Reblogged from craftster.com: “Melted the beads (400 degrees for about 20 minutes) in a metal cake pan and some ceramic dishes. Drilled a hole in them and strung them on fishing line.” “I used very cheap beads!! It was a big bag of beads from Michaels that I spent about four dollars on. For the blue and green catchers , I sorted the beads out. I had to buy a clear bag of beads too because there were no clear beads in the first bag I bought. Most importantly…make one thin layer of beads at the bottom of the pan. After the beads cool, you can just turn the pan upside down and the suncatcher falls right out… I was able to melt these beads in cake pans,ceramic carafes and coffee mugs. I also did a group in a muffin pan…..that worked really well.”
Doitandhow Update: For the suncatcher, we tried clear, colored transluscent and opaque pony beads. The colored transluscent beads give prettier results. You can also use other size pans. I used a mini muffin pan and made cute little discs of colors. Once cool, they just pop right out! WARNING: melting plastic is stinky, if not toxic (?) so make sure your kitchen is well ventilated.
julia christine stephen
May 27, 2012 at 9:01 am
Pretty
thebeadden
May 27, 2012 at 12:44 pm
Do you mind if I re-blog this? It’s so cool!
Krisgo
May 30, 2012 at 4:34 pm
Be my guest! I love to share
thebeadden
May 30, 2012 at 4:47 pm
Thank you, Krisgo. I was so impressed with it!
Cheryl Terraso Nolin
May 2, 2013 at 9:57 pm
How do you hang them? Is it hard to put a hole in them to attach together?
Debbie Swamplady Nelson
May 2, 2013 at 11:52 pm
Use a drill, with a bit to give you as small a hole as you need to pull some good nylon line through. Drill SLOWLY as you will “melt” the piece with the heat of the drilling. I do it all the time because I’m impatient so then I have to clean off all the bits that get melted plastic on t hem, LOL
Krisgo
May 3, 2013 at 10:42 am
Use a drill to make a small hole. It’s easy! I hung mine with fishing line.
Deb Ovall
May 3, 2013 at 6:56 pm
You hang them by drilling holes where you want strings. I got a clay flower pot and turned it upside down on a cookie sheet with newspapers under to catch the little shreds that form. I lined up the spot where I wanted the hole in the sun catcher piece over the hole in the bottom of the flower pot and drilled with a thin drill bit. I used my battery powered drill, electric might be too powerful. Don’t push hard, let the drill bit do the work, just a little pressure, slowly. string with fishing line or whatever ya got.
pillowsalamode
May 28, 2012 at 2:02 pm
Those are lovely!!!
SpursFan
May 30, 2012 at 6:05 pm
I made these the other day. Just a hint — the iridescent and metallic pony beads do not melt at the same pace. In fact some of the ones I used did not melt at all. The transparent beads came out best.
Laurie
April 17, 2013 at 9:08 am
if you use ceramic or glass it takes longer for them to melt too…..metal works much better
I bought my pans at Goodwill for 1.00 …..since I knew they would not be able to be used for food again…I also was lucky enough to find no stick ones ..popped right out when they were cool
Amy Lombardi
May 31, 2012 at 5:08 pm
These are made with pony beads? They are so pretty! I am planning on making some for my new house! Some in the kitchen window, some on the front porch!
thebeadden
May 31, 2012 at 6:19 pm
Reblogged this on The Bead Den CRAFTIVITIES and commented:
Krisgo was kind enough to let me share her free tutorial. I don’t like to use plastic beads when making jewelry. Now here is a great craft to make something fun!
Thanks!
Lorie
May 31, 2012 at 6:46 pm
Do you need to spray the pan or anything? Just put the beads in the pan and into the oven? This is beautiful!
Krisgo
June 4, 2012 at 1:40 pm
We didn’t spray anything – they just popped right out!
pam
February 16, 2013 at 7:57 pm
I made these and they did not pop right out. in fact i couldn’t get them to come out at all.. did I do something wrong?
Deb Ovall
February 17, 2013 at 2:28 pm
Pam, not sure. what kind of pans are you using?
