, or did you go straight to the hammer?

maren · #62 2009-02-03, 12:14pm

I have the "hammer" - the rivet tool I would have had to buy first
(not an easy task at 9 p.m. in a town the size of Hilo).

I think I'm going to get myself a rivet tool though. Must be so much easier on the beads.

cakelady · #63 2009-02-10, 6:14pm

Wow you are so smart. I had a pretty flower bead stuck and we got it off. Yeah!!!

Thank you

motheroffire77 · #64 2009-02-11, 9:41am

I just wanted to say that I went to home depot and purchased a rivet gun and it works like a dream. I had many stuck beads and I think you are a genious!!!! Thanks so much for the info.

SherryH · #65 2009-03-05, 10:55am

my husband actually came up with this idea. You drill a whole in a wooden work bench, put your mandrel down the whole, bead end up, hold the bottom of the mandle and gently tap the top with a hammer! It works great, the wood is easy on the bead and you don't need to buy anything!

laserglass · #66 2009-03-06, 5:56am

using the rivit tool to get the stuck beads off was part of my first post. i also talked about the use of an ultrasonic cleaner to help remove the bead release. has anyone tried this idea?

you need an ultrasonic cleaner that can be run for a relatively long time, some cheaper ones only allow you to clean for a minute or less. also the solution is important. i have always used windshield cleaning solution, but if you have beads with exposed reduction finishes on the outside, you may wish to use an ammonia solution.

you may still need to brush the bead hole a little, but the whole process of cleaning will go way easier.

Jinx Garza · #67 2009-04-03, 8:03pm

I got mine from Harbor Freight. It had the 3/32 opening and it unstuck the bead I had on a 3/32 mandrel with no effort at all! Next I wanted to swap out the 3/32 for the 1/16 and couldn't figure out how to do that and accidentally broke it and lost the screw by taking it apart. I asked my husband if he could fix it, he said for five bucks might as well buy a new one. I did, and this time I swapped it out correctly, but couldn't get the mandrel in! That day we happened to have the handy man doing some work around the house and he fiddled with it, got the mandrel in, and voila the bead came off! Like buttah!

I couldn't find 1/16 O rings but the larger ones seem to cushion okay.

Thank you Mark!!! Big Hugs.

Jinx

Katie Gee · #68 2009-04-04, 4:10pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by laserglass

using the rivit tool to get the stuck beads off was part of my first post. i also talked about the use of an ultrasonic cleaner to help remove the bead release. has anyone tried this idea?

you need an ultrasonic cleaner that can be run for a relatively long time, some cheaper ones only allow you to clean for a minute or less. also the solution is important. i have always used windshield cleaning solution, but if you have beads with exposed reduction finishes on the outside, you may wish to use an ammonia solution.

you may still need to brush the bead hole a little, but the whole process of cleaning will go way easier.

Yes, I'm using the ultrasonic cleaner, but I'm using Windex (well, not really Windex, but a cheap glass cleaner from the Dollar Tree Store). It works great, and my beads end up nice and shiny too, LOL !! You're right, I still have to brush the bead hole a little, but now I'm not running the risk of accidentally widening the hole (like I would sometimes do when using my dremel). So now I don't get nervous when it's time to clean my beads !!

Oh, and I use the rivet tool too (along with two washers). 'Ya just gotta love it !!

laserglass · #69 2009-04-06, 4:32am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katie Gee

Yes, I'm using the ultrasonic cleaner, but I'm using Windex (well, not really Windex, but a cheap glass cleaner from the Dollar Tree Store). It works great, and my beads end up nice and shiny too, LOL !! You're right, I still have to brush the bead hole a little, but now I'm not running the risk of accidentally widening the hole (like I would sometimes do when using my dremel). So now I don't get nervous when it's time to clean my beads !!

