Where to Find the Best Perler Bead Find Supplies
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Since I started working with beads, I've looked all around for the best deals on supplies. I usually want them in a hurry, so I always check local craft stores, like Michael's and Hobby Lobby, Joann. Joann sometimes does 50% off Perler Bead sales!Perler's website usually has them for a good price, but unless you're spending over $60 or have a killer promo code, you have to pay quite a bit for shipping. Below, I've listed the best places online I've seen to buy different types of Perler Bead supplies.
If you see them cheaper somewhere else, be sure to let me know so I can share it!
**Please note that vendor prices change and there are sometimes Perler bead supplies on sale that will be the best price. This list is subject to change and is only the best price when I can't find Perler bead discounts/coupon codes.
You can buy your beads, pegboards, tweezer tools, ironing paper, and patterns by themselves, or in a starter kit (bucket). The buckets are cute, inexpensive starter kits!
WARNING
Beware of Perler Bead scams! Not all vendors are trustworthy. Read more about my investigation and what to watch for here.Beads
First, you need to know what type of beads to use and why.
When you're first getting started, I strongly recommend getting a bucket starter kit (since they come with a variety of pegboards, beginner patterns, beads, and sometimes tweezers), but if you want to buy beads by themselves, here you go. You can buy jars of mixed colors, sorted trays, or packages of individual colors.
Multi-colored Jars
The 11,000 count Jar is great to start with, you get a variety of beads, but not so much that they'll never get used. We always go through these insanely fast! See list of included colors here. For the buckets, these buckets of Perler beads are cheapest on Amazon (with Amazon Prime, shipping is free. Get a free 30 day trial of Prime here!)
Pre-Sorted Trays
If you don't want to sort through beads (which I'll admit, is a long and tedious process), these trays are for you! They're obviously more expensive than buying the jars, but they save a LOT of time.
Individually Packaged Colors
There are always a few colors I use more than others, (especially black!) so instead of buying another jar or tray, I buy a 1000 bead package of just that color. They're more expensive to buy individually like this, but worth it! There are also some colors that aren't available in trays or jars, like some pastels and striped beads. There are literally hundreds of different packages available. If I'm in a hurry, I'll order them from Amazon, but if I have the time to wait, they're usually less expensive on the Perler.com (especially if you're buying in bulk!)Bead Storage
Pegboards
As I said before, perler pegboards come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes, for different purposes. I most often use the clear, square boards, or a large circle. You can see a larger variety of perler pegboards here. The smaller square pegboards (pictured above) interlock, so if you're taking on a HUGE building project, these are the ones you'll want.
The Superpegboard is my absolute favorite! Not only is this large pegboard perfect for designs that are just a little too big for the smaller square pegboards, for some reason, when it's bumped (which happens a lot at my house), the perler beads don't shift and scatter as much! The only downside is that it doesn't connect to other boards, so you have a size limit to your design (not good for massive perler bead designs).
Tweezer Tool
This tweezer tool is the most comfortable tweezer I've found for Perler beads. It gives you a decent amount of control when you're building, and doesn't kill your hand like traditional tweezers do during prolonged use. The scoop at the end is also very helpful for cleaning up!
Ironing Paper
I usually just buy parchment paper, it's cheapest and works great, but isn't as durable as perler ironing paper. So try both, see what you like best. There are different styles of parchment paper as well. It's comes in rolls, square, rectangles, again, depends on your preference. I just buy the Kirkland Signature brand rolled and cut it to whatever size/shape I need, but last time, my Costco was out and I needed it that day (which meant I couldn't order it on Amazon), so I tried the Reynolds Cookie Baking Sheets Non-Stick Parchment Paper, which worked really well and comes pre-cut.
I prefer small irons, but normal size irons works as well. I bought this Sunbeam Iron (pictured above) in January 2014, and I LOVE it! It heats to just the right temperature, it's not big and bulky (so it's easy to store with my crafts stuff), and it works great for fusing beads! You can see a list of small irons here or normal size irons here. **Update (January 1, 2016) Still loving this iron, it's perfect!!! Watch a video of me using this iron to fuse Perler beads.
E6000 is the best glue for attaching magnets to your bead sprites! It finishes semi-rubbery, so it bends with your bead sprite and adheres better than any other glue I've tried.
I like these button magnets and this type of reusable mounting putty to hang perler beadsprites on the fridge, walls, and other surfaces. (Although you need to be careful but older paint can peel off when you remove the putty.) I used to use the Loctite Fun-Tak Mounting Putty to mount and display beadsprites but found that it became unpleasantly sticky and hard to remove as it ages.
I like these button magnets and this type of reusable mounting putty to hang perler beadsprites on the fridge, walls, and other surfaces. (Although you need to be careful but older paint can peel off when you remove the putty.) I used to use the Loctite Fun-Tak Mounting Putty to mount and display beadsprites but found that it became unpleasantly sticky and hard to remove as it ages.
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 Getting Started With Perler Beads |
The Difference Between Perler, Hama, Fuse, Melty, Nabbi, and Pyssla Beads |
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| Perler Bead Video Tutorial |
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