Q&A for How to Use Perler Beads

Yes you can. Just place the beads in the oven on a very low heat until they melt.

Make sure you've ironed the design completely on both sides. The thinner it becomes after being ironed on both sides, the sturdier it will be.

A different kind of paper is not recommended. The paper can burn, or mess up your design.

The kind of heat used in your microwave is very different from the direct heat of an iron or the heat in a conventional oven. While you may be able to melt your beads in a microwave, at best, the results will be very melty.

This might be because the iron was too hot, which caused the beads to melt - thereby sticking onto the pegboard.

Put it in a medium setting. Never put it any higher or it can melt the beads completely, or scorch them.

It is best to use a pegboard because it is the easiest way to make your patterns. You could do it on a flat surface, but it may not come out as you expect.

No. Sunlight will not warm it up enough to melt it. If you want to incorporate sunlight, you can try using a piece of plexiglass and let the heat travel through, but there's no guarantee that would work.

No, wax paper is not a good idea because it will melt and fuse into your beads. Always use parchment paper or ironing paper. You can find parchment paper near the wax paper at a grocery store. You can also buy replacement ironing paper for Perler beads from their website or at an art store that sells Perler beads.

After ironing each piece, you can glue or sew them to attach together.

No. Perler beads are specially designed to melt together by following these directions. You will not achieve the same affect with another type of bead.

There are other ways of heating your beads, but the safest, most reliable way is to follow the instructions. To offer an example of an alternative, you might create a perler bead bowl by putting a single layer of beads into an oven safe glass bowl so the beads to take its shape, preheating your oven to 350°, and baking the beads for 15 minutes. Once the beads are cool, you can pull them free of the bowl for a bowl shaped perler creation.

Yes. You can top it off with nail polish or a finishing spray, but put it on after it cools. If you put it on while it's still warm, you could start a fire.

Greaseproof paper is not recommended with a heat source, as it will likely melt and stick to the iron and/or the beads.

No. It is similar, but you cannot use it for a perler bead design. It might scorch, ruin the beads, or ruin your design.

I wouldn't recommend doing this. The beads could stick to the bag, or it could present a fire hazard.

No, the directions say that it will mess up your design.

Look online for an 8bit or 16bit photo editor...there has to be an app for that! Otherwise you can tape a picture of your specific human and take your sweet time doing it yourself, starting with the outline.

You should use a regular pegboard because it would be easier and more safe.

Yes, you can use any heat safe and hard surface, just make sure you use wax paper, which does work, or ironing paper.

You can use any iron that heats up properly! For small projects I use a mini iron. You can buy them on Amazon.

As the article states, use your ironing paper on the top and iron it. Then, let it cool. Once it has cooled, move the ironing paper to the bottom.

Not really. The only thing that matters is that both sides are heated so both sides melt and fuse together.

No, because the beads will not fuse together as fast and it's too much heat at once. You will likely ruin the beads if you try this.

You can use wax paper, but it will not work well and the wax will melt into the beads. Parchment paper (the same as iron paper) is about the only thing you can use.

Not really, although baking paper is another cheap and very easy-to-find alternative.

Do a quick web image search for "perler bead heart creations" to see a few examples. So long as the beads are fused you are good, some people like the look of a minimally fused piece (with big holes present) which looks good, but isn't really strong, others like a well fused piece (little to no holes present) however the look sometimes isnt as good. Up to your personal choice really.

All likely it depends on the specific type/brand of wax paper, some leave a residue, others do not, at the end of the day if it works for you, go for it!

You can, but unless you are experienced, the results will be unpredictable. Melting/fusing together beads with the parchment/baking paper and an iron is probably the easiest, "beginner friendly" way to go.

Try out a few settings and take note how fast or slow the beads fuse/melt - under 3 seconds is far too hot, more than 10 seconds is too cold.