Oh, and I use the rivet tool too (along with two washers). 'Ya just gotta love it !!

i have always had good results with ultrasonic cleaners. they do all of the hard work for you, after your bead is un-stuck. multiple washers is a good idea, but you can loose force if you get too many on the mandrel. you can also use a small piece of flat rubber gasket as well. just poke a small hole in it and insert the mandrel through this hole, then into the rivit tool.

dhare09 · #70 2009-04-06, 3:53pm

>>>got mine from Harbor Freight today....one sale @ $4.95! I almost hope thst some beads get stuck so I can see the magic!
THANKS FOR SHARING SUCH GREAT TIPS!

glamgalglass · #71 2009-04-10, 12:41am

I tried the pop rivet tool years ago and while I got some off, I broke a bunch of beads - I never thought about cushioning the bead with an o-ring.

Thanks for the tip.

Cathy at the Beach · #72 2009-04-10, 6:10pm

how cool. I am going to the US in May and will pay a visit to harbour frieght for a cleaner and rivet thingy!!! Thank you Mark!

Also.... brushes for cleaning bead holes- get everyone you know to save old mascara brushes...they are perfect!!!

MadelineBunyan · #73 2009-04-12, 1:42am

hey, this is a great idea, I'm sure dad has one of those knocking around somewhere, I vaguely recall it being orange...dont know why thats important! and we have a very underused and overpriced ultrasonic cleaner that was bought for jewellery (thats what mum does for a living, makes it & sells her own and bought in)

now to find some window cleaner, ammonia

and some stuck beads...those might be the problem, I love my bead release and rarely have a stuck one, but being as I'm now using alot of thin mandrels, I dont want to bend them, this could be great.

and I do get problems with my wrists, gripping and twisting beads isn't good for that.

now all I need is for this to work with my bird flight trail beads and I'm away!(they have ribbon like protrusions from them, are very delicate, and I need to make about 500 of them for my degree project!) hmmmm....

valjean · #74 2009-04-12, 12:42pm

I went out and got one too, came home and went right to work.
No more stuck beads for this girl!!!!

Thanks for the GREAT idea........Valerie

djblanch · #75 2009-07-05, 1:19am

Hi, all! I just joined Lampworketc.com so I could pass this idea along. I was in the process of making my first million with an invention to remove stubborn beads when I thought of using a rivet gun; then a search showed that several others had already thought of the same thing. So, to save face, I hope my NEXT idea will help all of those who found that a rivet tool can still break your beads. Here it is: put a short tube (1" is plenty long) over your madrel before inserting it in the rivet tool. Use a tube with a hole only slightly larger than your mandrel. (Suggested: a piece cut from a ballpoint pen refill -- plastic or metal--, thin tubing from hobby shop -- copper is softer, and may cushion bead just a little -- etc.) The tubing will concentrate the force provided by the rivet tool at the part of the bead closest to the mandrel, not on the outer decorations or bumps. I must confess that I have not tried this yet; I'm barely started in the flamworking realm, but I have engineer genes, and I know it will work. Anyway, hope this helps some of you. Let me know if you have success!

Dave
Portland, Oregon

EaglesLegacy · #76 2009-07-20, 4:38pm

Mark, I think I want to kiss you! **Runs off to the hardware store**

bousky · #77 2009-07-21, 7:13pm

Brillant! Mark you are amazing!

HelenC · #78 2009-07-21, 9:15pm

Hi
I have tried this and it works great in most cases.
But I find if the end of my bead is uneven (I tend to a more organic style

) that the mandrel bends. A rubber washer doesn't help.
Any suggestions?

Also my thinner mandrels seem to get soft and easily bent over time.
Any way of hardening them again. I'm assuming the constant heating is effecting them.

Thanks
Helen

MadelineBunyan · #79 2009-07-22, 1:39am

Quote:

Originally Posted by djblanch

Here it is: put a short tube (1" is plenty long) over your madrel before inserting it in the rivet tool. Use a tube with a hole only slightly larger than your mandrel. (Suggested: a piece cut from a ballpoint pen refill -- plastic or metal--, thin tubing from hobby shop -- copper is softer, and may cushion bead just a little -- etc.) The tubing will concentrate the force provided by the rivet tool at the part of the bead closest to the mandrel, not on the outer decorations or bumps. I must confess that I have not tried this yet; I'm barely started in the flamworking realm, but I have engineer genes, and I know it will work. Anyway, hope this helps some of you. Let me know if you have success!

