How do perler beads work

It can also help young children develop hand-eye coordination skills and learn color names and basic counting.

The top fuse beads brand is Perler in the United States and Hama in other countries. Perler beads work really well with Hama's Midi beads as they are of the same size and material. They don't melt consistently.

Fuse beads are made of low-density polyethylene LDPE , a food-grade plastic. They don't contain harmful chemicals. The most common bead size is 5mm in diameter, suitable for both adults and children. Hama also manufactures a type of very small, 2. For beginners, we recommend that you buy a small bag of sorted beads e.

The optimal bead inventory depends on the designs you choose. Generally speaking, you will need a lot of black for outlines and shades and white for highlights and backgrounds. In comparison, glitter and glow-in-the-dark beads are not very useful in practice. Don't bother buying them when you're just getting started.

You might be tempted to buy those bead jars with mixed colors as the unit cost is cheaper and they offer a wide variety of color choices. Please be aware that you almost always need to sort the beads first which is quite time-consuming. Pegboards have various geometric shapes. We recommend that you buy a pack of interlinkable, transparent square pegboards , each with by pegs in total.

But you need to iron it long enough that the beads fuse together. Some prefer to melt the perler beads so that you cannot see the openings in the beads.

Some prefer to iron them just enough so that they are together, but so that you can also still see the individual beads. Wax paper will stick to the perler beads and does not come off easily!

Run your finished perler bead creation under running water and rub the wax paper off. Another important thing to consider when ironing your perler beads is that the iron should not touch any of the parts of the peg board that do not have beads on it. Otherwise you risk melting the plastic peg board. Once you have melted the beads together you can peel the beads along with the parchment paper off of the peg board.

Lay the parchment paper side down on the ironing board and cover the exposed side of the perler bead design with another sheet of parchment paper. It should be sandwiched now between two parchment paper sheets. Now you are going to repeat the first step and iron the other side of the perler beads until they have reached the desired texture and are completely fused together on both sides.

You want to take a very heavy book and lay it on top of the parchment paper covered perler beads. Some people like melt the beads completely, sealing all holes, whilst some like the effect of beads that are not ironed hard. All irons are different, so simply test as you go. Parchment paper or baking paper can be used in replacement of the genuine Perler paper in case you run out. After ironing one side, flip it over and repeat on the other. Place a book or similar flat heavy object over the top to help flatten the project and avoid warping your pegboard.

Your completed artwork is ready to place on the wall or hang from somewhere special! Your email address will not be published.

Courier delays of up to 10 days are being experienced in some areas. Please be patient with us. The worst affected regions are in Melbourne and Sydney. If your order is urgent contact us after ordering and we will price up Express Delivery with Australia Post. Facebook Instagram Pinterest. A simple 8 step guide on how to do Perler Beads! Step 2 — Organise your beads. Plan your Perler Bead design.