Bead Knowledge Center -
Protecting Bead Finsihes and Stiffening Beadwork

Beads come in many finishes. But not all of them are permanent. Most prevalent in these are Galvanized and Dyed finishes. You don't want to work with these finsihes and then have the color come off so here are two ways to protect the finish so you can use the colors that you like:

• Future Floor Wax, now renamed to Pledge FloorCare - by SC Johnson - Future Acrylic Floor Finish.
  • To use, make your beaded item and when done, use a brush to brush this liquid on. Let dry completely. It has not been tested by me that this technique will make the beads colorfast enough to stand up to washing or drycleaning. But you can try it.
  • This technique can also be used to stiffen beadwork like a flower petal beaded with the peyote stitch.
• Miyuki suggest you use a clear fixative, like Krylon spray, to coat galvanized beads. To do this, put your beads into a box with no top; spray the beads while shaking them around in the box; allow to dry before storing.

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