Wooden beads are a great choice for jewelry making as they are an incredibly versatile piece of equipment. These types of beads are strong and light, which means they are a great choice for people who want to look stylish even when out and about, or those who want something that is suitable to wear even when playing sports. . One of the best things about wood items is that they are a natural choice for those who don’t want synthetics. However, sometimes simple beads are not quite suitable for the jewelry you want to make. Fortunately, it’s very easy to stain wood beads with natural dyes, to help you get the bead color you need to complete your project. Here is a quick guide on how to dye your own beads with natural dye:
For this project, you’ll need to start by assembling boiling water, wood beads, natural dye (for some projects, you can use food coloring, but in these cases you should avoid wearing your jewelry in any circumstances where it might get very wet), gloves rubber band, an old glass container, a metal slotted spoon, and some paper towels.
Start by filling the container with boiling water and adding the wooden beads you want to stain. Leave the beads in the water for about 20 minutes, as this will help them become more porous and allow them to take up the dye better. Remove the beads from the water and pour out the water.
Refill the container with fresh boiling water and add the dye as needed. Different dyes will require different amounts to use, so it’s best to check the instructions for the product you’re using, however, as a general rule of thumb, the more dye you use, the more vivid the resulting color will be. Remember that you are only staining the wooden beads, so the end result will never be a terribly bright bead. You should probably use about 2 teaspoons of dye in a bowl of water.
Add the water-softened wooden beads to the bowl and let them sit in the colored water for another 20 minutes. Once 20 minutes have elapsed, remove the pearls from the water with the slotted spoon (or strainer) and gently shake them to allow any excess water or dye to drain back into the container. Lay the wooden beads on a thick layer of paper towels to help absorb any excess water that remains and to prevent the wet beads from coming into contact with other surfaces that may absorb the dye. Be sure to let newly dyed beads dry for at least 24 hours before wearing. If the beads are still wet at the end of 24 hours, then you need to wait a bit longer or the dye may still stain your fingers.