b&q mashers?

[bubblefizz]

i bought a pair of these and they dont square up so when i try and make a cube it turns out like a diamond  anyone else have this prob with mashers?
i must of bought the cheapy ones!

[beadysam]

Mine are cheapy too - crap aren't they?  I think you need to get a bit spendy if you want even mashing.  Coonvalley on ebay does a good masher press with spacers to regulate thickness.

[Redhotsal]

I have a pair which I bought at great expense and to be honest I don't actually ever use them.
You need to set the little screw with the wingnut to get the squash width you need and if you don't do this they won't squash straight (parallel). Also if you squeeze too hard they won't squash straight either. Since I have very little patience it is unlikely that I will set the screw to the desired squash width before every bead I make so they hang forlorn and unused off a peg on my desk.

[silverlemon]

I use mine all the time! 

However, when you squeeze with them, I think they push the glass along the mandrel a bit because they don't come down parallel, but they finish parallel.....if that make sense.

You could also try mashing on your torch marver with a graphite paddle, although that relies on the squareness of your marver.

Or you could bend up your own from a strip of steel. 

[bubblefizz]

Sal if your selling them i will buy them

[beadysam]

I've just realised this thread is titled B&Q mashers - do you mean BBQ? 

I answered earlier and didn't see the B&Q - isn't it strange how the brain works?

[bubblefizz]

LOL   :D oh yea i never even realised !!!!

[Vicki]

did somebody say BBQ...yummy

[bubblefizz]

theres just to many B's 

[BlueMoon]

I carry two models of them in my store....one inexpensive pair and one expensive pair. And they both need to have some adjusting done on them initially to get the two sides parallel. You want to squeeze them down to about the size range that you use them for mashing and see how much they are out of parallel. Then bend one side or the other to get them back into parallel. It's just the nature of the design that this tool can't be parallel in the full range of the mashing. I hope this makes sense. Give it a try before you give up on them.
Jim