Michelle
June 1, 2012 at 3:47 pm
just point of note: when you do this with your pans, don’t use them for food again. Make your pans or whatever devoted to the craft once it’s used…..but what a great idea!
Amy Lombardi
June 1, 2012 at 6:15 pm
I wonder if you can use the foil ones?!?! Then I wouldn’t have to have 2 sets of pans!
Lynette
June 1, 2012 at 6:33 pm
with the mini muffin pans – I bet you could do a mobile under a light inside the house too. Going to the goodwill to pick up some cheap pans!
Krisgo
June 4, 2012 at 1:39 pm
Yay! Have fun!
Lynette
June 1, 2012 at 6:49 pm
Reblogged this on Momisms – Moments in Motherhood and commented:
This is totally neat! Its hard enough to find light in the Pacific Northwest, but I bet melting these in smaller muffin tins and hanging, mobile style under a light, would cast a really neat glow. Im going to try this the next time the boys and I are stuck inside during a spring time monsoon. One way to do this cheaply, buy some tins from the goodwill or other thrift store near you. Once used for this or any type of craft, don’t run the risk of ruining your subsequent food. Mark the implements with a sharpie and keep craft tins separate from food tins.
twyladigangi
June 3, 2012 at 1:23 am
These are so pretty! I never would have thought you could melt pony beads and make things like this
Becky Bauer
June 4, 2012 at 10:37 pm
I am trying this out as I type. I had a few missed spots in my suncatcher. I will know next time to put more beads in the pan to cover it better. Will be making more of these. Thanks for the great idea. Becky
Krisgo
June 6, 2012 at 11:19 am
Just make sure you fill the bottom in one layer though. Otherwise they wont melt as nice. IT is an awesome craft! I’m thinking of getting a heart shaped pan for next time!
erin
June 6, 2012 at 10:35 am
making them right now
California Emil
June 8, 2012 at 4:28 pm
Can I use a bag of Gems I found at Walmart for this as well, or does it have to be Beads?
Krisgo
June 8, 2012 at 4:38 pm
I’ve only tried it with plastic Pony Beads. But I imagine any small plastic bead type thing would work.
nanabobana
June 10, 2012 at 12:36 pm
HI, saw this yesterday and tried it today with some small old-timey metal jello molds we weren’t using. They’re sweet, like little rainbow donuts with wavy edges, and they have a hole for hanging already in the middle!! I made a big one with all my pony beads in a regular pan so I used other types of plastic beads in the little pans and they all melted just fine! They are slightly multi-layered because I dropped in some tiny beads to fill in between the larger ones and they all melted together. They look great! I’ll try to post a pic link in a bit, just wanted to let you all know other types of beads work, too.
Thanks, Krisgo!
nanabobana
June 10, 2012 at 12:40 pm
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/c0.0.403.403/p403x403/551105_438940352796326_119153793_n.jpg
Hope this works!
Krisgo
June 11, 2012 at 10:33 am
Nanabobana– Those look awesome! You could add a simple ribbon and make ornaments out of them too – Fabulous!
nanabobana
June 11, 2012 at 10:02 pm
Made some more today using another old jello mold and a silicon muffin pan. Gonna give most of these away, already drilled a little hole and strung them on fish line.
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/270825_439731892717172_68600131_n.jpg
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/166030_439732352717126_558328897_n.jpg
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/534104_439732386050456_890816964_n.jpg
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/181263_439732439383784_1898309899_n.jpg
Sorry the balloon is sideways, not sure why that happened. Thinking about stringing the rainbow discs under it, got to drill more holes. I used metal cookie cutters for the shapes but left them in to bake, won’t do that again. got some cool texture when I pulled them out but ruined the cutters. next time, I’ll use a cutter to fill the shape then remove gently before baking.
Krisgo
June 12, 2012 at 12:38 pm
I love the heart shaped one! I’m thinking these with some puffy paint names would make perfect gift tags – for Christmas or birthdays too!
