# Rhinestones not sticking.



## ReX357 (May 3, 2010)

Hello everyone,

I have made a bunch of tshirts. They are made of 100% ring spun cotton. They have a direct to garment transfer and gold foil on them.

I just got my rhinestones yesterday, they are the Swaroski Crystals kind. Got them from jewelerysupply.com with that bejeweller pro applicator.

I have 2 sizes of stones, the small 3mm ones and the big 7mm kind. I tried using the tips that pick up the stones but it doesn't work so well for me. I am applying the stones in areas where there is foil around and if I touch the foil with the wand, it ruins it. (You can see the imprint of the wand in the foil).

So I tried another way, I used that hotspot applicator (The one that doesn't pick up the stones, you just put the stone in place and just push the stone with it.

Everything looked like it was working fine until I picked up the shirt and 2 of the stones fell off.

I pushed on the 3mm stones for 15 seconds each and on the big 7mm for a full minute each.

Help I'm not sure what's going wrong here, I don't wanna wreck my shirts!


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## Leg cramps (Feb 9, 2009)

Rex,
If rhinestone shirts are what you are going to be making and selling then i would suggest investing in a 15x15 heat press,I got my from sunie around 250 bucks.then you can place your stones on shirt with tweezers then press all at once.
AND/OR
you may also want to invest in a cutter with some software.then you can make templates.I got my cutter and software from sandymc (she is a forum member)she sells knk cutters.
*sandy is very helpfull and has AAA customer support.*
I purchase a 13"groove e for 600.comes with software that will allow you to make rhinestone transfers,PLUS you can also use it to make your mixed vinyl rhinestone designs.You also might want to start looking into the rhinestone car decals which is the hottest new thing going.Im cutting a rhinestone template as we speak!
Id also suggest buying pellosa rhinestones from shine art,they are MUCH less expensive and shine like diamonds.


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## ReX357 (May 3, 2010)

Thank you for your reply leg cramp, I will look into the heat press. I am starting a shirt business.

Is there anything I can do at the moment with what I have?

The 3mm ones seem to stick fine. However, the 7mm ones not so much.

Is there some kind of glue I could buy maybe instead that would bond on the shirt and the rhinestone (altho it's already got the adhesive thing on it)?


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## Leg cramps (Feb 9, 2009)

well if anything mabey try a different applicator.


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## lizziemaxine (Nov 14, 2007)

ReX357 said:


> Thank you for your reply leg cramp, I will look into the heat press. I am starting a shirt business.
> 
> Is there anything I can do at the moment with what I have?
> 
> ...


Go to a craft store like Hobby Lobby or Michaels and buy a fabric glue - Allene's is one brand I have used.


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## SandyMcC (Jul 23, 2009)

Aileene's has a number of different glues... can you tell us which one in particular you are using? (Thanks in advance!)

One of them... Aileene's Tack It Over and Over is great for the cutting mats we use with the KNK's and ACS cutters. It's a repositionable adhesive and you mix it 50/50 with water and then put a VERY thin coat over the top of the mat. The amount of stickiness is perfect for rhinestone rubber, fabric and most cardstock brands.

Anyhow, the one you're using would be the opposite... VERY permanent and I would love to know which one you use. I have some crafting friends who tried gluing rhinestones to shirts years ago, with mixed results. I don't remember what glue they were using. It mostly worked, but you still typically lost 1 or 2 stones with every washing... not good unless you just enjoy re-gluing more stones after every wash! lol


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## sjidohair (Apr 9, 2008)

Sandy 
Gem tack is great,, for glueing each stone on and very durable,,


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## SandyMcC (Jul 23, 2009)

sjidohair said:


> Sandy
> Gem tack is great,, for glueing each stone on and very durable,,


Thanks... I see that Joann's carries it... I'll recommend it to my friends, some of whom are STILL averse to using heat! 

Gem Tack at Joann's


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## sjidohair (Apr 9, 2008)

ReX357 said:


> Thank you for your reply leg cramp, I will look into the heat press. I am starting a shirt business.
> 
> Is there anything I can do at the moment with what I have?
> 
> ...


 
Rex,, here is the problem, 

You are trying to put the stones over a foil,, correct... 

