How small is a small hole, and how big are the beads you want to make? What do you mean by "regular wire"?
I use the smallest mandrels Arrow Springs sells - 1/29", I think? - for my "tiny" beads, and 1/16" mandrels for pretty much everything else (up to around 6" - bigger than that and the mandrels start to bend from the weight of the glass); I always sand my mandrels (and then give them a quick swipe with the edge of my shirt or a paper towel or something) before dipping them, and I always use a fresh-from-the-pack mandrel for anything over ~4ish".
The most common causes of stuck beads, especially on thin mandrels:
- the bead release is too thin
- the bead release broke, and there's glass sticking to the mandrel
- the mandrel isn't perfectly straight
If you're using a press, be mindful of the amount of pressure you're putting on the bead; you may be breaking the bead release by pressing too hard. If your regular wire is coming off a spool, it may not be perfectly straight; same if you're reusing a thin mandrel over and over. The longer your bead is, the more problematic a bent/twisted/curved mandrel will be.
(*makes a note of the piano wire thing*)
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