Sabrina
June 16, 2012 at 9:30 pm
i absolutely love the first one!! job well done
amberjoy
June 25, 2012 at 2:38 pm
They look great!
amberjoy
June 25, 2012 at 2:40 pm
These look great! Can’t wait to try it!
Tonissa
June 26, 2012 at 2:29 pm
Those are neat!!
Tami Combs Bailey
April 15, 2013 at 1:56 pm
Those were awesome how did you make them look so good??
Deb Ovall
April 15, 2013 at 8:03 pm
Hi, Tami, not sure what you mean by ‘good’, lol. For the colors, I used different beads than pony beads coz I had some old ones laying around. For the shape, I used some old metal Jello or aspic molds my hub bought at a yard sale. The ones in the pic were made in molds that look like small angel food cake pans, hence the hole in the middle.
Pris
April 15, 2013 at 2:45 pm
Pretty
Susan♥
June 10, 2012 at 5:35 pm
I want to try this, so I think I’ll try it in the toaster oven, outside, so I won’t stink up the house.
(I’ll be sure to keep a constant watch so nothing catches fire.)
nanabobana
June 11, 2012 at 10:03 pm
Susan, the smell is not that bad and cleared out quickly once they stopped actually cooking. The Hub didn’t even mention it, lol.
sharkeysally
June 26, 2012 at 11:30 am
I just tried it and mine caught fire…:( I think I need to use a lower temp in the toaster oven…
Krisgo
June 27, 2012 at 4:46 pm
Oh no!!! I’m not sure that I would try using MY toaster oven… I dont really trust it in general.
sharkeysally
June 27, 2012 at 8:46 pm
lol…Tonight I did it using a heat gun and it worked great!
The toaster oven was an old one that a friend gave me, so it’s not a total loss! My Chemistry professor says that the beads release a flammable gas and that they just got too hot in the toaster oven…
Amy Lombardi
June 11, 2012 at 8:47 pm
I just made these in muffin tins and they are so cute! I decided to make some in solid primary colors to use with my light table in my preschool classroom!
Jennifer A.
June 12, 2012 at 1:54 pm
I just made these and by putting metallic beads in place just the right way, I was able to get a hole to use. They don’t melt at the same rate and the fishing line through to make a mobile. I plan on doing this with my preschoolers at Vacation Bible School. YAY cute and easy!
Krisgo
June 13, 2012 at 7:46 am
Yay! Great idea! Try to think of a passage of the bible to go along with this project of course.
The girl scouts also have a friendship song with the line “one is silver and the other gold”… leaders could incorporate silver and gold beads.
Kristy
June 13, 2012 at 9:25 am
This would be a great project for Christmas, do them in muffin tins with Christmas colors, drill a hole and string with ribbon and you have Christmas ornaments to give away
Krisgo
June 13, 2012 at 11:30 am
Now, I’m worried about going to my local craft stores and finding they are all out of pony beads!!! Ha Ha!
nanabobana
June 16, 2012 at 9:49 pm
I’m ordering them online, PonyBeadStore.com, I’m not kidding, lol. Second order is on it’s way and I mailed packages to the ladies in my family and have 3 more going out to friends. Haven’t done something like this since I made dreamcatchers as therapy after I found out my employer was going out of business. Gave them to all my co-workers. I don’t THINK I’m a freak,
.
Vickie, set it at 400 for 20 minutes or so. If you pull them out a little sooner, you get a cool bumpy texture.
I bought 2 ‘muffin-top’ pans at a yard sale today for 10cents each, lol. they make a thick center with a feathery, angled, edge
Laurel
July 21, 2012 at 11:54 am
nana–thanks for the ponybead store link! OMgoodness, I’m gonna have fun making these
Krisgo, thanks so much for sharing!
trish
June 13, 2012 at 3:58 pm
I’m going to try this today! I’ve read all of the posts and these are wonderful ideas. I am wondering/trying…to put all of the beads in the muffin tin on their sides. Is that what everyone else has done? It seems if you lay them flat, you run the risk of the holes in the beads not filling in. Nobody mentioned if they are standing them on edge or not. It’s taking a long time to do so! Thanks!
