QUESTION:  How can I deal with algae issues?
ANSWER: There have been occasional issues with algae in our release.  As we have told people, it does not effect the performance of the bead release.

However, better not to have the algae and therefore avoid any concerns.  Besides which, the algae is kind of ugly.

We've resolved the issue.  There are three things we've done to eliminate the algae.  One thing I will tell you about, because it's something you can do; the other things arer our little secret, which, naturally we will keep to ourselves.

The one thing you can do is to keep the bottle in a cool, dry, dark place.  The best way of doing this is to keep the bottle in a drawer when not in use. For those who received bottles suggesting refrigeration, disregard this as we have found through further experimenting that cold bead release does not flame dry very well. You will likely experience cracks in the release.  With that being said, algae hates dry, cool, dark conditions.  It's a death sentance for algae!


QUESTION:  What about flame drying?
ANSWER: It's perfectly OK to flame dry BOM.
A few tips however...
~ Begin the drying process far out in the bushy part of a neutral flame.  An initial high, intense flame will flake and crack the bead release.  Actually you should begin beyond where you see any flame whatsoever.  This initial process will take as long as two minutes.  Keep drying the release is this mild flame for about two minutes, which will provide a uniform, white appearance to the release.
~ Then begin moving it into the flame...a little at a time.  Keep turning the mandrel to ensure complete, uniform drying.
~ When you are fairly far into the flame, the release will be completely dry.  You can now use it anywhere in the flame with no cracking, chipping or breaking.
~ We recommend using only a light dip if you are going to flame dry.

QUESTION: How do I remove stubborn beads from the mandrel?
ANSWER:  Go to your local hardware store (Home Depot or Lowe's), go to the hardware section and purchase a "keyless chuck". Take a mandrel with you and tell the sales person you want to put the mandrel through the chuck and tighten the chuck.  He will know exactly what you're talking about, and show you what to do. They cost around $24; cheap for the trouble it will save you. (The best $24.00 you'll ever spend, except for your bottle of Bucket O' Mud, of course!).  This tightens down on the mandrel, giving you good, firm control of the mandrel and won't bend the mandrel

Then, get one of those rubber "things" you remove jar tops with, preferably the type that is supple and has holes in it.  Put this around the bead and turn. TaaaaDaaa! Your bead comes off the mandrel quite easily.  Eight years of teaching classes and we have yet to find a bead we couldn't overcome.

Also keep in mind that the longer you work a bead, the stronger Bucket O' Mud gets, thereby making it more difficult to remove the bead from the mandre

Plus...the beads won't crack or fall apart using this method.

QUESTION: What is the best way to keep my release well mixed?
ANSWER: The best way is to put one of your worst beads in the bottle as soon as you open it.  This will help mix the release as you shake it.  Trust me, it works!

My wife relies on me for the worst bead.  You see, my wife watched about ten beadmaking teachers from across the country make beads in WorkShops at our Studio. Only then did she sit down and make her first bead.  Since then, she makes nothing but great beads.

Me, on the other hand. I watched a lot more than ten beadmakers before I was finally coerced, totally against my own better judgment, to sit down in the middle of a class and make a bead.  It was the worst thing you've ever seen!  You couldn't even try to make a bead as bad as the one I made.  It was the first and last bead I've ever made.  Needless to say, it's the one that always goes into our own BOM.  What an appropriate place for it!  After that humbling experience, I went back to my little corner of the Studio and continued working on something I knew something about...the formula for Bucket O' Mud.

So yes, a humble bead led me to create Bucket O' Mud.  It's a daunting task to make something like Bucket O' Mud when I can't even competently use it as an end product.  It took a lot of beadmaking on my wife's part to "get it right".


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