How To Use The Tape Method for Perler Beads

[@Moon_dragon263]

I wish I knew sooner! I *love* the look of flat melts, but my pegboards are suffering for it. But now I know to use the tape method! Thanks!

[@BigBossRazz]

Good luck! It might take a few tries to really get the hang of it, so maybe start small to experiment. 😎

[@Moon_dragon263]

I usually make small projects, (mostly minecraft pngs) I’ve seen many people do it, just didn’t think it was *that* important. I just started doing flat melts and realized how pegboards warp. And there are great tips in the vid!

[@minnowartscrafts]

For those wondering the cons of poking holes: 1. it's tedious and if you get impatient and go to fast, you can mess up your work around the edges and its hard to fix when you have holes in the tape 2. Tape is expensive, and you can re-use painters tape a couple times if you don't poke holes in it

[@BigBossRazz]

Good points! I never even considered reusing tape! 😳

[@minnowartscrafts]

@@BigBossRazz right on. Yeah, man I loved ur vid and I appreciate you explaining about the hot air getting trapped and the beads going wonky. I've had that happen a couple of times when I was using fresh tape and glossy ironing paper, and it never occurred to me that was what was happening.

[@Raisinette-p1f]

I do the holes by using another perler board. I saw another creator do it. He poked a few holes and then used those to line up the other board, and then press the board down and you'll hear it make the holes. You have to be careful removing the second board though

[@BigBossRazz]

@Raisinette-p1f It took me forever to build up the courage to try it, but it felt great when it worked! I don’t always have a 100% success rate, but it’s a neat trick when it works for sure.

[@talalrajpoot9496]

I just started making perler beads art, warped a board, messed up a Pikachu 😂 But made two other art pieces (Pikachu and Charmander) I'm gonna be real for a moment here, your channel might be one of the best perler bead art tutorial channels out there and I love all your content

[@BigBossRazz]

Welcome to the craft, and thanks for your kind words! Feel free to share what you've made with us on the Discord server.

[@Cre1mem1]

Just got finished doing my largest build yet (8 boards) and used the tape method, saved me so much trouble, though I didn't know about the whole poking holes thing though, might try that for all my future creations, just in case. Anyway, thanks for the video, very helpful for those new to the craft like myself!

[@BigBossRazz]

That's AWESOME! I did a huge wreath recently where I didn't poke holes since it was super big. I wonder if the bead explosions happen more often in smaller pieces where the heat has fewer beads to expand to? Not exactly sure, but thanks for the kind words!

[@AlexTheGuac]

"A little tedious" for perlers is kinda funny.

[@BigBossRazz]

@@AlexTheGuac

[@cheesecakebuffalo9082]

Thank you so much for the tutorial! I’ve been making larger projects and have been nervous about ironing them, this method worked great and the tutorial was great to follow!

[@BigBossRazz]

@@cheesecakebuffalo9082 I’m so glad to hear!

[@BigBossRazz]

Did you know you could use something other than masking tape? Let me know if you have any other tips! 😎

[@annekabrimhall1059]

Kinit stuff uses wax paper on the back because it holds it in place while she moves big pieces together. Even though it doesn’t really come off.

[@annekabrimhall1059]

Masking tape is the old name for painters tape because it masks off what you don’t want painted.

[@BigBossRazz]

@@annekabrimhall1059 Ya learn something new every day! I wonder if different companies have different ways to manufacture them though… food for thought!

[@BigBossRazz]

@@annekabrimhall1059 I think it leaves more of a residue, but I always say people should do what best works for them! :) Thanks for the tip!

[@annekabrimhall1059]

@@BigBossRazz I prefer the blue one that comes of clean because I paint a lot.

[@moowendigo]

i bought a $22 kit with mini perler beads and it works great, but i have an issue where the little plastic pegs fall off occasionally. i use a spoon to remove it. :( i want to do use this method, but i really don't want to poke holes (i flat iron my beads)

[@BigBossRazz]

Ahh, I see! I haven’t myself tried working with Mini Perler Beads… the tape method might work to get them off the pegboard so you don’t melt the pegboard, but it might be okay to not poke holes. Maybe lightly iron it on one side until you can peel off the tape, and then, depending on what you want to do, you can iron both sides to your content! Let me know how it goes!

