Last week I wrote about using clear nail polish for paper quilled jewelry.  This week I want to address another frequent question I get which is whether you can use spray acrylic sealer for paper quilled jewelry.  This is known by several names such as spray lacquer, spray varnish, spray sealant, shellac spray, etc.  You can see some examples here.

The first thing to note is that there are some spray sealants that are meant for things like wood furniture, and there are others that are specific to crafts and used for paper, paintings, etc.

The simple answer is that yes, you can use these craft sprays for your paper quilling, but it is not always the best choice.  Here are some things to keep  in mind when deciding whether or not to use spray sealant:

  • Spray sealants are best for larger projects.  The spray allows you to cover a wide area.
  • Spray sealants have to be used in a ventilated (usually outside) area.  Since the spray tends to float around and get on other things, you need to be careful.  Don’t use in a place with a fan going or it’ll blow it all over.  Most of them are aerosol and have fumes.
  • If you use spray sealant for paper quilled jewelry, it is best to do it on many pieces at a time so you don’t waste your time or product.  When you are using it for small projects like jewelry a lot gets wasted.
  • It is tricky to fully cover the paper quilled jewelry with spray sealant as you have to spray all around the edges and inside the coils.  Then of course you have to flip it over and do the other side.  You have to apply the sealant in several coats to make sure the coils don’t get undone and to make sure all surfaces are covered.  This means you have to repeat your application process several times of the course of a day or two.

PROS

  • Yes, there is actually a benefit to using spray sealants!  The benefit is that most of them dry quickly, like in 20 minutes.  Liquid sealants that you dip into or paint on can take hours to dry.

As you can see, spray sealant is not always the best choice for paper quilled jewelry.  It gets wasted and it is time consuming to apply (but it dries quickly!).  However, it is a great choice for a large paper quilled picture that you want to protect!  It would also work quite well on something like a jewelry box that has been decorated with paper quilling.

If you already have some around the house and are used to using it, you can certainly give it a try with your jewelry.  However, if you do not have any and have never used it before, I’d suggest going with something to paint onto your jewelry.

You can click HERE to check out all of the other posts I have about sealants.  I have a lot more planned for the coming weeks/months as well.

Sometimes I talk about sealants in the individual posts about the jewelry I have made.  You can view all of the jewelry posts HERE.

 

Stick around and check out some of the other fun stuff on the blog!

Click here to view more free paper quilling tutorials!

Click here to view paper quilling tips and tricks!

Click here to view a list of places to buy quilling supplies around the world!

Click here to view some of my own quilling projects, with tips so you can make your own if you’d like!

*This post contains some affiliate links, and some non affiliate links.  If you purchase products through the affiliate links I get a small percentage (at no extra cost to you!).  I only link to products that I believe in and/or love to use myself.  Thank you for supporting my blog!