How do you get beads to stay in polymer clay?

[JanetsDesignStudio]

I am trying to do some designs with small beads in the clay. After I bake the clay with the beads I can get them to fall out. I tried to glue them but it looked very messy then.

Is there a technique I can use to get the beads to actually stay in the clay? Do I just need to imbed them deeper?

Any help would be appreciated.

[CrookedCraftLane]

depending on how many beads you are using perhaps you could wire them in before baking?

oh or maybe embed the bead with a little liquid fimo / sculpey so that the liquid cover the holes in the beads ... hope that makes sense! the liquid does dry a little shiny though, so only try that if you are varnishing with satin or gloss

[CrookedCraftLane]

I edited the above post 3 times thinking of new things lol and then thought of something else :-D

I've not tried it but there is stuff called crystal clay, I think thats intended for embedding beads, it's more a moldable epoxy though rather than polymer, least I think thats what I read!

guess it depends on what you are intending to do :-)

[TheHeatherWells]

Okay.... I do this sort of, but with the tiny glass beads (that are circles not really beads)
Many people use them as sprinkles etc.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/75048147/miniature-food-jewelry-rainbow-snow-cone?ref=v1_other_1
https://www.etsy.com/listing/86067248/christmas-candy-bracelet-with-candy-cane?ref=v1_other_2

With the snow cone they are attached after baking, thisthe white and red gumdrops in the Christmas bracelet I added them before baking
Before baking it is by smothering the wet clay in liquid clay, and rolling it in the beads... but since glass doesn't really like to permanant.y attachto glass I always finish with a glaze

[Former_Member]

I find they stay ok if thy're embedded far enough. Better than on surfaces with liquid sculpy, but I might not have got the knack.

This one is just beads poked in pretty deeply.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/104622952/blue-beaded-button

[JanetsDesignStudio]

Thank you for all the suggestions! I will try a couple of them and see if I can get any of them to work for me.