How To Make Paper Beads Waterproof? [With INFOGRAPHICS]
Paper beads, the building blocks of paper jewelry, are made by rolling paper in several styles. Once rolled and painted, the beauty of paper beads can only be preserved by glazing and sealing them. Paper is a vulnerable material in itself.
Without a waterproof film over it, paper jewelry won’t last long. The oil from human skin or even a little dampness is sure to spoil the effort put into the making of a single bead.
Moreover, the paint on beads should be sealed into place to stop it from fading, reacting, or washing away.
Therefore, before they are turned into jewelry, paper beads should be waterproofed. This renders them good protection against skin oils, sweat, and water of course.
How To Make Paper Beads Waterproof?
Crafting paper beads is a traditional art, which has been getting better and better. Today, there is a good range of products for waterproofing your paper beads.
Moreover, there are techniques like brushing, dipping into solution, and rolling on solution wet sponge. You can choose any, as per your need and convenience.
Below is the list of ways that can be used to make paper beads waterproof:
- Using Polycrylic water-based formula
- Using Wood Hardener
- Using Dimensional glaze
- Using Embossing powder
1. Polycrylic Water-Based Formula to Make Paper Beads Waterproof
Polycrylic is a water-based formulation, made up of polyurethane and polyacrylates. Generally, it is used as a topcoat to give wood a hard and durable finish. The coat gives ultimate protection against water. It works equally well with paper beads.
The result is water-resistant beads, fit for moisture like light rain. Their appearance becomes glossy and the textured rock hard.
Polycrylic is diluted enough to get absorbed by the paper. However, you might thin it down a bit for the first coat, to ensure better absorption and filling of paper pores. The drying time of polycrylic is relatively quick i.e. 2 hours.
Thereafter, the application of 2-3 coats gives paper beads an amazing glossy or satin finish. Moreover, polycrylic solves the issue of beads getting tacky with each other.
Required Material
Step by Step Process
1. Prepare the beads
- Insert a paper bead in a toothpick or a skewer, making sure that the paper bead isn’t too loose.
- Do this for each paper bead that you want to brush on.
2. Make the thinned down coat
- Pour polycrylic solution into a bowl.
- Add water to it, measuring around 10-15% of the volume of polycrylic solution.
- Mix it well.
3. Brush the first coat
- Take the toothpick/skewer with the bead on it and hold it with one hand.
- Dip a brush into the solution, and let go of the excess by rubbing brush on the edges of the bowl.
- Brush gently on the bead, and keep rotating to get an even coat. Make sure that the solution isn’t being brushed on the toothpick/skewer.
4. Dry the beads
- After the application of the first coat, stick the free end of the toothpick/skewer into the foam block.
- Wait for 2 hours until the beads are dry.
5. Successive coats
- After the beads are dried, pour some polycrylic solution into a fresh bowl.
- Without thinning down the solution, brush it on the beads uniformly.
- Let dry for another 2 hours.
- Coat for the third time to get the perfect finish.
- Wait for 2-3 hours before processing your paper beads further.
Precautions
- Polycrylic might give a milky finish to dark-colored paints. So a spot test is advisable.
- Toothpicks/skewers can be covered using Vaseline, mineral oil, or beeswax to stop paper beads from sticking to them.
- Brushing individually is only feasible for small batches of beads. For waterproofing a large batch, dipping is less time-consuming as compared to brushing.
Time
All the steps when done for 20-25 paper beads, will take nearly 12 hours to finish.
Cost
Estimates cost of required items:
- Polycrylic solution: $20
- Toothpicks/skewers: $10
- Styrofoam block: $5
- Flat end paintbrush: $20
Total Approximate Cost: $55
2. How To Make Paper Beads Waterproof Using Wood Hardener?
Wood hardeners are made of acrylic resin dissolved in some kind of solvent. They are low viscosity adhesives. Among paper bead makers, wood hardeners are quite popular. This is because of their incredible water and weather resistance, shine, and hardness.
Even though they are used to fill in the cracks of rotten wood, their paper sealing and glazing capacity is remarkable. They seal the pores seamlessly. As the consistency of wood hardener is quite thin, dipping is a better way to waterproof paper beads than brushing.
Wood hardeners give beads a glossy finish. Using them, the paint underneath isn’t marred and there is no need for additional coating substance. Besides, cleaning up the mess is super easy.
Required Material
- Wood hardener
- Fishing line
- Big bowl/ jar
- Shoebox size cardboard box
Step by Step Process
1. Prepare the cardboard box
- Take the cardboard box, and remove its top lid.
- On the top edges of the shorter sides, make evenly spaced and equally deep notches/slits.
2. String the paper beads
- Leaving a few inches extra on both ends, cut the fishing line as per the length of the cardboard box.
- Make a small loop (slip knot) on one end of the fishing line.
- One by one, string your beads on the fishing line from the opposite end. Note that the bigger your cardboard box, the bigger will be your string of beads. Hence, more number of beads can be processed.
3. Dip the paper beads into the hardener
- In a bowl/jar pour enough amount of wood hardener for the string of beads to soak into.
- Hold the string from the ends and dip it into the solution.
- Stir the string well so that the hardener covers the beads evenly.
- Keep the string dipped like that for about half a minute.
4. Dry the paper beads
- Take out the string and shake off the excess solution.
- Put the slip knot, on the end of the fishing line, around the two adjacent slits of the cardboard box.
- Tie the other end of the string to the slits on the opposite side of the box.
- Keep the string of beads hung for around 2-3 hours.
- Keep checking and separating the beads so that they don’t stick to the other beads.
5. Successive dips
- After 2-3 hours (when the first coat is not sticky anymore), dip the beads into the hardener in the same manner as the first coat.
