New Bead Releases Released

I just tried two new bead releases - one from Frantz Art Glass - no name on it but I will get you the name - and the other is called EZ bead release.

Both of them performed just fine. The Frantz release is a dark grey, and interestingly enough, takes on a pinkish colour when you hit it with the flame. The other is whitish bead release. Both of them have reasonably good holding power. They are a little harder to pull the beads on than my current favourite, which is the Dip n Go - which has been my fave for about 4 bottles worth now. I love the Dip n Go - which really can be flame dried, not quite out of the bottle, but close. For comparison, I also like the Sludge Plus (I particularly like the pretty green flame when you first introduce it into the flame, but as that has absolutely no impact on performance . . . )

I have also tried and liked the Foster Fire. For the specialty mandrels, curved mandrels and such, you just can't beat it. But, I find that once it starts to crack - it goes. The Dip and Go you can sometimes see a crack appearing in the bead release, but it might not spread all the way.

I have also tried the Bucket o Mud - which was my old favourite, until the Dip n Go came along.

I have also used the Fusion bead separator - which is cheap and comes in a large bottle for long dips, but I don't find it robust enough for sculptural work, and it does NOT make it easy to pull beads. However, it does go down in a nice thin layer, which means it's not making your bead holes a lot larger, like some of the thicker releases. I don't use it personally any more, but it's fine if you are just making regular round beads and not pushing the envelope. I have had more beads permanently welded to the mandrel with it than all the other bead releases combined.

These new releases are fine, but I still prefer my Dip n Go. I'll probably use them if I run out of the other and need release in a hurry.