Hot fix Rhinestones when heated the glue goes into the fiber of the garments totes, what ever you are making,, 

When you have a foil over a product , and put a stone over it,, it cannot get to the fiber,, it glues to the foil only,,,, when it cools or with a lil tug it will come off,,, 

you need to cut a whole in the foil so the stone can go in the hole and get to the fiber of the shirt,

Foil is like putting a thin piece of aluminum foil over the garment,, 

I foil tees a lot,, and we screen print under the foils as the foil will not eventually wear off from its adhesive that is holding it on.

some heat press vinyls you can adhere stones too, but test everything before doing lots,, if the stones glue can melt onto the Heat press vinyl,,, and the vinyl heats into the fiber,, then it is a go... but again test everything, 
The 7mm stones are heavier there fore they will fall first,, 

Just like Rhinestone decals,, it is not the glue that holds the rhinestones on, the material but the lil cups we make bezel set those stones in place.....


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## sjidohair (Apr 9, 2008)

SandyMcC said:


> Thanks... I see that Joann's carries it... I'll recommend it to my friends, some of whom are STILL averse to using heat!
> 
> Gem Tack at Joann's


 
there is another too, when i get home i will look and see what it is,, 

I love aileens, products,,


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## ReX357 (May 3, 2010)

Hey sjidohair,

I actually have holes as you described in the foil. My problem with using the picking up tool is that it sits outside the stones and when I press down the stone in the middle of the foil, the edge of the wand touch the foil and ruin it.

I will try the Aleen's glue. I'm reading a lot of good reviews.

The little 3mm one seem to stick really well. The 7mm are the problem.

The thing is my rhine stone pattern is very simplistic and is not used like a Christian Audigier shirt where if you lose 1 stone you can't really tell.


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## sjidohair (Apr 9, 2008)

Rex , did you make a big enough hole for the 7mm.?


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## ReX357 (May 3, 2010)

Yep everything is appropriately sized for each rhinestone size. I'm just gonna do the glue thing I think. That Aleen's glue supposedly can withstand washing and all that stuff. I don't have an enormous amount of rhinestones to do on each shirt anyways.


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## sjidohair (Apr 9, 2008)

Rex,, its pretty good stuff, 
That is how i used to make my rhinestone decals,, on window cling,, 
and license plates,, and stuff


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## lizziemaxine (Nov 14, 2007)

SandyMcC said:


> Aileene's has a number of different glues... can you tell us which one in particular you are using? (Thanks in advance!)
> 
> One of them... Aileene's Tack It Over and Over is great for the cutting mats we use with the KNK's and ACS cutters. It's a repositionable adhesive and you mix it 50/50 with water and then put a VERY thin coat over the top of the mat. The amount of stickiness is perfect for rhinestone rubber, fabric and most cardstock brands.
> 
> Anyhow, the one you're using would be the opposite... VERY permanent and I would love to know which one you use. I have some crafting friends who tried gluing rhinestones to shirts years ago, with mixed results. I don't remember what glue they were using. It mostly worked, but you still typically lost 1 or 2 stones with every washing... not good unless you just enjoy re-gluing more stones after every wash! lol


I use Gem Tac that I bought from The Rhinestone Guy. I have never found it locally. Aileene's is just one of the brands I know they do sell at the craft stores.


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## irish (Dec 13, 2008)

Rex, does your applicator have a flat head that you can use. Mine does and I found that with some stones, this works the best. It takes a bit longer to thoroughly heat the stone to activate the glue, but they will stick. Being a flat head it is just on the top flat surface of the stone and won't touch your foil.


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## ReX357 (May 3, 2010)

Hey Irish,

Yes that's what I was using. That flat head is called a "hotspot". Problem is it doesn't work so well with 7mm rhinestones cause they are so big.

Thanks for the reply!


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## irish (Dec 13, 2008)

Rex, I'm sorry to hear that. 7mm would be a 34ss and those are exactly the stones I used mine on. The only thing I can think of is that different brands of wantds might heat differently. I will have to dig mine out and see what brand it is. Now you have me curious


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## sjidohair (Apr 9, 2008)

It could also be the glue on the back of the stone,, 
Get ahold of whom you purchased your stones from and let them help you trouble shoot,, 

I have simple rules and they go like this, when having issues with stones

1. heat not hot enough

2. heat to hot and dried out glue

3. garment holds to much moisture or has dust on top of fibers and will not let glue melt into the fiber

4. bad batch of glue.

MMM


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