Crafting Project Series
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Project Name: |
Refrigerator Magnets |
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Project Description:
Refrigerator magnets are perhaps one of the most popular projects for people of all ages. With many variations of refrigerator
magnets involving many different difficulty levels, making magnets can range from very easy to quite difficult. We have chosen
an easy version for this project in our How to Series. This project can be completed by children of most any age with a wide
range of results. What is important for the success of this project is to select quality glass gems and interesting backing.
Choosing Glass Gems:
The glass gems you select should have very few, if any, bubbles. There are two types of glass gems available on the market;
molded and free formed. The molded is created by pouring the molten glass into a round mold; whereas, the free form glass gems
are created by pouring molten glass onto a flat surface. We prefer the molded in this project because they are perfectly round
and matches the round punch-out we use. The free form gems are good for magnets where you are painting on the back, or printing
on the fronts. They have a more natural and artistic appearance.
Choosing the Backing:
This is where your creativity pays off. We used an image from a magazine for our backing in this project. You can use old books,
maps, patterned paper (including wrapping paper), news paper, junk mail, cereal boxes, or anything with an interesting
image/pattern printed on it. This is perhaps the most enjoyable part of the project and should be treated as such.
Materials:
- Magazine or other source material
- Adhesive (we recommend using Weldbond*)
- McGill Giant Punch Circle (1-1/4” diameter) - or you can use scissors to cut the circular backing
- Large Glass Gems* (we used 1.5” clear molded* for this project)
- Magnets* (we used the high strength magnets* for this project)
- Scissors
- Scrap paper and paper towels
Wash your glass gems using warm soapy water. Be sure to rinse thoroughly. This will remove any residue from the glass and allow for the best adheasion of the glue to the glass.
Using a scrap piece of paper, punch a hole in it with a 1.25” hole punch. By placing the hole over images in magazines, cereal boxes, newspapers, books, or other sources, you can get a good idea of what the image will look like as a refrigerator magnet.
After you have selected an image, use your scissors to trim the size down so it will fit into your hole punch. Be sure not to cut it too small.
Align the image in your hole punch and make your cut. It is easier to align the image if you use the hole punch upside down, this way you can see the final cut.
You should now have a nice round cut-out of your image. If you chose to use scissors for your cut-out you may want to use a circular object to outline your image.
Add a bit of glue to the back of the glass gem. Don’t worry about using a bit too much, you will rmove the excess when applying the image.
Spread the glue over the entire back of the glass gem. Apply the image face down.
Using a clean paper towel, press the image firmly onto the glass. Use the paper towel to remove the excess glue. You want to remove as much glue as possible, the more you remove the stronger the bond will be.
Apply a small dab of glue to the center of the back of the glass gem.
Press the magnet firmly into place over the glue. Remember to press firmly enough to remove the excess glue. Once the excess glue is removed, the magnet should not move freely while pressing it onto the back.
Congratulations! You have created a neat little craft project which serves both functionality and decor. Time to go decorate your refrigerator...
Be sure to visit us online for your crafting needs. We provide quality crafting supplies at true wholesale prices. There are no minimums or small order charges, everyone is invited to enjoy these low prices.