How to bedazzle a tumbler

What to know first

A tumbler is a hard, smooth metal surface — normally an easy glue job. What changes everything is that you drink from it. The B7000 glue packed with most jelly kits is a generic solvent adhesive that isn’t made for anything near food, and experienced makers report it yellowing and letting go. E6000’s own safety data sheet says to keep it away from food and drink too. So the design stops short of the rim, the glue cures fully before use, and the tumbler never goes in the dishwasher, where heat and detergent attack the bond.

The other surprise is the count: a full 30 oz tumbler takes around 7,200 stones, several times more of one color than a mixed 40-color tub contains.

What you need

• Stainless tumbler with a straight or gently tapered wall
• 3 mm resin rhinestones (single-color bags for the main color)
• E6000-type adhesive, or two-part epoxy
• Fine sandpaper (around 220–320 grit) and isopropyl alcohol
• Wax pick-up pen and tray
• Painter’s tape to mark the rim line
• A cup cradle or a rolled towel to hold it on its side

Step by step

1. Remove the lid and straw and set them aside. They are not decorated.
2. Mark a line with painter’s tape a couple of centimeters (about an inch) below the rim. Nothing goes above it.
3. Scuff the powder coat lightly and wipe with isopropyl alcohol. Let it dry.
4. Lay the tumbler on its side in a cradle so the working area is flat.
5. Start with a straight vertical row next to the handle or seam, so the pattern has a clean start and end.
6. Glue a small patch at a time and place stones in honeycomb rows. Rotate as you go.
7. Remove the tape before the glue under the edge cures.
8. Leave it to cure in a ventilated room for the full time on the glue, then wash by hand before first use.

Avoid

• Stones or glue on the rim, lid or straw
• The dishwasher, microwave and freezer
• Super glue: it clouds stones
• Leaving it in a hot car, which softens glue