# What's a good alternative to perler bead "ironing paper?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 18, 2008, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-alternative-to-perler-bead-ironing-paper/473346 "2008-11-18T20:38:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-alternative-to-perler-bead-ironing-paper/473346/1 "2008-11-18T20:38:32Z")
I got a whole mess of perler beads that I am planing on making video game sprites out of (similar to [these](http://gigadelic.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/perler1.jpg)), but I forgot to get the oh-so special ironing paper. Can I use wax or parchment paper? Cause I have lots of those. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-alternative-to-perler-bead-ironing-paper/473346/2 "2008-11-18T21:09:25Z")
I use kitchen parchment paper all the time on the kids projects - works better than the stuff that comes with the beads. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-alternative-to-perler-bead-ironing-paper/473346/3 "2008-11-18T22:42:11Z")
Careful, there’s a few viruses in that link. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-alternative-to-perler-bead-ironing-paper/473346/4 "2008-11-18T22:46:22Z")
Hijack: What is that little wizard-looking dude in the bottom right corner of the OP photo? ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-alternative-to-perler-bead-ironing-paper/473346/5 "2008-11-19T00:00:27Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > Hijack: What is that little wizard-looking dude in the bottom right corner of the OP photo? I assume you mean the little guy in the blue robe? He’s the Black Mage from Final Fantasy I. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-alternative-to-perler-bead-ironing-paper/473346/6 "2008-11-19T00:17:44Z")
Top row: Tetris pieces Second row: Ghosts from _Super Mario World_, blue, red, and yellow viruses from _Dr. Mario_, Mega Man and Dr. Wiley from any of the NES _Mega Man_ games Third row: Ms. Pac-Man and ghosts, a poisonous mushroom from I-know-not-what _Mario_ game, 1-up and super mushrooms from (I think) _Super Mario Bros. III_, a Pokeball from _Pokemon_, and (I presume) a Yoshi egg from _Super Mario World_ Fourth row: (don’t know the first three), Mario (with raccoon leaf), goomba, mystery block, and koopa from _Super Mario Bros. III_, the racer from _Motocross Madness_ Fifth row: (don’t know the first three), Fighter, Red Mage, White Mage, and Black Mage from _Final Fantasy I_ Bottom row: (don’t know the first three), a Metroid, and Samus Aran from I-know-not-what _Metroid_ game. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-alternative-to-perler-bead-ironing-paper/473346/7 "2008-11-19T00:30:21Z")
Poisonous mushroom is from Lost Levels (on Super Mario All-Stars for SNES); the green and red mushrooms also appear to be the sprites from Mario All-Stars. First three on the fourth row are Kid Icarus, I think. The goomba on that row looks to me like he’s from the original Super Mario Bros., but since the Mario to his left is clearly from SMB3, perhaps all four of those sprites are, as you say. As for the last sprite on that row, I would think you mean Excitebike instead of Motocross Madness. Fifth row first two are from Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-alternative-to-perler-bead-ironing-paper/473346/8 "2008-11-19T00:31:17Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Fourth row: (don’t know the first three), Mario (with raccoon leaf), goomba, mystery block, and koopa from _Super Mario Bros. III_, the racer from _Motocross Madness_ > Fifth row: (don’t know the first three), Fighter, Red Mage, White Mage, and Black Mage from _Final Fantasy I_ > Bottom row: (don’t know the first three), a Metroid, and Samus Aran from I-know-not-what _Metroid_ game. The second one in the fourth row is Icarus from _Kid Icarus_, and I think the biker is from _Excitebike_, not _Motocross Madness._ In the fifth row, the first two are a Cuckoo and a Big key from _The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past_ for the SNES. The little ship is from…umm…some kind of side-scrolling shooting game. The first three on the bottom row are from _Burger Time._ ETA: Exactly what the guy up there said. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-alternative-to-perler-bead-ironing-paper/473346/9 "2008-11-19T05:42:02Z")
You know, this would make a GREAT set of Xmas tree decorations for a video game store! ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-alternative-to-perler-bead-ironing-paper/473346/10 "2008-11-19T07:51:30Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > I use kitchen parchment paper all the time on the kids projects - works better than the stuff that comes with the beads. This is also what we use at the kindergarten where I work. We regard fusible beads and parchment paper as consumables… I’d stick with the heat-proof parchment, though. I don’t _think_ the iron gets hot enough to start a fire with the regular stuff, but I’d hate to find out the hard way! ---
**Author:** ![seodoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@seodoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seodoa)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-alternative-to-perler-bead-ironing-paper/473346/11 "2008-11-19T09:24:14Z")
> [@Indistinguishable](#): > > First three on the fourth row are Kid Icarus, I think. Reaper, Pit (aka Kid Icarus), and Monoeye, to be precise, all definitely from Kid Icarus. God, I played the crap outta that game. The spaceship is from Galaga ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-alternative-to-perler-bead-ironing-paper/473346/12 "2008-11-19T14:39:15Z")
> [@flodnak](#): > > This is also what we use at the kindergarten where I work. We regard fusible beads and parchment paper as consumables… > > I’d stick with the heat-proof parchment, though. I don’t _think_ the iron gets hot enough to start a fire with the regular stuff, but I’d hate to find out the hard way! Kitchen parchment is heat proof. If it can stand 40 minutes in a 425 oven, I don’t think 30 seconds with an iron will bother it. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-alternative-to-perler-bead-ironing-paper/473346/13 "2008-11-19T18:49:07Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Kitchen parchment is heat proof. If it can stand 40 minutes in a 425 oven, I don’t think 30 seconds with an iron will bother it. Ah. Then it’s different here, as we have two types: one that is for baking, and can stand X minutes in a hot oven; and one that is for wrapping food, and makes no claims at all about heat resistance. The baking stuff is more expensive, obviously, but it’s the stuff you want for ironing fusible beads. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-alternative-to-perler-bead-ironing-paper/473346/14 "2008-11-19T21:54:05Z")
Well, I didn’t need to resort to parchment paper anyway. There was a piece of the “ironing paper” hidden inside the box of beads and the peg board I got. I already made Mega Man, the “magic key,” and an Octorock from The Legend of Zelda. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-alternative-to-perler-bead-ironing-paper/473346/15 "2008-11-20T16:22:02Z")
> [@flodnak](#): > > Ah. Then it’s different here, as we have two types: one that is for baking, and can stand X minutes in a hot oven; and one that is for wrapping food, and makes no claims at all about heat resistance. The baking stuff is more expensive, obviously, but it’s the stuff you want for ironing fusible beads. The thick, non-porous white paper for wrapping food is called “butcher paper” in the USA.