About Melted Bead Art

Melted bead art is an art form gaining popularity using plastic beads, metal forms like pie tins and your oven. You can make a variety of projects limited by your imagination and the size of your oven. Whether you recycle beads caught at Mardi Gras or purchase new plastic beads at the craft store, making melted bead art can be a fun project.

Types

Plastic beads in a menagerie of colors can create beautiful coasters, bowls, sun catchers, wall hangings, masks or jewelry. For the simplest projects, use small disposable tart tins or other metal containers with a shape that will match your project. Metal cookie cutters offer a variety of shapes, but remember to line the cookie cutter with tin foil to create a bottom. You can even use tuna or other shallow cans if you need a round shape.

Time Frame

After arranging your beads in the container, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Check on your project after ten minutes, then every five minutes until they are melted. The smell is not like baking cookies, but it's not terrible. You may want to open windows and turn on a fan while your beads are melting to let the fumes escape.

Function

After the beads have been melted and cooled, they can easily be removed from the container. Punch holes for hanging your art using knitting needles or wire while the beads are hot. If you would like a free form shape, you can use tin foil to melt the beads before shaping them using tools like a rolling pin to smooth the colors together or a butter knife to push the sides in as needed. Make sure you wear appropriate gloves when shaping the beads as the plastic will definitely burn your skin.

Features

Once the plastic beads melt, some of the colors may change, so you never really know exactly what your finished project will look like. If your beads glow in the dark, they will retain their glow after they have been melted.

Considerations

Molding the melted beads requires caution so always wear gloves when working on this project. Rolling pins and various metal tools can be used to form just about any shape. You can also use your grill as an oven or a kiln, if you have one. You can make more than one small project at once if your shape needs no tweaking. If you plan to mold your melted beads, you only have a small window while they are hot enough to reshape, so only do one project at a time.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Melted Bead Art