Riveting Tool – Removing Stuck Beads

Tired of bent mandrels, stuck beads, or worse yet, chipped beads?  Do I have the solution for you – a riveting tool.  This was not my idea, and when I first heard it, I had no idea what a riveting tool was, nor did I know how to use it.

Riveting Tool

Here is a very inexpensive tool that I bought at Harbor Freight.  It is actually called a Hand Riveter set; it came with different size nosepieces as well as a variety of rivets also.  I have never changed the nosepiece to a different size.

To use the tool, I first remove as much of the bead release as possible.  Then I insert the mandrel into the hole in the nosepiece.  Sometimes I use a tiny o-ring to cushion the bead (if the bead is really stuck!)

Riveting Tool With Bead

I then squeeze – gently.  Very, very gently!  The riveting tool holds the mandrel in place and pushes the bead forward.

Riveting Tool - Moving the Bead

Usually this is enough to loosen the bead enough to pull it off.  If not, I just pull the mandrel to move the bead against the nosepiece again and repeat.

This method sure is easier then holding the mandrel with a bench vise and twisting the bead.  I have had limited success with that method anyway.

Rosemarie Hanus makes beads in her home studio. Look at some more of these beads (already removed from the mandrel) at Etsy,  Art Fire, or my Spawn of Flame website.