Krisgo
June 18, 2012 at 8:43 am
I just threw mine in the pan, and they melt all the same. Unless you are trying to come up with a certain design– dont worry about how they sit in the pan! Just be sure to make it one layer.
Jaimie
June 13, 2012 at 4:05 pm
“WARNING: melting plastic is stinky, if not toxic (?) so make sure your kitchen is well ventilated.”
Definitely toxic. Plastic releases toxins when heated (which is why they recommend you don’t microwave food in plasticware). Just FYI.
They look really good.
Michelle
June 14, 2012 at 2:22 pm
I made these today fro a father’s day gift. They turned out really cute. Thanks for the great idea.
Michelle
June 14, 2012 at 3:19 pm
What do you use to hang them and how to you get a hole in them?
Krisgo
June 14, 2012 at 4:58 pm
Use a small drill to make the hole and use whatever you want for hanging: Fishing line, ribbon, etc…
Vicki McCullough Marasco
June 15, 2012 at 11:37 pm
what temp do u set oven at?
Charlene
July 12, 2012 at 1:26 pm
Can you try it on a barbacue and not stink up the house or worry about toxic fumes. Seems much safer. will have to see what temp the barbacue gets
Joanna
July 31, 2012 at 5:37 pm
Can you melt glass beads?
nanabobana
July 31, 2012 at 9:38 pm
No, Joanna, you don’t have anything in your house that can generate a high enough temperature to do that…safely, anyway.
jessica
August 1, 2012 at 3:54 pm
I can not get my suncatchers out of the pie plates. I have only used the disposable kind so far, but so have many others from what I am reading. Is there a trick to getting them out? Am I supposed to spray the plates first?
nanabobana
August 1, 2012 at 8:34 pm
Jessica, I did not spray my pans with anything and they came out fine after they cooled a bit. I only used disposable pans once and I had to flex them to get the plastic out, so they were ruined. Plus, I didn’t like the pattern that it left in the sun catcher due to the pattern on my pan bottom. I suggest garage sales and such as a cheap way to get solid pans that hold up to flexing and multiple uses. Plus, you can find shapes and different sizes of rounds for pennies.
jessica
August 3, 2012 at 9:55 pm
Thanks for the tip. I will have to keep my eyes open and try again. How long did you wait before taking taking the sun catcher out of the pan?
nanabobana
August 4, 2012 at 8:44 am
The time varied and probably depends on the pan. Using cooling racks helps cut time and protect counters. I waited until they were pretty cool then just tapped them upside down on the counter and most fell out pretty easily. We had a laugh about the noise the pans and plastic make as they cool off, lots of snapping and crackling.
cynthia
August 5, 2012 at 5:03 pm
I had a major problem getting the plastic out of one of my pans. I tried a hammer, a pry rod, and a axe and it woujld not come out.l Iet it cool but no way was it coming out. It was a regular round cake pan. I also used a small tinfoil pie plate and had to peel that one off. If I try it again I am going to spary or grease the pans.
Debbie Nelson
August 12, 2012 at 4:49 pm
I’ve melted beads in all positions, sizes, layers, depths, etc., in everything metal from tin foiled cookie cutters thru jello molds and baking pans to molds created out of triple-layered tin foil, and I’ve been overjoyed with the results. I’ve used loaf pans and melted beads in a really deep layer to use as the “cap” to string my suncatchers and/or windchimes from. I’ve created molds from wrapping tin foil around existing sails to create thinnish semi-transparent sails for windchimes. My question is, has anyone tried to melt beads in the new silicone baking dishes?
nanabobana
August 12, 2012 at 8:44 pm
Yes, Debbie, I used a silicone muffin pan, the kind that makes large muffins. I got cool smooth little circles and they popped right out.
theswamplady
August 13, 2012 at 7:20 pm
Thanis nana – did you spray anything into the silicone pan first?
theswamplady
August 13, 2012 at 7:23 pm
Oops, and Nana, did you still bake them at 400 deg?
