Grrrr ... Naughty Press

[Dragonfire Glass]

Unless it splits and falls off the mandrel, cracks can be repaired by heating again ...

[AnnaSpanna]

I got a cube press at the weekend and it has stuck a few times - i put it down to having too much (or exactly the right amount it now seems) glass going in. The joy with a cube is that if you have a fraction too much or little on then you can still manipulate your cubes with a bit of marvering which i guess is more difficult with a lentil. The press has gone across the room a few times whilst Ive been trying to wiggle the top free but I haven't yet lost a bead to it and am just still working out how to get the best from it!

[Chameleon]

if i get a bead stuck in a press like this I pick the whole thing up by the press handle, about 1cm off my work surface and drop it back onto the surface, the top then comes off the press as normal, no idea why it works but it works for me.

[Kaz]

Probably giving the bead up in shock at your masterfulness!

[Maria Louisa]

What you can do is make the holes (the ones for the pins) a little bit wider with a round file.
The brass is quite soft so that would work for most of the presses.
The ones with the straight sides and bottoms, like cubes and tiles and coins, are always a problem, with any press, not only mine, it's because of the shape that it gets stuck when using exactly enough glass.

[Trudi]

What you can do is make the holes (the ones for the pins) a little bit wider with a round file.
The brass is quite soft so that would work for most of the presses.
The ones with the straight sides and bottoms, like cubes and tiles and coins, are always a problem, with any press, not only mine, it's because of the shape that it gets stuck when using exactly enough glass.

Useful information Maria-Louisa!!

So for the The ones with the straight sides and bottoms  - a little less is better!

[jammie]

What you can do is make the holes (the ones for the pins) a little bit wider with a round file.
The brass is quite soft so that would work for most of the presses.
The ones with the straight sides and bottoms, like cubes and tiles and coins, are always a problem, with any press, not only mine, it's because of the shape that it gets stuck when using exactly enough glass.

Thanks Maria Louisa, it is a lovely press and I am very happy with, I haven't much experience of presses and so hope you didnt think that I wasn't happy with it  I just wanted to check that it was something I had to do different rather than the press itself. Sorry if it sounded wrong... . I spose getting exactly enough glass is good in a way but there again...maybe not. 

[Maria Louisa]

Hi Jammie,
Don't worry. I just wanted to explain.
I know it's not a problem of 'my' press. It's will all the presses that have a 90 degrees corner in it.
They all get stuck than. It's the shape. And it happens when using exactly enough glass.
Guess you have to make those beads a little wonkie to begin with 
No, just use a little less glass in it so it leaves a little space to get loose.
I use the technique Becky uses. Lift up my press and wiggle so the bottom falls off at my plate.

[Donna@Rockin' Beads]

I used my new Maria Louisa press this week and I was actually delighted when it appeared to stick as it meant I'd managed to get the right amount of glass for once 
That was mostly due to watching Lorna patiently build up a lentil shape on Saturday 
It did only stick very slightly though 

I'm glad you like your press Jean, after all that daft mix up by me 

[jammie]

Hah I am lentil obsessed at the moment.  eat drink and sleep lentil thoughts, first thought in the morning and last thought at night. I made some yesterday and only 2 stuck, I had let the glass cool abit, counted 5 slowly then pressed.  I am going to try again with plain glass, nothing fancy and work out how long to leave it to cool before they go are able to go in and come back out again still in one piece.
My OH said when I was lamenting my exploded ones, they are more like split peas now 

[sarah t]

i love my presses too .........have  had a couple do the sticky grabby thing ...... feesl a bit like teaching grandma to suck eggs offering you any advice or guidence tho julie 

one of the things i love about your pressies marie apart from them being magic and working pretty much everytime  ...is the mandrel dip ....i have had other presses and the dip is really small .......i will try the small file thing to see if that makes a diference re pins and dips ...but i often only use half the press anyway ......


i have had a couple of presses from bavarian beads as well  and i am pretty happy with them too .........might have to go shopping for more ........like to spread the love 

[sandie]

I made my very first lentil in one of Marie-Louisa's presses the day after the Flame-Off. The press was great, but the bead snapped in two when I took it off the mandrel. Probably wasn't evenly heated. I think I need to start small and work up to the larger size 

[jammie]

I just realised that this thread is actually 2 years old  should I have started a new one as it was Julie started it off and I am pretty sure she  is way past this point of stuckiness

[Trudi]

nah - I think it's great that you can scroll back and see some history - then it's al in one place!

What I like to do if it's a really good thread is to bookmark it so I can find it again!

[Dee Dee]

I had the same issue recently with my new SS lentil press.  I followed the advice from Maria Louisa with regard to a small round file, and gently filed the holes slightly - it works like a dream now!