[@moowendigo]

@@BigBossRazz thanks :) i'll let you know when i try it

[@mclarengsx]

Fantastic video! Very educational and helpful! 🫶🏻🤙🏻

[@BigBossRazz]

@@mclarengsx Aw, thanks so much!

[@aly27]

This was insanely helpful. Thank you so much for this!

[@BigBossRazz]

I'm so glad you found it helpful! 😁

[@sugarsuper8716]

this is an underated channelll !!

[@BigBossRazz]

Aw, shucks. Thanks! 🥰

[@EpicFamilyQuests]

Do you think this method is easier than directly ironing? I'm just scared we'll mess it all up when ironing. 💖

[@BigBossRazz]

Even though it’s an extra step and it takes more time, it brings me a lot of comfort knowing that I’m not potentially damaging the pegboard(s) if that makes sense. That doesn’t mean it’ll be perfect every time, but it gives me peace of mind. Just make sure to press down when you tape it the first time, and before you turn it over, loosen the ends of tape that might be stuck to the pegboard with your tweezers if you have any. I hope that helps! 😁 If you want to see more of it in action, my latest livestreams have me doing the method (and messing it up because I didn’t loosen the tape on last Wednesday’s stream!).

[@mariesmith599]

Thank you for making such an informative video. I just did my first larger project for my granddaughter's birthday. It took 1 large perler board and a bit on a second board. Thanks for the advice using the cardboard! I watched a couple other tape videos and they didn't give much of why to poke holes. I guess I will be devoting an hour or so poking holes after taping. Wish me luck! Gotta mail off her present this week so no room for mishaps!

[@BigBossRazz]

How lovely! It can be tedious, but it can also be relaxing when you get into a rhythm. :) It'll be worth it once you iron it and there are as few mishaps as possible!

[@rubenspizza2762]

THANKKK you I think you saved me from spending a bunch of money ALSO with the tape method when you take them off to iron will they stay standing up I’m scared that they might fall

[@BigBossRazz]

If you press down on the tape, they should mostly stay together. You might have one or two beads that fall off though. Use some tweezers to stick them back where they belong. I hope that helps!

[@rubenspizza2762]

@@BigBossRazz IT DID THANKS DUDE

[@JayThomasofficial]

Love this thank u so much. How do u get the animation of u speaking .

[@BigBossRazz]

My pleasure! The avatar in this video was made using VRoid Studio. :) The pixelated avatar you’ll find in my current videos is animated using VTube Studio (similar name, I know) and rigged using Live2D Cubism. If you wanna know more, try googling those terms and feel free to ask any questions!

[@serenaleone722]

This method is infuriating when you've just finished a smaller piece, place exactly one tape piece wrong, and want to start screaming and swearing when you have to adjust the tape and everything goes to pieces. Don't think I'll be doing this, since I mostly do small themed board pieces - I'll just stick my boards under the heavy object while warm as well to avoid bending. Appreciate the warmth and friendliness in the instructions though.

[@marienewcombe768]

Hi there, ummm can I suggest something? Why not just get another board, line it up and press down. Would this not pierce holes all in one go? ☺️

[@BigBossRazz]

That’s a great suggestion! I don’t know if my tape is super thick or if I’m just super weak, but I can never seem to get it just right… I’ll press down on it and it’ll just leave an indentation but it won’t pierce the tape. Or maybe I get so nervous that I’ll send beads flying everywhere that I just don’t press down hard enough lol. But thanks for the hot tip anyway! 😎

[@aeonfluxcapacitor77]

I really appreciate your info. I've seen several people just whiz right over some finer points. So thank you! Also this year will be my 40th year crocheting... So it's great to see other hookers 😊 Edit: Can you reuse parchment?

[@BigBossRazz]

Wow, thanks for the kind words! 😎 I’d say you can reuse it maybe twice before you should consider using fresh paper. Hookers unite!

[@AnimationExpresss]

I like the subscribe animation at the end of your video ( 6:31 ) neat

[@BigBossRazz]

Thanks! I made it myself in Aseprite! I can send you the file if you’d like.