nanabobana
August 13, 2012 at 10:02 pm
Nope, I didn’t spray the pans at all, metal or silicone, and I did most of them at 400, some a little higher just to see what would happen (they melted faster, lol), and some for shorter time to get some texture in them. That works especially good if you have beads with glitter in them, they really throw the light around if you don’t let them melt all the way.
theswamplady
August 13, 2012 at 11:55 pm
Thanks for the info, I’ll be off to the dollar store to get more of these little silcone pans then. I only bought one, just to test it out, but now that you say it’s all good, I’ll go get some more little “moons”. Happy melting!
nanabobana
August 14, 2012 at 8:48 am
hahaha! Happy Melting!
theswamplady
August 15, 2012 at 12:20 pm
Went to the Dollar Store this morning, bought SEVERAL more of the silicon molds because girl, you have set me free! The suncatchers come out of those little rubbery things SO easy, no sticking, no having to tap them on the table or beat with a hammer LOL. They are awesome, now I’ll have to be looking for other kinds of designs in them. Thanks so much!
Krisgo
August 15, 2012 at 2:12 pm
Cool!!
nanabobana
August 17, 2012 at 10:18 pm
haha, now you made me want to go to the Dollar Store! which one, General or Tree? lol
Shannon
August 28, 2012 at 4:57 pm
Love these! But mine have little tiny bubble rings in them. Did anyone else run into this? I would like to try to get rid of the bubbles but longer cooking didn’t do the trick.
Deb Ovall
August 28, 2012 at 9:59 pm
I did have some with bubbles, try melting them at a little higher temp, like 425. Make sure you are using only one layer of beads, it could be that air is getting trapped in dead spaces. I’m not really sure what causes them but I just accepted them as more texture, lol.
Deb Ovall
August 28, 2012 at 10:00 pm
lol, the watermelon is me, nanabobana, I signed in with Facebook.
Tina Marie
September 6, 2012 at 12:04 pm
Do metal non-stick pans work? Or they just be plain metal? I have tons of non-stick pans i don’t use anymore and would love to repurpose them!
Krisgo
September 6, 2012 at 1:18 pm
My non-stick pan worked great! Go for it!
Tina Marie
September 6, 2012 at 7:54 pm
Thanks so much! I just finished cooling my first suncatcher!
Krisgo
September 7, 2012 at 1:57 pm
Cool! (or should I say HOT!)
Post pics if you can!
Donna B
September 20, 2012 at 11:04 am
what a great craft idea can’t wait to try it reposted it on pinterest I love this kind of project thanks so much for sharing your idea keep up the good work. Donna B
Tammy
October 2, 2012 at 5:52 am
the backs(the side laying in the pan) are a bit cloudy. is there a tip I could try?
other than that, fun. easy and pretty!
debbie.nelson.3705@facebook.com
April 18, 2013 at 8:08 am
I use a heat gun to round off any sharp edges and also to turn those dull sides glossy.
Bobbie Ryan
April 18, 2013 at 11:54 am
~ What kind of heat gun ??
debbie.nelson.3705@facebook.com
April 18, 2013 at 12:09 pm
The kind that you use to shrink wrap stuff or to tighten window plastic or for that rubber shrink tubing.
Pamela
October 22, 2012 at 5:54 pm
I have a gas stove/oven, and a bit worried because of the toxic fumes some people have mentioned. Can anyone advise if they have used gas…or only electric ovens? Is it safe? Thanks!!
debbie.nelson.3705@facebook.com
October 22, 2012 at 7:25 pm
I’ve been melting beads for quite some time in both metal and silicone baking pans in a gas stove usually at 400 deg for 25 minutes. Beads melted in silicone pans tend to smoke worse than when melted in metal ones. I always run a fan to ventilate the fumes to the outside. The best thing that happened to this craft was the intro of the silicone baking dishes. Do not use them for anything except this once you have used them for brad melting. You mentioned that you were running out of pony beads and only had clear. The most beautiful sun catchers I’ve nade were clear with shades of dark translucent blues and greens with reds sprinkled here in there. Btw if you think the fumes from melting are bad try the ones from making your
Own silicone baking pans!!!!!
