How to use a bedazzling kit

What is in the box

A typical kit has a compartment tub of 3 mm resin stones, one or more tubes of B7000 glue with fine metal nozzles, a wax pick-up pen or two, tweezers and a ridged tray. Pour one colour at a time into the tray and shake it gently: the ridges flip stones face-up so the pen can grab them by the flat back’s opposite side.

Before you start

• Check the glue suits the surface. The kit glue is for decor. For drinkware use the approach in our tumbler guide; for fabric use hotfix or a fabric glue (The best glue for rhinestones).
• Work somewhere ventilated, with the window open. Solvent glues smell strongly for a reason.
• Clean the surface with isopropyl alcohol and let it dry. Scuff glossy plastic or powder coat lightly with fine sandpaper.
• Mark your design with a pencil or water-soluble pen, or print a template.
• Count your colours. A mixed tub has roughly a thousand of each; the How many rhinestones do I need? tells you if that is enough.

Step by step

1. Squeeze a thin, even layer of glue over a small patch. Thin is better: excess glue squeezes up between stones and dries cloudy.
2. Touch the wax pen to the top of a face-up stone; it lifts by tackiness.
3. Place the stone and press lightly. The wax lets go when the glue grips.
4. Work in rows. Start along an edge or outline, then fill inward. A honeycomb (offset rows) packs tighter than a grid.
5. When the pen stops picking up, rub the tip on a scrap of paper or re-sharpen it to expose fresh wax.
6. Move to the next patch before the glue skins over. If it has, add fresh glue rather than pressing stones into a skin.
7. Check the edges and gaps from the side in good light, and fix strays with tweezers while the glue is still soft.
8. Leave it undisturbed for the full cure time printed on the glue.

Mistakes that make stones fall off

• Glue already skinned when the stone went in.
• An oily or glossy surface that was never cleaned or scuffed.
• Stones on a flexing area with a rigid glue.
• Using the piece, or washing it, before the glue cured.
• Silicone or soft plastic underneath: nothing sticks well.

More in Why do rhinestones fall off?.

Making it look professional

Outline first and fill afterwards. Keep stones touching for a “fully bedazzled” look, and use one size for the fill. Ombre designs look best when you blend over several rows. Hide the start and end of each row at a seam, handle or edge.