[@AnimationExpresss]

@@BigBossRazz thanks for the offer but i'm good congrats on 150 subs btw :)

[@BigBossRazz]

Thank you! 😄

[@zukowife]

3:12 uncle Iroh alert

[@BigBossRazz]

Best uncle

[@daisymacy1351]

yeah, those peg boards to not stand too much ironing. so new ones got weird quickly. annoying. thank you for the tips

[@BigBossRazz]

Glad to have been able to help! 😎

[@beidoubagel]

thanks for the guide!!! i wonder how much money i would've spent on pegboards without this method...

[@BigBossRazz]

Oh man, the warping sneaks up on ya! Before you know it, you're wondering, "When the heck did this get so bent out of shape?!"

[@eyekona]

I use my pegboard to iron my beads. They start to warp after like 5 years and then I just replace them. I mean, they are what, 40ct each? Why the hassle?

[@BigBossRazz]

Some folks must use a higher heat and press harder than you I suppose. Good on you that you’re able to maintain your boards!

[@kiwiflavor6872]

When using the tape method, should I do my design in reverse if im just melting one side since itll have words in it? Hopefully worded that right 😅

[@BigBossRazz]

I think I get what you mean. That idea works! If it’s difficult to work in reverse, you can always place your beads as normal and use another pegboard to flip the design. You make a pegboard sandwich and just rotate it if that makes sense.

[@kiwiflavor6872]

@@BigBossRazz Thanks for the feedback!

[@caithlyn1510]

so helpful! i have a question tho. what does panning out mean? 4:08

[@BigBossRazz]

So if something “pans out” in this context, that just means it “works out okay.” :)

[@TheNerk24]

I'm curious if this also works on the smaller 2.6mm beads as well or is there enough of a difference to where you have to do it differently.

[@BigBossRazz]

It also works! There’s a few livestreams, more likely the more recent* ones, where I poke holes in the mini beads. You might need a different poker than what you use for the regular sized beads to make sure it can poke a hole though.

[@annekabrimhall1059]

Thanks for the help!

[@BigBossRazz]

I’m glad I could help! 😁

[@annekabrimhall1059]

@@BigBossRazz i’ve created a work that’s about 30x30 pixels. When I tried to iron it fell apart but won’t go back together. 😡 I need to get better at the tape method.

[@BigBossRazz]

@@annekabrimhall1059 It definitely takes some practice! I’ve had quite a few things fall apart in the beginning myself. Just keep trying and you’ll get a better hang of it! Did it fall apart right in half? Also, what heat setting are you using?

[@annekabrimhall1059]

@@BigBossRazz After I thought it was melted enough I used a book to flip it but there was a big section that slid. I tried to put the pegboards back on and all the ironed pieces had warped so it fell apart. I would scrap it and start over but it is a gift for Christmas and the child had seen me working on it and was really excited. I don’t have time to order more kiwi color in time so I am cutting it apart with a blade to rebuild. My iron is all the way up.

[@BigBossRazz]

@@annekabrimhall1059 Firstly, I’m so sorry that that happened! Frustrating to be sure. If I can offer a tip: the beads should stick to the paper and be a little more “solid” than before ironing when they’re more see through. If the paper doesn’t stick to the beads as you try to peel it off, it may not be heated all the way through. I have an example in my ironing tutorial which should be in this playlist. Let me know if that helps or if you need any more help!

[@Thatchickyoulove]

Thank you!!

[@BigBossRazz]

@@Thatchickyoulove no you!

[@everewing8643]

Thank you for the helpful and informative video! I had actually been using duct tape since it’s what I had on hand… oof hahaha XD

[@BigBossRazz]

Oh man, how did that one end up turning out? Hope it came out okay!

[@ayaanpervaz]

If I’m using the flat melt on one side and I poked holes, should I put it under a heavy book for five min?

[@BigBossRazz]

Yep! It always helps to keep it from bending and warping after ironing.

[@optijessprime]

❤️❤️❤️ Thank you ❤️❤️❤️

[@BigBossRazz]

No, thank YOU 😎

[@AlbertPalastra]

❤️

[@BigBossRazz]

[@DetectiveSquarepants]

What is the theme at the beginning of the video?

[@BigBossRazz]

Title: Powerup! Artist: Jeremy Blake I found it on KZbin's Audio Library.

[@reszzz]

I've been ironing beads for over 15 years and have never ruined a board. I have the same ones since I started. Not sure how people are ruining them

[@BigBossRazz]

I guess you have the skills to pay the bills! I wonder if there are older pegboards that were produced differently than later ones? No idea though.

