Thanks for your replies. I cleaned the wire with steel wool, but didn't use any soap so that may have helped. I may have the bead release too thin, but want to keep the hole small so didn't want the release built up on the mandrel. The reason for the small hole is that I am trying to use a leaf press that has very small grooves for the mandrel to fit into. Larger mandrels will make my leaf thicker than I wanted. I will try these suggestions. Have you tried using purchased 1/16" mandrels? Do they work well?
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