Pamela
October 22, 2012 at 9:04 pm
Wow! Thank you for that info! I’m not too worried about breathing the fumes as I have lots of windows in my kitchen, I just didnt want the fumes to cause any type of combustion/fire in the gas oven. Now that I know it is okay…I am super excited to start making these! Just in time for Christmas!! Thank you so much for a quick reply
Deb Ovall
October 22, 2012 at 8:01 pm
Pamela, I used a gas oven and had no problems with smell, but it was in summer and all the windows were open plus I had a house fan running most of the time. If you can wait for a nice day, open some windows and work quickly, the smell is really not that bad and I doubt there’s any safety hazard at such a low concentration in the air unless you already have respiratory issues. My first batch used up all my old non-pony beads and I got fantastic results!! Some larger beads with red stripes on clear ended up looking like candy canes were mixed in. I think I actually prefer the ones I made with all those odd beads, they have more personality!
Pamela
October 22, 2012 at 9:09 pm
What a wonderful idea…to make them like candy canes for Christmas gifts! Now that I know I can use my old beads I will just dump them in there and see what happens and move to the pony beads once my stash runs out! You guys are the best! Thank you for such a quick reply!
Pamela
October 22, 2012 at 5:57 pm
Also…I have a TON of left-over beads from my jewelry-making days. They are not these pony beads though. Most are the clear/plastic beads from Michales. Will these work? I am so excited to try this!!
Amy
December 6, 2012 at 3:19 pm
If the pans are cleaned well, can they be used with food again? Also, we’re using muffin top pans and Christmas colors to make tree ornaments!
Krisgo
December 6, 2012 at 3:52 pm
I haven’t used the pans again for anything else. And people are saying to reserve these pans for crafts now…. so use your own judgement.
Amy
December 20, 2012 at 10:37 pm
My kids made candy canes, Santa hats, wreaths and candles with them. They turned out great! Thank you~
Julie
February 17, 2013 at 3:58 pm
I just tried this with the gems from Walmart. Didn’t melt at all. I don’t know what to do now. I was so excited!! Bummer
Deb Ovall
February 17, 2013 at 10:44 pm
What kind of gems and what kinds of pans, Julie? If you were using pony beads and melting at 400 for the right length of time, there should not have been a problem! If you are using other kinds of beads and not setting the temp high enough or for long enough, you will have that problem, as many stated above.
Julie
February 18, 2013 at 4:10 pm
I used the pretty colored ones from the craft dept. But, I’ve already returned them & got the right things. Thanks!
pam
February 18, 2013 at 7:42 pm
I did that as well, I first bought Perler beads but they needed to be Pony beads…
Boo
March 8, 2013 at 9:14 am
Once the beads are melted and formed into some kind of tray or bowl, is it safe to serve food from it?
Deb Ovall
March 8, 2013 at 10:45 am
Further up, there’s a little discussion about that. I personally would not. It’s too easy to find cheap forms and pans at yard sales and thrift shops, I wouldn’t, and didn’t, sacrifice any of my good stuff to this, just in case.
Boo
March 8, 2013 at 10:51 am
No I mean.. now that I have a pretty bead platter, can I serve food from it? Use a bead bowl for salad?
Deb Ovall
March 8, 2013 at 12:57 pm
oops, sorry, read too fast. I really don’t know! I think it would be ok, but I’d like to get more opinions.
PAm T
April 18, 2013 at 7:21 am
I keep getting air bubbles. Tried at different temps. Any suggestions?
debbie.nelson.3705@facebook.com
April 18, 2013 at 8:12 am
I think that melting the beads at lower temps for longer periods of time due to my using some silicon molds that aren’t rated for the higher temps has kept me from getting air bubbles.
Krisgo
March 11, 2013 at 1:35 pm
I’m sure it would be ok for wrapped goods like cupcakes. But if you’re not absolutely sure – and I’m not – don’t use it for food directly. Better safe than sorry.
