How do you clean bead release?

Hi Cindy; I'm not sure that the clerk was correct when she told you that the beads were from the US. Usually US lampwork is cleaned. Sounds more like Chinese beads sold by someone in the US. The problem with that is they may not be annealed, so they may break in the future. But that is a whole different LOOOONG subject. On to cleaning - get a bead reamer, they should have them at Michaels or your bead store - the white stuff inside the bead is release and can be removed by using the reamer.

Don't inhale the powder from inside the beads either. Just take a bowl of water put your beads inside of it and then ream them in the water. Lampworkers usually use a dremel or a foredom handpeice to remove release, but you won't need that for the amount of beads you will be using.

Have fun! Denise

C> I went to a bead store last night and saw some pretty lampwork beads.

Thanks, Denise. Now I'm kind of wishing I'd gotten them if it's not all that difficult to clean them. They were small and would have made nice earrings.

Can't go back right away because I've already spent the money, LOL! I have enough stuff to keep me busy and out of trouble for this weekend at least.

If there's not much to remove you can get a rough cord, like twine or braided shoelace and slide the bead back and forth over it under running water, room temperature if you think the bead might not be annealed as temerature extremes should be avoided.

Ingrid

That's an idea. Hemp would work, wouldn't it? Hmm. I've put that aside for a while. Maybe I should start weaving that again. Kids seem to like the bracelets. Oh great. Now you've got me started on yet another project! Thanks a lot! LOL

Cindy -- someone on here used to always suggest Polydent, the denture cleaner? LOL -- I don't know if it works or not but I have heard it suggested. Cheryl from Ohio usually has good ideas in this area.

Becki

LOL! I've heard of using the denture tablets to clean toilets but not beads. I suppose it couldn't hurt.

Thanks!

Denture cleaner and pipe cleaners to kind of ream them out. That has worked for me.

One thing that happened to me: I got these really pretty beads, made in India, learned how to clean them here on RCB and I guess cleaning them out made them even more suceptable to breakage. I didn't know about annealing and such, they were pretty and in my price range! Eventually most of the beads cracked and or broke.

Stephanie

OK then. Put the dentures, the beads and the denture cleaner in the toilet -- you can clean all three at one time!!! (Then throw the dentures away, because they have been in the toilet). LOLOLOLOLOL

Becki

Lol.

Cleaning them by itself should not make them more breakable, as long as you avoid the very hot or very cold water. If they already have a fracture then a pipe cleaner or wiggling could break them but I'd rather find out before working with them anyway. You would want to avoid an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner as well.

Better to break the beads while cleaning them before you put the work into making a nice piece with them! I also like to string beads on a cord and use my Optivisor to inspect them before I use them, or before selling the beads I make.

mermaidscove_com wrote:

Sadly, my experience has been that those with fractures-waiting-to-happen often crack as soon as they hit the water- I think what happen is that the bead release expands from the moisture, putting additional pressure on the bead.

For purposes of experimentation, I bought a strand of 18 Chinese beads from a perfectly reputable and honest seller. They were all visually sound when I received them.

I ran them under tepid tap water. A few (I think three, I should have taken notes) cracked. I proceeded to clean them as I clean my beads, under running water, using a diamond bit in my Dremel on medium speed. One more cracked.

I left them all sitting in the water for a couple of days, more out of ennui than curiosity. Two more cracked.

I removed them from the water, dried them, and they've just been hanging around on the counter since then. None have cracked. I am going to make the remaining 12 into a bracelet for myself this evening and see what happens after that. :)