Bent Mandrels

I showed this picture in a previous blog post.

Altogether, I had 13 beads stuck on mandrels.

I thought the problem was due to bead release that, for whatever reason, wasn't working.

Yuck!

Then, as I worked to release the beads from the mandrels,

I found this to be the problem.

Bent mandrels were causing my beads to stick to the mandrel.

Most of the bends were near the tip.

Of the 13, I lost 3 and had to break them.

I was able to rescue ten beads.

After the rescue, I sort my mandrels, 

and I pulled the bent ones and bent them more.

When I get a chance, I will chop off the ends, grind down the new ends, and put them back to work.

I hate bent mandrels!