Terri Mason
April 17, 2013 at 2:03 pm
I saw one mention of using a heat gun towards the top of the blog; has anyone made these outside using a heat gun and what were your results? Thanks
debbie.nelson.3705@facebook.com
April 18, 2013 at 8:17 am
As I mentioned somewhere above I use a heat gun to get rid of any sharp points, to fix the ugly sides that certain kinds of molds seem to cause and to shape things after they’ve cooled. For instance I make windchime sails and spinners by using the heat gun and shaping rectangular designs around metal things. This is also how to help make bowls and vases as well as lamp shades. I’ve also been working at making rinds and bracelets.
Michelle
April 20, 2013 at 11:33 pm
Can u melt the beads in foil pans?
Debbie Swamplady Nelson
April 21, 2013 at 4:59 pm
Yes you can use tin foil pans, but you’re limited to very few usages. So if you plan to get into this as a craft, you’re wiser to invest in some good silicon molds or at least some good metal pans. As far as fumes go, the worst fumes I’ve come across in this are the ones that I created when I used some DIY molds. My dog follows me everywhere and hasn’t had any adverse reactions. She just can’t understand why I’m taking something out of the oven that she can’t eat!
Calley
April 21, 2013 at 3:44 pm
if you have pets, watch out for deadly fumes given off by some plastic!!!!!
twallace
April 22, 2013 at 11:30 pm
we went to dollar tree for our pans. the pizza pan makes real big ones
totally doing this again. my 3 yo LOVED it!!!
Julie
April 23, 2013 at 12:57 am
Can you use the plastic seed beads?
Krisgo
April 23, 2013 at 10:13 am
I would recommend sprinkling some little ones around the big ones first to try it. But what the heck?! Go for it!
Connie Kisor
April 23, 2013 at 8:17 pm
Madigra beads are strung together. Do you have to cut hem apart?
nanabobana
April 23, 2013 at 10:48 pm
I looked those up and they look like glass. You can’t do glass beads for this project. If I’m wrong and they aren’t glass, you would have to see how they lay in the bottom of your pan or mold to decide if they would work strung together. They need to be touching at least, so you don’t have gaps. Unless you like gaps.
debbie.nelson.3705@facebook.com
April 24, 2013 at 12:59 am
I hope I’m replying in the right spot LOL. I tried using mardi gras beads that were strung together and the string burned and the whole thing looked awful. My son loved tho !
nanabobana
April 24, 2013 at 6:54 am
hahahaha, MARDI GRAS beads!! lol, not sure what I looked up but it wasn’t those! oh, Google!
Krisgo
April 24, 2013 at 3:37 pm
haha!!! I can only imagine what pictures you saw nanobobana!! oopsie!
Kim Reyland
April 28, 2013 at 11:20 am
I want to try this but the first thing that popped in my head was the smell , sooooo I m wondering if you could to it in a BBQ pit instead?
nanabobana
April 28, 2013 at 12:20 pm
Read thru the previous comments, Kim, lots of people have experimented with different ways of doing this. I don’t have a grill, but aren’t they more direct heat than an oven? Not sure you would get the right heat for melting plastic. The smell is not THAT bad, just pick a nice day and have your windows open.
SHANIE FREDERICK
May 4, 2013 at 1:23 pm
yes, i’m just wondering if the smell will effect my oven..since it is used for cooking food
debbie.nelson.3705@facebook.com
May 4, 2013 at 10:41 pm
I’ve cooked pizza right after melting beads and while I was eating the pizza melted more beads and I’m still here LOL.
TracyAnn Cook-Cooper
May 5, 2013 at 7:37 pm
I’m wondering do you pony beads or perler beads?
nanabobana
May 5, 2013 at 10:02 pm
This process is with pony beads, TracyAnn.
Bootz
May 9, 2013 at 8:05 am
Maybe line the pans with slightly crinkled tinfoil to add extra texture…
nanabobana
May 9, 2013 at 7:23 pm
Not sure that would work, might be kinda hard to get the baked-in foil off the back, altho leaving a few pieces would throw the light around a little differently. Try it and report back, I’m out of beads, lol!
