Handmade Beads?

Question

What material do I use to make them? And what do I seal them with for a glossy look?

Answer 1

There are a lot of materials you *can* use for making beads yourself... from "air-dry" clays made from paper products (Creative Paperclay, Makins, homemade paper pulp or papier mache), grains (like salt dough clay or bread clay), earth clay, and even sawdust, etc., plus glues or other starches to hold them together... or you could even use wire (with or without other materials).  

The most *versatile* material for making beads by far though is polymer clay.  

It comes in various brands and lines (and btw, I'd avoid the main 3 Sculpey's unless all your things are thick and rounded because those are the weakest clays after baking when thin--try Kato Polyclay, FimoClassic, Premo, Cernit, or even FimoSoft instead... if you want a one-color clay to paint over, SuperSculpey-Firm is strong too).

You can create almost any shape and size bead with polymer clay, and create any color or even any pattern in the clay.  

You can also make polymer clay look like other materials (like wood, pearl, jade, turquoise, ivory, etc...metals like gold, silver, copper/etc... rock, stone, etc.).

If you're interested in making beads and other jewelry with polymer clay, check out these pages at my online polymer clay "encyclopedia":

http://glassattic.com/polymer/beads.htm

http://glassattic.com/polymer/jewelry.ht... (necklaces,bracelets,earrings,hair,etc)

http://glassattic.com/polymer/pendants_c...

http://glassattic.com/polymer/buttons.ht...

http://glassattic.com/polymer/wire.htm

And these pages for making the simulations (fauxs):

http://glassattic.com/polymer/Faux--many... --jade/pearl/metal/stone/raku/amber,etc

http://glassattic.com/polymer/faux-ivory...

http://glassattic.com/polymer/faux--turq...

http://glassattic.com/polymer/inclusions...

(Many other pages at the site will deal with making the patterns, colors, etc.)

As for sealing, no sealer is necessary on polymer clay since it's totally waterproof already.  

(If you use an air-dry clay or material though, you will need a sealer of some kind --a permanent white glue like Elmers GlueAll thinned 3 or 4 to one with water would be the cheapest).

If you do want to give polymer clay a glossy surface though, you can use various clear mediums as long as they contain no petroleum-based solvents (even in the propellants of sprays)... that usually means acrylics.  

The gloss sealers most commonly used in the polymer clay community are a polyurethane called Varathane, and a floor polish called Pledge/Future, but others are possible --some will be more scratchable than those though).

You can also sand then buff polymer clay to give it a deep gloss (when using an electric buffer) or a satiny sheen (when buffing with something non-electric).

There's loads of info on all those things on these pages, if you're interested:

http://glassattic.com/polymer/finishes.h... (liquid and wax finishes)

http://glassattic.com/polymer/sanding_tu...

http://glassattic.com/polymer/buffing.ht...

HTH, and have fun!

Diane B.

Answer 2

u can use polymer clay,i make some of fimo

a  friend of mine makes beads out of flour,salt,water and food colorants

i also saw people that make beads out of paper (glossy magazines)

and the most beautiful ones,in my opinion,are the glass ones,you can buy a glass bead making kit ,basically u need a torch and some glass tubes

good luck!

Answer 3

you can use sculpey clay they sell it at hobby lobby

you just make your beads and then bake the clay, its very handy and what i use

im not sure as to what you can use for the glossy finish though,,im on the same boat as you wanting to know what to use

Answer 4

Polymer clay.

Some sites to try:

www.desiredcreations.com

www.mysticspiral.com

www.how-to-make-jewelry.com/polymer-cl...

this is just a start. There are many of these sites you can check out.

Answer 5

Hobby Lobby has sculpey clay to use for the formation of your beads and they also have the glossy paint for them.  If you will look around the sculpey clay, there is a bead maker that you actually put little balls of clay in and you then move the top of the bead maker back and forth, it rolls the clay to make a perfectly shaped bead.  You can make 4 type of beads in one bead maker.  They're pretty neat, I used one in bible school this summer for the kids to make beads with.

Answer 6

Polymer clay , you can bake in your oven .When totally cool you can brush on a Gloss sealer to finish . Good Luck ;)))