Everything you wanted to know about CLEANING YOUR BEADS

[Betty the Chook]

hahahahahaha. My dog does too!!

Only problem with soaking the beads before releasing from the mandrels is that the cats love the taste of the bead water.

[Enchanted Cobwebs]

I bought the electric bead reamer from tuffnells, no instructions just the mini drill thing with a transformer that looks as it can be used for different things because its got lots of different attachments. It also has a voltage gauge on the plug and given that I dont have a scoobie I had to email to ask what setting to put it on. They said just use the voltage thing to increase or decrease the speed. No indication at any point that the bead release which I also got from them was dangerous. Last night I sat at my bench and took each bead and cleaned every scrap of bead release out using the long pointed bit, no water, no mask, no idea I might be doing something wrong

So, for a donut like me, have I got this right?
- cool the bead (doing this in vermiculite, I have a kiln but not plugged in yet, one step at a time!)
- put the bead on the mandrel in water, dissolve the bead release, remove the bead
- soak the bead in water
- use the reamer on the wet bead while its still in water

(I will also have to ask safety questions about my propane but will do that in the right place)

I will get there I'm just a slow learner and this bit wasnt in the book!
Thanks
Helen

[sarah t]

yep ..thats about it 

dont chuck bead realese down the plug and try not to stab your self !

[Kalorlo]

If you're going to get your kiln up and running, it's probably better not to clean them until after they're annealed. Just in case the vibrations are a bit much for them.

[Enchanted Cobwebs]

Thank you all for your advice, much appreciated
Helen

[Glyn Burton]

Hi, I use a jewellers pendant drill with diamond burrs, I also use an ultrasonic cleaner which gets them really clean and can do 100 at a time easily. www.cooksongold.co.uk have some on offer at the moment I think they are about £30.

[Blue Box Studio]

Is this the answer to my prayers ... does the ultrasonic cleaner remove the bead release?   or do you still remove this but then give them a final clean in the ultrasonic cleaner?

[Glyn Burton]

Hi The ultra sonic cleaner used with the proper fluid (I use the seaweed stuff from cooksons) will indeed fetch out bead release it takes about 10 minutes to do a batch, mine has a timer and heater so I just set it off and then do something else, like make more beads. The ultra sonic will often loosen beads stuck on the mandrels too. Hope this helps.
Glyn

[Pandanimal]

this sounds good. I hate cleaning beads. Cooksons have quite a few kinds though varying hugely in price. Which one do you have Glyn?

[Lakelady]

Cleaning beads is like peeling brussel sprouts or runner beans......ugh!

[Glyn Burton]

I use the 2 litre stainless steel model with the heater and timer. Its about 130-150 expensive but a solid bit of kit made for professional use. My sister has the pink 35 quid model which works fine but I don't know how long it will last in a commercial setting. I don't skimp on tools, they are tax deductable after all

[Enchanted Cobwebs]

Hi The ultra sonic cleaner used with the proper fluid (I use the seaweed stuff from cooksons) will indeed fetch out bead release it takes about 10 minutes to do a batch, mine has a timer and heater so I just set it off and then do something else, like make more beads. The ultra sonic will often loosen beads stuck on the mandrels too. Hope this helps.
Glyn

Does that mean I take them off the mandrel and just put them in or do I take out some bead release first? (I'd pay good money not to have to clean them at all!)
Will it make transparent beads better in that more release is removed i.e. make the holes less gritty looking?

[Pandanimal]

I have ordered this one
http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery-Tools/Ultra-6050-Ultrasonic-550ml-Tank-prcode-997-1306
and some of the sea clean fluid.
It has a timer and heater but is not very big. I don't see myself ever making large silver items anyway and the capacity should save on the cleaning fluid assuming you have to fill them for every use. I just have to learn how to use it now. I see lots of questions arising in the near future!

[Blue Box Studio]

If you are going to try a few beads in it Pandanimal, can you let us know how you get on? 

[Glyn Burton]

Take the beads off the mandrel,  plug the machine in fill it with cleaning fluid, put the beads in and switch on come back in a bit and the beads will be clean. Simple as that