Ironing (or fusing) Perler bead projects :)

If you’re having trouble ironing your perler projects; then here’s some tips that can help.

When you’re ready to iron, make sure you are working on a flat heat safe surface, and set your iron to the medium setting. Always iron with the ironing paper between your iron and the beads and iron in a circular motion and try not to press down on the iron. Also, depending on your iron you might want to adjust the heat setting. Find a heat setting that works the best for you and try not to forget what it is for future projects. Once your first side is done being ironed, you can remove the ironing paper and flip the design to the other side. You are now done with the pegboard you used and can use it again for another project. Do the same process you did on the first side for the second and you’re done with your project. Sometimes when cooling down after being ironed your project might start to warp a little so I find it useful to have a heavy book or a piece of plyboard and some 2-3 pound weights that I can place on top of my project so that they will still be flat after they cool down.
Some people think that melting the beads till the center hole is gone looks better, but me personally I think it looks better when the beads have an open center. Remember that the beads need heat for about 10-20 seconds per side to fuse evenly, and some colors may fuse more quickly than others. If you are doing any assembly with your project, DO NOT OVER-IRON the beads as it will make the centers of the beads close and can make the assembly more challenging. When the beads melt down to much they may end up too big or smushed to use for an assembly project because they will no longer fit into the spaces if not ironed properly.
Depending on the size of the project, additional heating time may be required. Another way to iron a big perler bead project is to use the taping method. You can find instructions on how to use the taping method on the Perler Website.