my guidelines for using molding presses...

[bavarianbeads]

Click me!

This is the best method for me to shape beads with the molding presses 

I hope this helps!

Manu

[Trudi]

That's great Manu - I'm sure that those new to presses will find it very useful!

I've never marked a hot mandrel before, I used to use a felt marker on a cold one!

[flaming beads]

Great advice!!..thankyou i've never marked a hot one either!!

[Lilley]

I have a lentil press and have been having problems with the bead getting stuck in the press.  What I've been doing is getting the bead footprint slightly less than the press size, making that almost round and then putting the bead into the bottom half of the mold, turning it over and doing the same again to see if it is anywhere near the right size for the bead.  The when it is pretty near pressing with the top .... and then it gets stuck, the top of the mold won't release, then the bead cracks.  It is making me wary of using the top at all, given that the beads made from using just the bottom are ok, but I think they would be better defined if I use the press properly.  What am I doing wrong?  Is it that the glass is too hot, or that the press halves are different temperatures, or that the press is too hot and the whole lot sticks or what?  Any help will be much appreciated!

[Josephine]

I can't say I have ever had that problem. Off course some presses are better designed than others. What make of press and shape are you using?

[Trudi]

I have that with my fat lentil from spheres of glass.

[Lilley]

It's a straight sided lentil from Maria Louisa of www.beadpress.nl

[Trudi]

Have you contacted Maria Louisa? I'm sure she'll be happy to help you!

[Lilley]

not as yet - I don't think the problem is in any way the press - I think it is what I'm doing (or not) - but that is a good idea, I will email her.  I had just thought that the forum would be a good place to ask as I thought others might have had a similar problem when they started and would know how to solve it

[Kalorlo]

There's a thread about it here - might be some things in there that help?

[Lilley]

Thanks for the link to the thread - definately some good ideas there!  I particularly like the idea of the problem being getting the amount of glass too 'right'!  More practice required now with less glass and cooler beads.
Interestingly I haven't had a round bead stick in the marble press, only the lentils.

[Lilley]

I had a much better session yesterday afternoon with my lentil press, used less glass, pressed cooler and when a couple did try to remain stuck I did the picking the whole press up and dropping it on to the table thing and it came apart with the bead still intact - so all good!  Thanks for the help.  I still need to practice, my decoration is very basic so that's the next bit.  On holiday now so no torch time for the next week.