The finish is the moment a bead project stops being a chart and starts being an object. Decide where you want to stop before the iron is hot. Pick which face the viewer will see, pick how strong the piece needs to be, and pick how much of the bead shape you want left in the surface. This guide is the decision page; the ironing styles guide is where the actual heat method lives.
Display side and working side
Every fused piece has two faces. The display side is the one a viewer will see, framed, hung, glued to a magnet, or held up as a keychain. The working side is the back, the face that touches a wall, a frame, a backing board, or your hand.
Both faces start identical on the pegboard. They become different the moment the iron passes over one of them. Fusing the back longer than the front, or only fusing the back at all, is a deliberate finish choice that many makers use to keep the display face rounder and more bead-like. Official guidance Perler tape method Official Perler note that many makers fuse the back more thoroughly and the front a little less so the front keeps more bead texture. Read source
Two faces, four finishes
Each card shows the same little bead patch twice: the display face on the left, then the working/back face after you flip it over.
The four common finishes
These are not iron settings. They are four places you can stop. The same iron, the same parchment, and the same circular motion produce all four; what changes is which side you fuse, in what order, and for how long.
Back-only fuse, display side untouched
Only the working side gets the structural fuse. The display face is left untouched, or close to untouched, so it still reads as separate, round beads with open holes.
On a simple pegboard build, that means the side facing up while you iron may become the back, and the cleaner pegboard side may become the display face after you lift it. For text, logos, and anything directional, mark the display side before you build so the finished piece does not surprise you.
Pick this when the piece will be framed flat, glued to a backing board, or mounted where the bead front will not be flexed. It is the least rigid of the four when handled on its own, so makers usually pair it with a mount. Maker guide Maker discussion: do I need both sides Public maker thread on whether one-sided fusing is enough; common reply is that it depends on whether the piece will be handled or mounted. Read source
Stronger back, lighter front
Both sides are fused, but the back gets a longer pass and the front gets a shorter, lighter pass. The back becomes a strong sheet; the front still reads as beads, just slightly softened.
This is the common maker compromise for displayed pieces that also need some strength, and it is the finish Perler explicitly mentions in their tape-method guide. Official guidance Perler tape method Official Perler guidance noting that they often fuse the back more thoroughly and the front a little less. Read source Maker guide Maker discussion: back-melt or flat-melt Public maker thread on choosing back-strong/front-light versus a full flat melt. Read source
Standard two-sided fuse
The brand baseline. Both sides get the same circular pass until the beads are clearly joined but still visibly round, with their holes still open. Official guidance Perler standard fusing method Official Perler standard method describing two-sided fusing with circular motion until the design is securely fused. Read source Official guidance Hama beads how-to Official Hama instructions for circular iron movement, cooling under a booklet, and testing a smaller design because irons vary. Read source
This is the default for keychains, ornaments, coasters, and anything that will be handled regularly. Many makers default to two-sided fusing whenever a piece is going to be picked up. Maker guide Maker discussion: do I need both sides Public maker thread discussing both-side fusing and cooling under a book when a piece feels flimsy or bends. Read source
Flat or solid melt
A deliberate continuation past standard. You keep ironing one or both sides until the bead borders merge and the holes close. The surface reads as smoother color rather than as individual beads.
Pick this when you want a polished, plate-like look, you have practiced on a swatch from the same beads, and you do not need open holes for assembly. Perler explicitly warns not to over-iron pieces where the assembly relies on the holes staying open, because once they close the assembly becomes harder. Official guidance Perler standard fusing method Official Perler warning that over-ironing can close bead centers and make assembly harder when the project needs the holes. Read source Maker guide Maker caution: do not over-flatten Public maker reminder that flattening both sides too far closes holes and changes the look in ways first-timers do not expect. Read source
Open centers as a deliberate finish
Open centers are the classic stop point. The beads are joined enough to hold, the holes still read, and the piece can still be assembled with hooks, screws, wires, or pegs through the holes. Most three-dimensional bead builds and many ornament assemblies count on open centers.
Open centers are the safe place to stop when you are not sure which finish you want. You can always do another short pass to push toward standard or flat. You cannot easily un-melt a piece that has closed up.
How to decide before the iron is hot
The same four questions cover almost every project.
- Which face will the viewer see? That is the display side. If it gets heat at all, save it for last and stop one pass earlier than you think you should. Maker guide Maker discussion: one side or both Public maker thread on which face to treat as the display side, with common advice to fuse it last and lighter. Read source
- Will the piece be handled or mounted? Handled pieces want a full two-sided fuse, or at least stronger-back/lighter-front. Mounted pieces can keep an untouched display face.
- Does the assembly need open holes? If you plan to thread, hook, or peg through the beads, stay at open centers and never push to flat melt.
- What look do you want? Bead-shaped surface, smoother surface, or fully flat. The melt level is a slider you choose on purpose.
A common maker move is to keep a short note on the chart or pegboard side that says, for example, “back-strong, front-light, open centers.” That way the decision is visible while the iron is warming up, not made under heat.
Test a small swatch first
Run a swatch from the same beads, the same parchment, and the same iron before any larger piece. A swatch is a small grid (often a 5 by 5 square) that lets you push past your chosen finish on purpose so you can see what one pass too far looks like.
Test the same conditions you will use on the real piece:
- Same brand and color batch as the real project. Different colors in the same batch sometimes soften at slightly different rates.
- Same parchment, fresh and uncreased.
- Same hard flat surface, not a soft ironing board.
If the swatch hits your target finish in fewer or more passes than you expected, you have learned the real timing before you commit. Official guidance Hama beads how-to Official Hama guidance recommends testing a smaller design first because irons vary. Read source
Stop, check, adjust
The finish is built in short passes, not one long press. Every method in the ironing styles guide uses the same loop:
- One short pass with slow circular motion.
- Lift the parchment and look at the surface.
- Decide whether another pass is needed.
- Stop the moment you reach the finish you chose.
If the piece is between two finishes, default to the earlier one. Stopping at open centers when you wanted standard fuse only costs one extra pass; pushing past standard into a flat melt by accident cannot be reversed.
Cool flat under weight
Whichever finish you chose, the finish only sets once the piece is cool. Move the piece, still on its parchment, onto a hard flat surface and place a heavy book or booklet on top until it is completely cool. Pieces that cool free-form usually bow; pieces that cool flat under weight stay flat.
This cooling step is where the shape of the finish locks in. Hama tells makers to cool under a booklet until completely cooled, and Perler’s tape method uses weights while the project cools. Official guidance Hama beads how-to Official Hama instruction to put the design under a booklet until completely cooled. Read source Official guidance Perler tape method Official Perler tape-method guidance to weight the design and let it cool. Read source
Where to go next
- For the heat methods (standard pegboard, off-board with parchment, oven) and the full troubleshooting list, follow Ironing styles and troubleshooting.
- For large or multi-board projects where flipping cleanly is the hard part, follow Tape method for large fuse-bead projects. That back-first setup pairs well with the stronger-back, lighter-front finish from this page.
- For deciding seams, transport, and helper roles before any beads are placed, see Plan a large fuse-bead project.