- Let dry for 2-3 hours, checking up on them in between.
- Depending on how glossy you want, dip them 2-4 times more with proper drying times in between.
Precautions
- Any bubbles formed after dipping can be gently eliminated using a skewer/toothpick.
- For easy cleanup place an old rag or newspaper under the bowl/jar of the solution while dipping.
- It is better to seal the beads on a warm day. Humidity in the air might increase the drying time.
Time
It would take 12 hours or less to finish the whole procedure. Besides, through dipping, you can process many strings of beads simultaneously.
Cost
Estimates cost of required items:
- Wood hardener: $20
- Fishing line: $10
- Cardboard box: $10
Total Approximate Cost: $40
3. How To Make Paper Beads Waterproof Using Dimensional Glaze?
Glazes can be a good way to make the paper sturdy against water and general wear and tear. Dimensional glazes are a kind of adhesive medium that gives a clear and raised surface finish on drying. Good quality glazes like the one linked below lock the moisture out.
Dimensional glazes seal in the grooves and even out the ridges of the paper. They have a resin-like effect on surfaces. Being water-soluble, they are easy to use. Being thin and lightweight makes them apt for sealing paper beads.
Required Material
Step by Step Process
1. Prepare the beads
- Insert a paper bead in a toothpick or a skewer, making sure that the paper bead isn’t too loose.
- Do this for each paper bead that you want to brush on.
2. Dab the brush
- Squeeze a small amount of dimensional glaze into a bowl.
- Dip the brush into the bowl, and remove the excess solution by rubbing on the bowl edge.
3. Brush the first coat
- With the other hand pick one bead attached to the toothpick/skewer.
- Brush lightly on the beads, making sure you don’t coat the toothpick/bamboo skewer.
- Keep rotating the bead to get an even coat.
4. Dry the beads
- Stick the toothpick/ skewer in the form block.
- Leave the beads for 10-15 minutes to dry.
5. Successive coats
- Pour some more glaze in bowl.
- Dip brush in water once, in case the glaze on it has dried already.
- Using brush, give your beads a second coat.
- Wait for 10-15 minutes until the beads dry.
- Give one last coat to seal the paper perfectly.
Precautions
- At a time, pour only a small amount into the bowl, because the glaze dries fast.
- When using dimensional glaze, you must coat the toothpicks/ skewers with mineral oil or beeswax to keep them from sticking to paper beads.
- Avoid shaking glaze bottle. This might create air bubbles.
- To mitigate the yellowing, avoid applying too thick a layer.
Time
For waterproofing 20-25 paper beads through this method, the total time required will be around 5 hours.
Cost
Estimates cost of required items:
- Dimensional glaze: $20
- Pliable flat edge brush: $20
- Foam block: $5
- Bamboo skewer/ toothpick: $10
Total Approximate Cost: $55
4. Waterproof Paper Beads Using Embossing Powder
Embossing powder is a quickly melting powder that gives a waterproof surface to paper beads. It is made up of small and thermo-sensitive plastic polymers.
Since it is plastic, embossing powder makes beads waterproof from the outside. The powder is coated on the paper beads and then some heat is provided.
The optimum temperature for melting embossing powder is in the range 200-300° F. The heat leads to the melting of plastic into liquid. Once dried and cured, this makes the underlying surface waterproof.
Required Material
Step by Step Process
1. Prepare the paper bead
- Take the right size skewer and insert it through the bead.
- Adjust so that the bead fits rigidly on top of the skewer.
2. Roll on the ink pad
- Take the bead and roll it on the ink pad.
- Roll it to and fro, 7-8 times to fully cover the paper bead with embossing ink.
3. Coat in embossing powder
- Open the jar of embossing powder and dip the ink-coated paper bead directly into it.
- Roll to ensure an even coating.
- Shake off the excess powder from the bead.
4. Heat the embossing powder
- Turn on the heat gun, and wait for some seconds to get it heated.
- Holding the skewer with one hand and heat gun in another, bring the latter near the bead.
- Gently spin the bead until the embossing powder melts uniformly.
- Turn off the heat gun.
5. Successive coats
- While the outer layer is still hot, sprinkle some more embossing powder over it.
- Then gently dip the bead into the embossing powder jar to have an even coat.
- Turn on the heat gun, and melt the powder.
- Give less heat than the first time, and make sure you don’t overdo it.
- A total of 3-4 coats would be sufficient. Only put another coat over hot liquid coat. If the previous coat gets dried, you can either reheat it or put some embossing ink over it before going for the next coat.
Precautions
- Bubbles will start appearing if you overheat at the same spot. So avoiding bubble formation, heat the bead evenly.
- The use of metal skewers should be avoided.
- You might end up burning the glaze for the first few times. But with experience, you will soon know what works and what doesn’t.
- Very thick coats can crack after some time.
- Extremely high temperature leads to a waxy appearance.
Time
The entire procedure of embossing one paper bead will take around 7-8 minutes to finish.
Cost
Individual items approximate prices are:
- Embossing powder: $15
- Embossing ink pad: $5
- Heat gun: $25
- Skewers: $5
Total Approximate Cost: $50
Final Comments:
The above methods are the best ones for waterproofing paper beads. However, even if the sealants are considerably strong, not all methods ensure inside-out waterproofing of beads. It is only by dipping that the insides of paper beads get sealed.
Polycrylic and wood hardeners provide wonderful waterproofing. They pave way for both brushing and dipping. Dimensional glazes seal good and dry fast. But they are only meant to be brushed.
Lastly, the embossing powder works the fastest when it comes to processing individual beads. But it doesn’t allow beads to be waterproofed in batches. Nevertheless, you can use it if you prefer to be creative with your paper beads colors and textures.
