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Old 2007-02-12, 2:12pm
Glassman Glassman is offline
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Join Date: Jul 18, 2006
Location: Brooloo, Sunshine Coast, Queensland , Australia
Posts: 10
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Hi All
I had a few people ask for my recipe for bead release, I have used this one for about 5 years.....

Equal Volume (tablespoon etc)

5 spoons of Calcinated or Hydrated Alumina

5 spoons of Kaolin Clay

1 spoon of Whiting

1 spoon(small) of graphite powder/ carbon


Put all ingredients in a jar with about 1/3rd of a cup of water, water first.
I use a plastic, lidded jar, shake well, let it settle, add more powder or water until the mix is the consistency of MILK. If it is too thick it will crack on the mandrel. Let the mix sit overnight and adjust the consistency.
You will need to add table spoon of water every so often to thin it down.
I get all these from a local pottery shop with the exception of the graphite and that I get from Auto shops/Engineering supplies, powdered lubricant.

NOTE: The ratios do not have to be exact.

The comments on "roughing up new mandrels" are true. As is the relative humidity one, here in Queensland this time of year (summer) you can get problems with the Bead Release.
All the best
Gary Lisle
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