How to Glue on Rhinestones With Beeswax
Although crystal, glass and plastic rhinestones add pizazz to a project, many crafters and jewelers have experienced the difficulty of gluing and positioning the tiny embellishments to a surface. The difficulty only increases---as does the frustration and physical strain---when working on complex designs, large projects featuring minuscule rhinestones, or a large number of rhinestones on a small surface. However, making or buying a beeswax beading stick can ease the difficulty of working with rhinestones.
Things You'll Need
- One-fourth pound beeswax
- Water
- Rhinestones
- Glue
- Wax paper
- Toothpicks
- Pencil
- Knitting needle (optional)
- Cotton swabs
- Tissues
- Plastic beading wand
Instructions
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Beeswax Stick
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1
Warm a one-inch square of hardened natural beeswax. Warm the wax in your hand or between two hands until the wax is pliable. To warm the wax more quickly, place it under a stream of hot tap water for 30 seconds. If the wax remains too hard, repeat the process in 30-second intervals until it is soft.
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2
Roll the softened beeswax into a stick that is no more than one-fourth of an inch thick. Mold the stick to a length that will work well for your hand (typically, the stick will be no less than two inches long). Add additional warmed wax to thicken or lengthen the stick as needed to achieve a comfortable fit for your hand and work style.
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3
Allow the beeswax stick to cool. Depending on the thickness and length of the stick you have made, it can take anywhere between one to five minutes to completely cool. Once the wax has hardened again, repeat the warming process with only the tip of the stick using your fingertips.
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4
Touch the tip of the beeswax stick to the top of a rhinestone so that the rhinestone sticks firmly to it.
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5
Apply glue to rhinestone while holding it with the beeswax stick. If you're using hot-fix or adhesive-backed rhinestones, carefully remove the paper from the back of the rhinestone while holding it with the beeswax stick.
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6
Place and position your rhinestone. Use a toothpick or your fingernail to hold the rhinestone in place as you pull the beeswax stick away from the top of the rhinestone. Continue placing rhinestones in this fashion until your project is completed.
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7
Wrap your beeswax stick in wax paper to store it for future use. To re-use it for your next project, unwrap the stick and warm the tip with your fingers before beginning to work.
Beeswax Tip
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8
Roll a small amount of beeswax between your hands until it warms or place it under hot water. Once the wax is pliable, form it into a tiny ball no larger than the head of a cotton swab.
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9
Stick a toothpick, pencil head or the pointed tip of a small knitting needle into the ball to make a beading wand with a beeswax tip.
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10
Touch the beeswax tip firmly to the top of a rhinestone so that it adheres to the wand. Apply glue to rhinestone while holding it with the stick. If you're using hot-fix or adhesive-backed rhinestones, carefully remove the paper from the back of the rhinestone while holding it with the stick.
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11
Place and position your rhinestone with a toothpick. Use a toothpick or your fingernail to hold the rhinestone in place as you pull the stick away from the top of the rhinestone. Continue placing rhinestones in this fashion until your project is completed.
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12
Remove the beeswax tip when finished and store the remainder in wax paper for future use. If you created a beading wand with a toothpick, wrap both items, still attached, in the wax paper.
Plastic Beading Wand with Beeswax Tip
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13
Purchase a package of plastic beading wands that have rounded beeswax tips at one end of each wand and a pointed tip at the other.
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14
Remove the wand from the packaging, and set the wrapper aside.
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15
Check the "tackiness" of the beeswax tip by attempting to pick up a rhinestone. If it doesn't initially work, warm the tip by following the instructions in Section 1, Step 1.
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16
Follow the instructions to the Beeswax Stick and Beeswax Tip sections of this article to pick up your rhinestone, apply glue or expose the adhesive on the back of the rhinestone, and place and position the rhinestone.
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17
Allow the beeswax tip to cool and harden after the project is finished. To store for future use, place the beading wand back into the package or wrap the tip with a small piece of wax paper.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Never warm your beeswax under extremely hot water or in the microwave since the wax can melt to liquid form and become unusable. The overheated wax may also scald your skin.
Rhinestone surfaces can become dull and reflect less light after contact with wax. After the glue has dried, lightly wipe away any beeswax flakes or smudges with a dry cotton swab or tissue.
