Cut Out + Keep | How To » Recyle And Make Your Own Beads

You Will Need

- PROJECT BUDGET
- Almost Nothing

Recyle And Make Your Own Beads

Making your own Recycled Beads
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The beads that I've made

I like quite a few of those.

PERFECT for personalizing Kandi [for you P.L.U.R.ries out there].

I'd LOVE to see your versions of it! So just comment with a link to your versions

DISCLAIMER : the beads in the picture are all quite long, but the beads that I make now are shorter, kind of like AMber's. The ones in the pictures were the first that I made, so they are much worse looking than I make them now. I'll get pictures when I can, but I'm on VACATION now, lol. :D

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You will need

1] Water bottle, or some kind of hard plastic that you can easily cut

2] a pair of cutting impliments [like scisors]

3] Needlenose Pliers, Tweezers, something like that [it'd be good to have an extra on hand]

4]Colours [if you want to make them colourful]

5]Heat gun, or if you are ghetto like me, a lighter :D
Cut the bottom and tops off the water bottle [I use the the bottoms to put the made beads in, and the top as a little water jug, so that after I melt the plastic, I can dip it in the cold water, and it will harden faster and stronger]

Then you cut the water bottle, either horizontal, or vertical, depending on whether you want a thick bead, or an easier bead [because some waterbottles have those stratta like structures, if you cut those into the stips, it makes it easier to twist around the pliers].

Next, you color the inside of the strip of plastic [or you can get a strip of paper that is shorter and smaller in width and turn it upside=down into the inside of the strip of plastic]

then grip the very end with your pliers [or the end and the paper>make sure they are lined up. and start twisting the pastic around the pliers.
Keep hold of the wound plastic tightly and take the tweasers out, then grip the bead from the hole in the middle, and the top near where the plastic ends.

Take the heat gun, and aim AWAY from anyone, and blast the plastic until the end has molded intself into the rest of the bead. [If you have an extra pair of pliers on hands, you can shape the drying plastic to make sure the holes are circular and stay open.
Let dry or dip it in some cold water, and then you've got your first bead

WOOT!!!

Versions (2)

By AMber

By Beate B.

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People who love this project (119)

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kermit

June 19th, 2008 06:18

whoa! this is really smart. They look like those glass beads (dunno what they're called)

Mi.ezekatze

June 19th, 2008 13:25

I LOVE that! I think I'm gonna colour my beads on the inside with window colour *getting jumpy* ^___^

-> runs to get stuff...

Cat Morley

June 19th, 2008 16:23

Fab idea, thanks for sharing!

skettio's

June 19th, 2008 21:55

I love it, pfft you know im going to make kandi out of them XD

Taz

June 20th, 2008 09:47

Great Idea and looks like lots of fun!

Nanner823

June 20th, 2008 16:21

What a good idea and a great reuse of those bottles.

Ali Mac

June 21st, 2008 00:43

I like this idea very much!!

JONES

June 21st, 2008 01:56

man! Thats goovey. I've got to make some of those!

Moon M.

June 21st, 2008 03:50

Very good for recycling, and other things.

plastic crocodile

June 23rd, 2008 20:40

i am ghetto too.. i tried using a lighter and they get blackened. what am i doing wrong?

Ashley S.

June 23rd, 2008 23:18

great idea!

Surf jewels

June 25th, 2008 19:50

these look gd

mlc1803 m.

June 28th, 2008 21:15

wow! these are amazing really! I saw a tutorial on instructables actually. i cant wait to tyr this thanks for posting :)

Brandi Noel

July 2nd, 2008 09:13

Yeah Im kinda in l&hearts;ve with this! I even got my husband in on it... he colored the plastic while I melted it.

Katie S.

July 3rd, 2008 23:39

I can't wait to make these. My mom has to find the heat gun first. I am going to start hoarding plastic bottles while i wait! i will post my version once i get back from camp and make them