Dawna Lee
May 10, 2013 at 4:22 pm
Can you use acrylic beads…..am having trouble finding translucent pony beads, and the acrylic beads have prettier colors.
debbie.nelson.3705@facebook.com
May 11, 2013 at 8:48 am
I use acrylic beads over pony beads whenever possible. And here’s a little secret. You know those acrylic rondel beads? They make the most beautiful sun catchers of them all!
Dawna Lee
May 11, 2013 at 10:08 pm
where do you get the acrylic rondel beads? when you say acrylic over pony beads, do you mean instead of, or do you mean on top of?
debbie.nelson.3705@facebook.com
May 12, 2013 at 12:06 am
Sorry I wasn’t clear about the rondell beads before. Rondell beads are usually about 6mm which is very small. I prefer to use them instead of pony beads when I’m looking for a transparent but bright color. Also I
Look for the plastic or acrylic tri-beads which come in colors not found in pony beads. You can also use the decorative table “scatter” that you can find in the wedding aisle of your local hobby shop. They are slightly larger than the rondells but when on sale they are a better buy for your money. They come in clear, lilac and pink. In the floral section you can find some beautiful dark blue red and other colors in a chunkier style which will take a great deal longer to melt which has to be figured into your design. All of these items are acrylic transparent meltables. When I get a xhance ill try to upload some pictures if the ones I’ve made. Happy melting!
nanabobana
May 11, 2013 at 9:07 am
There’s also a link above from me to a website where you can buy pony beads, great prices and fast shipping.
Got a coupon for Micheal’s, guess I will go look for some acrylic rondels!
Dawna Lee
May 11, 2013 at 9:59 pm
I can’t find the link.
nanabobana
May 12, 2013 at 8:51 am
http://www.ponybeadstore.com/
Beckie
May 14, 2013 at 2:49 pm
You can use the ice pick, get it real hot on the stove burner just lay it there for a few sec , and slowly push thru the sun catcher. Works Great!!!
Elaine
May 17, 2013 at 2:58 pm
I’ve read every comment left here. I am not the only one who can’t get the melted beads out of the pan. Mine is an old metal cake pan. Put the beads in, baked 400 degrees for 45 minutes and cooled it. Will not come out of the pan. I tried it with a tuna fish can, same thing. Will not come out. I flexed the pan and still stuck in there. I cut around the edges with a knife and still it won’t come out. Help, I need suggestions.
carlie
May 17, 2013 at 3:04 pm
It’s been a while since I did them, but if memory serves I lightly sprayed my muffin tin with Pam first….once cooled, they popped right out:)
Debbie Swamplady Nelson
May 17, 2013 at 6:49 pm
I’ve not tried spraying my metal pans. I have noticed that after several uses, the pans start flaking or developing lesions in some places, especially around the edges of the mold. I may try spraying mine as well. You might also try a lower heat a shorter period. Usuallly I bake my beads at 350-375, depending upon the type of mold, and the length of time depends upon the type of bead. A metal pan such as one of those Dollar Tree small pizza pans, with a bunch of pony beads and star beads dumped on it in a pleasing color pattern can provide you a beautiful sun catcher in only 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. Or at least that’s been my experience.
Deb Ovall
May 18, 2013 at 12:26 pm
HI, sorry to hear that! I didn’t put anything on my pans but beads and they came right out! 45 minutes is quite a long time, 20-25 should be enough. Maybe the length of time at that high a temp is causing them to bond to the pan in some way? Did you try freezing it?
elaine188jessie
May 18, 2013 at 2:03 pm
I set the hot pan in ice water. I could hear the plastic popping but still it didn’t come off. I took the pan out side, turned it upside down and stomped on it. The pan has a big fold in the middle but still the melted beads would not come out. I give up. I threw the pan away. I will try one more time with a new pan and beads but only cook them for 15 minutes. If I can’t get them out of the pan I will never speak of this again. Thanks for all your help. Yours truly- Elaine from Luray