The short answer: flip the board onto a tray for full projects, or lift beads straight up with tweezers for small ones. The trick is to lift, never to scrape across the pegs.
Removing beads seems trivial until you have a full board and ten colors to separate. The right technique keeps beads in place, keeps your pegs straight, and makes cleanup fast.
Full board: the flip method
- Place a tray or a sheet of paper over the beads, hold both together, and flip the board upside down.
- Tap the back gently so the beads drop off the pegs onto the tray.
- Lift the board straight up; the beads stay on the tray, one layer deep.
- Sort them back into their containers with a small funnel or scoop.
Small picks: the tweezer method
When you only placed a few beads or want to fix a mistake, lift each bead straight up with tweezers. Pulling sideways drags the bead across neighboring pegs and bends them over time. For sorting tips and containers, see our sorting guide, and fresh boards are in our shop.