Dave
Portland, Oregon

would some variation on this idea help with uneven beads? maybe a fatter short length of rubber tube,that sort of goes around the end of your bead to cushion it, then the washer or narrow tube? dunno.a thought anyway. also you could cut the plastic tubing at a slight angle to match the angle of your organic bead end

and a very flat steel surface and a mallet?(for your mandrels, not your beads!)

samandsha · #80 2009-07-22, 7:37am

I did try the rivet tool the other night for some HUGE boro focals that had been stuck on the mandrel for ages. It worked like a charm....LOVE IT!!!!
I only tired it on one soft glass bead and the bead cracked, but not sure it was a well made bead. I usually don't have soft glass ones stick, but boro...that's another story..YIKES!
Samma

gmkcpa · #81 2009-11-05, 9:49am

I don't want to date myself, but wasn't there a magician on TV named Mark Wilson? If you are not the same one, then you are the second one!

MrErnie · #82 2011-04-09, 12:04pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by laserglass

ever get a bead stuck on real good. here is a cheap and easy tool to get it off. go to your local Lowe's or Home Depot, and get a riveting tool. they come with inserts for several size wires including most of the standard mandrel sizes. soak and clean off most of the bead release, then insert the mandrel into the proper size hole. snug the bead up close to the tip. then apply gentle pressure and the bead will come free. if you like a small O ring can go in between the tool and the bead to minimize chipping. then soak in an ultrasonic cleaner to clean out the rest of the bead release. finish with a small brush and you are done.

I just made, and stuck, three beads on those forked mandrels, the kind that are made for making buttons with two holes. I found out afterwards that one is not supposed to make wide beads on them, sigh. Do you think that the rivet tool (clever!!) would get them off, too? Perhaps I would need to alternate between the two tines, applying small amounts of pressure to each in turn? (Don't think there is room for using two tools at the same time.)

Lisi · #83 2011-04-09, 12:41pm

Keep in mind that if your mandrels are worn the beads may crack off when you use the tool. So just be prepared for that and understand it's not the use of the tool, it's just that the bead was never going to come off the mandrel in one piece anyway. That being due to a worn diameter at the working area on the mandrel or it is bent.

The tool is great for beads with stubborn bead release. Just make sure you get the rubber washers to protect the beads.

Formed In Fire · #84 2011-06-15, 7:53am

I just found this thread - I made a very short video on how to use the rivet tool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbZmRuoKO8k
Check it out. Less then 30 seconds to remove a bead.

Jinx Garza · #85 2011-06-15, 10:26am

Very nice Michelle!

Tillie · #86 2011-09-01, 11:10am

I just found this thread right after I had FIVE (count em! FIVE!) beads that were stuck due to using some bead release that was awful, by mistake. I had frozen the beads tapped the mandrels on concrete, almost dislocated my wrists trying to manhandle those beads off the mandrels....and I found this! My DH had a riveting tool that was just lying around gathering dust, and it worked!! Worked like a charm! I only broke one bead, bit I have the pieces soaking to get all that release off and then I'm going to use it for frit! Loved the colors I got, so I'm going to recycle that one. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Eileen · #87 2011-09-01, 12:27pm

I bought one a few weeks ago on sale at Harbour Freight and it sure makes it easier to get the beads off. I've broken a few, but I think they were stuck on there so hard I wouldn't have been able to get them off. I didn't have a piece of rubber to use as a cushion, but I cut a piece of sponge and that's been working fine.
I did find out my 1/8th mandrels won't go through, but at least they're tougher and not so liable to bend if I manually pull off the beads.

Janetlee · #88 2012-04-28, 7:14pm

Bump
This is such a wonderful tip. I use mine all the time for stuck beads.

steiconi · #89 2012-04-28, 11:41pm

Wow, I've got a rivet tool! I gotta try this! Bummer, I got no stuck beads :=(

28676bhe · #90 2012-04-29, 12:35am

So, the guy at the hardware store says "You want this to do w h a t?"

I'll bring him a stuck bead to try on Monday because he doesn't believe it can be done.

Barbara

PS - Thanks for the video, Michelle! That convinced me!