Rhinestone expert Matt from The Rhinestone World shows how easily you can start blinging in this training, recorded Live April 2022





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How to Hand Place Flatback Rhinestones
  1. Prep your surface. At a minimum, clean the surface with rubbing alcohol or Dawn dish soap to remove all surface oils. 
  2. If your item can withstand it, sand the surface to give your glue something to cling to. A highly sanded surface creates much more surface area for your glue to grab onto, which helps secure your rhinestones to the final project.  
  3. Clean the surface after sanding with rubbing alcohol. Do not use acetone. 
  4. To pick up the rhinestones and place them on your glued surface, we recommend the Crystal Katana Rhinestone Tool. This tool can pick up rhinestones as small as ss03, which is about the size of a grain of sugar or salt up to a whopping ss40. To use the tool, gently touch the synthetic wax tip to a rhinestone facet and touch the back of the rhinestone to your glue. You can use the metal tip to gently guide your rhinestone or nudge it into the glue.

Rhinestone Glue Tips
Rhinestone tumblers, pens and purses are all the rage right now! You can learn to hand-crystallize items from your own home without having to invest in pricey equipment. To get started turning an ordinary object into a Sparkly work of art the most important item needed is the adhesive. Flatback rhinestones lack the heat-activated adhesive disc that hotfix rhinestones are made with, and are hand placed onto a surface with glue. There are dozens of glues on the market and each has it's purpose and place to be used. Here are some helpful hints regarding rhinestone adhesives.
  • Some glues are toxic and should be avoided at all costs.  As our friend, Master Artist Kellie DeFries aka The Crystal Ninja states, "Due to so many textures & types of items, skill levels, and use conditions, testing is always recommended to find the best bond on your projects." 
  • Some glues are great for glass, plastic and metal, others are designed for Leather and only a few are rated for outdoor use. 
  • Our go-to glue of choice for most surfaces is the Supertite Adhesives Fusion Tack. This glue is Nontoxic, dries clear and is water resistant. Fusion Tack works well on Glass, Plastic, Paper, Metal and Wood projects.
Flatback Rhinestone Tips
You will also need flatback rhinestones to get started hand placing rhinestones to make custom products without using a heat press. Craft stores carry resin or jelly rhinestones which can be great for kids to practice with, as they are inexpensive and made of plastic. If you want super sparkle, The Rhinestone World carries Flatback Diamond Cut rhinestones in sizes ss06 up to ss20. As you get started there are a few helpful hints that will guide your crafting process. 
  • Honeycomb Method = one of the most popular ways to fully rhinestone a custom product is in the Honeycomb method. With this placement method you apply a straight row of rhinestones all the same stone size and the next row nestles into the area between the rhinestones above, similar to laying bricks. The result is a pleasing, uniform pattern of rhinestones covering your surface. 
  • Scatter Method = This method uses multiple stone sizes and colors to create a beautiful, fully covered surfaces with a more abstract pattern 
  • Smaller rhinestones are great as fillers for things like rhinestone tennis shoes, jewelry, and fine detail on custom items. TRW's Diamond Cut Flatback Rhinestone Shoe Kit, includes enough Diamond Cut FlatbackSS10 rhinestones to decorate the trim on a pair of tennis shoes. The kit also has a tube of Supertite Adhesives Fusion Tack, a syringe and two tips to control the bead of glue you apply and a small specialty pencil tool to use to pick up the rhinestones.


Rhinestone expert Matt from The Rhinestone World shows how easily you can start blinging in this training, recorded Live February 2022.