[@zukowife]

I did :(

[@CleAnMa]

What about mini beads? Should i poke holes?

[@BigBossRazz]

I stated in another video that you couldn’t poke holes in mini beads and I was DEAD WRONG lol. I think you can and should, but ya might be able to get away with it if you don’t poke holes. At least, in my experience, I’ve had more mishaps with regular sized beads when I don’t poke holes than I have with the mini beads, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen, ya know? TLDR: poke holes just in case!

[@GamingTranceSeer]

Is that paper folded into a square???? Or is it a tiny square cut??

[@BigBossRazz]

@@GamingTranceSeer The ironing paper that comes with the pegboards are folded squares. They’re pretty easy to crease, so they keep that square shape when you unfold the paper. You can use it as a cutting guide if you plan on cutting out certain sections of the provided paper. You can also buy a whole roll of ironing paper which is pretty rad.

[@GamingTranceSeer]

@@BigBossRazz I just used the square that was folded. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to cut a small square out of it. Now I wonder if it's just reused over and over? Thanks for the info/vids too. My dragon warrior terry came out perfect with the tape holes video.

[@BigBossRazz]

@@GamingTranceSeer Oh dang, and it worked well? That’s awesome! I generally recommend unfolding it all the way and just using what you need so that you can iron more pieces without replacing the paper. Depending on how much you iron it. You could probably use the same piece of ironing paper a few times… the more you do, however, the more likely you are to have creases and wrinkles in your paper that can show up when you iron your beads. Glad that the vids are helping!

[@VarianJudas5320]

i tried using masking tape but it left SO MUCH STICKYNESS ON IT!!!! it was SO ANNOYING!!!!😭😭😭

[@BigBossRazz]

@@VarianJudas5320 Oh no! I think I’ve found more success with painter’s tape when it comes to stickiness, but been there done that 😭

[@VarianJudas5320]

@BigBossRazz yeah i think ill try to find some of that instead. it doesnt help that my first beads im using are the minis LOLL!! luckily the sticky stuff was easy enough to wash off without too much annoyance !!😭😭

[@Vindisk]

So you can only melt the backside of your creation with this method?

[@BigBossRazz]

Once you iron the back side and it cools, you can remove the tape and iron the other side if you’d like (since the ironed side will mostly keep the creation together at this point)! Or if you did a full flatmelt on the back and you’re happy with it, you don’t have to iron the other side. I hope that helps!

[@Vindisk]

@@BigBossRazz Ah I see. That’s useful to know lol. I’ll probably end up doing flat melts on the tape side so that the image is shown correctly, thanks

[@BigBossRazz]

@@Vindisk That’s an option too! If you lightly melt the back so it sticks together so that the beads still have holes on that side, it will minimize the amount of bead explosions when you flatmelt the front side. OR, you can tape the backside and flatmelt the front side to your liking first, so long as you’ve poked holes in the tape to reduce bead explosions!

[@Vindisk]

@@BigBossRazz So if I lightly melt the backside then flat melt the tape side, it won’t explode? I’m guessing it depends on how well I melt the back side

[@BigBossRazz]

@@Vindisk You're right! It totally depends on how ironed the backside and how small the holes of the beads get. So, just to be safe, I always try to flatmelt my desired front side first and tape the back. If I didn't reverse my design before I started my project (which happens most of the time in my case haha), I place another pegboard on top of my finished project, and flip it. After that, I can tape the back side (now facing you) and iron the front side.

[@starlightgirl88]

Haven't had my beads explode but I've had then come up on me because I pulled the tape to early

[@BigBossRazz]

Ugh, I hate when that happens. 😭 Depending on the mess, it sometimes takes me longer to fix it and put everything back than it took for me to make the original piece!

[@Churchtattoo]

Great video. Music is a little loud tbh

[@BigBossRazz]

Thanks for the feedback! I’ll keep that in mind for future videos.

[@benjaminmartinezhernandez7200]

After years here's when i come to the realization that hama beads are not pearl beads, i guess i have to buy everything over again :') Pt. Thanks for the video

[@BigBossRazz]

I've never used Hama Beads or Artkal Beads before, but I think most of the techniques in the videos still apply! Maybe you can try them out and let me know if they work? 😎

[@benjaminmartinezhernandez7200]

@@BigBossRazz yeah they do, they work essentially the same. The only thing i don't know is if they can still explode on you, i don't want to find out but i guess they can dx

[@ghostdoesntexist]

what happens if you use duct tape?

