How to Make Fish Beads
Beads shaped like fish can be basic and flat or so detailed you expect them to jump in the nearest pond. You can sculpt a fish bead from paper mache by pinching and smoothing it into shape, allowing it to dry, then painting it with bright colors. But it won't hold up for long. For a lasting bead use a sculptable polymer. The process still is pinch, smooth and shape but the polymer goes through a hardening process and has a longer shelf life. You can add details after it is hard and even build it up with embellishments.
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Things You'll Need
- Packages of sculptable polymer in different colors
- Fimo Quick Mix for reconstituting polymer that is too dry
- Pasta maker -- optional
- Small sculpting tools, such as knives, toothpicks and garlic press
- Oven at 250 degrees
- Fine-grit sandpaper
- Acrylic paint
- Fine-point paintbrush
- Acrylic spray finish
- Foil
- Small plastic bags
Instructions
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1
Cut a 1- or 2-inch square of polymer and hold it in your hand to soften it. This might take a few minutes depending upon how warm your hands are. If the polymer keeps cracking, it isn't ready yet. You might need to add an equal amount of Quick Mix to the original square if it isn't pliable after 10 minutes. Knead until the right consistency develops.
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2
Make several warmed and ready to use squares of polymer in different colors. Roll each square into a 2-inch long tube. Lay three complimentary colors side by side and press the sides into each other. Use your fingers to press the polymer flat enough to go through the pasta maker. Roll the polymer through a pasta maker. This will flatten it and make each shade of polymer adhere to the one next to it. Fold the flattened piece in half and roll it through the pasta maker again two or three times. Notice that the colors are blending into other shades.
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3
Pinch off enough of the polymer to roll into a cylinder. Leave a hole where the bead will thread by poking it with a toothpick. Make the hole a little wider than you think it should be when finished because it will shrink when it is heated. This is your basic fish shape.
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4
Use the tip of a knife to carve out fins from the flattened polymer. Fix them in place on the fish body with a little pressure. Make a lavish tail and place it around the bead hole. Use the toothpick to etch the fins. Make tiny balls of polymer and flatten them for scales. Fix a pair of eyes on either side of the head, and don't forget a pair of fish lips. Create spikes for a puffer fish by extruding some polymer through a garlic press and pinching them at the tips.
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5
Place your fish bead on a cookie sheet and bake it in a low-heat oven, about 250 degrees, until it is hardened. This won't take more than an hour if the bead is small, but when it is completely dried out it will be hard to the touch. If some of the pieces have detached during the hardening process, make more and place them back on the bead. Heat as before until the fish is hard and finished. Use the fine-grit sandpaper to whisk away any unsightly bumps. Light sanding usually smooths the surface and gives it a slight shine.
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6
Use acrylic paint for details on the bead. The acrylic paint will dry almost immediately. Finish the bead with pearl acrylic spray if you wish or gild it with a golden spray finish. One or two coats will be sufficient to give the fish a shine.
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Tips & Warnings
Plan how you will use your fish beads. Necklaces will usually require a horizontal hole, but earrings might look better with a vertical bead hole. Consider the balance of the bead so that placing the hole allows the fish to remain stable when you use it in your jewelry design.
Never start sculpting polymer straight out of the package. Always soften it in your hands. Wrap unused blocks of polymer in foil and place separate colors in small plastic bags. Get as much air out of the bag as you can before you seal it . Polymer will keep this way in a cool room for several months. Avoid storing polymer in a warm area because it will harden in the heat and might never reconstitute even with Quick Mix. Polymer will pull the dirt off your fingers, so be sure your hands are completely clean. Your work surface needs to be cleaned between using different colors or the second color will pick up bits of the first color left behind. Never roll out polymer on a varnished surface. It might pull up bits of varnish.