[@BigBossRazz]

It’s been a while, but I think it leaves a much stickier residue than other tapes which is harder to clean off.

[@gryphonvook]

Why not using scotch tape? I've been using it for like forever :/

[@BigBossRazz]

Does it ever leave a weird residue on your beads? Maybe it’s the brand I used, but I’ve gotten this strange residue on the beads when I ironed them! Maybe I should give it a try again haha

[@gryphonvook]

@@BigBossRazz Oh wait, I just noticed it's a generic brand I'm using (but it's the same kind as scotch) So maybe it's a brand thing

[@BigBossRazz]

@@gryphonvook interesting, thanks for sharing! 😎

[@AJforkids]

not the vtuber sim cartoon thing that i dont know how to setup haha

[@BigBossRazz]

@@AJforkids

[@CHERRYBOMB_XD]

The only problem I have is that it ironed w the tape😭somebody pls help

[@BigBossRazz]

Uh-oh! Yeah, you definitely want to iron the side that isn't taped first, and then remove the tape! Did it get all melted to your beads/ironing paper? 😭

[@CHERRYBOMB_XD]

@@BigBossRazz whenever I took the ironing paper and tape off, the sticky part was melted on my beads

[@BigBossRazz]

Oh no! So sorry to hear 😭

[@DIYglenn]

So weird how you call it perler beads (perler means beads…)

[@BigBossRazz]

@@DIYglenn I never knew that “perler” in French meant “bead”! That’s tres interesting!

[@DIYglenn]

@@BigBossRazz It’s danish. It’s from the danish company Hama. Perle = bead Perler = beads It’s the same in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and similar in Germany and France ++ What confuses me is that Americans don’t call it “Hama Beads”. Hama is the company, kinda like “LEGO Bricks” (“LEGO Klodser” in Danish). But it’s referred to as Perler Beads. Which basically would be like calling LEGO “Klodser Bricks”. 😅

[@BigBossRazz]

Ohhhh, I see! I think there’s some confusion though. Hama beads are super popular in Europe, but here in North America, there’s a completely different brand called “Perler” which is different. They have different colors and they melt differently. You can see the Perler website and compare to see.

[@ruddiko]

BEADTuber

[@BigBossRazz]

Eyyyyyyy, I love that! And actually… there is some truth to that… maybe we’ll see in a couple of videos…? 🧐

[@lunalovegoodwitch]

I don't really get the point of this method when you can just put the non-stick paper straight on top of the board then iron on that

[@BigBossRazz]

If you do that, especially with flatmelt attempts, you may end up warping your pegboard with the heat of the iron. If you use light heat, you’ll run less of a risk of that happening though. I warped one pegboard in the past and my wallet told me I could never do that again 😭

[@lunalovegoodwitch]

@@BigBossRazz I've done it before on my own peg boards and had no problem

[@BigBossRazz]

@@lunalovegoodwitch Welp, I hope with repeated use and ironings that it doesn’t happen to you. If you ever do notice your pegboards start to bend and warp, consider trying the method out.

[@lunalovegoodwitch]

@@BigBossRazz I will not use this method I hardly dought that the pegboards warp but if they do I can't see why you can't just turned the iron down besides in the very rare case that they do warp just buy a new one they are incredibly cheap

[@BigBossRazz]

@@lunalovegoodwitch Okay.

[@clockwork5580]

I LITERALLY have used the same pegboards for over three years, they don’t warp. Don’t misrepresent Perler…you have no idea what you’re doing.

[@BigBossRazz]

Welp, it’s happened in my experience and that of others, so I’m not sure what to tell ya.

[@CraftyKaname]

There are dozens if not hundreds of brands of boards out there, with different heat tolerances. Just because it happened to you, doesn't mean it doesn't happen to others. Why hate on educational content that encourages the safest option? You can always do whatever your want with your own pieces

[@jaxmom8037]

Wow way to be suportive. If you want to take your time to fight with people over what they do or do not experience.... just know that your opinon isnt going to stop the rest of us that choose to watch this video... and found it a helpful educational 😂😅option...