Did you even know you could put rhinestones on paper?! You can and you don't even really need to cut a Silhouette rhinestone template. You can put the rhinestones on paper freehand with just a few tools. Today I'm going to introduce you to my favorite rhinestone setter too because they're not all made equally.
I decided to bling out a print and cut card I made for my niece with rhinestones. Now I did actually cut holes for the rhinestones because I wanted the rhinestones to show on both the front and the inside of the card. BUT you don't have to do that. You can just put them right onto the paper where you want them. This also works if you're applying rhinestones to shoes, ribbon, wood, or fabric.
Silhouette makes a rhinestone setter..but ehhhh it doesn't very work. It just doesn't get hot enough to melt the adhesive on the back of the stones and it doesn't pick up the stones. It's just ehhh...so skip it.
What does work is the Darice Rhinestone Setter Hot Fix Applicator which I picked up from...Amazon (duh). This setter isn't battery operated like the Silhouette rhinestone tool. Instead, it's corded which I think makes a difference in how hot it gets.
You'll also notice it comes with several screw-on tips. Some of the tips are flat and some are indented at the tip and have a little split. I'm going to show you how to use both and then you can decide which method you prefer. They both work equally as well for our purposes of applying rhinestones.
Before you plug the rhinestone tool in, select the tip you're going to use and screw it into the tool. Each sip has a size on it that coordinates with the rhinestone sizes. I'm using 10ss rhinestones so screwed in the 10ss tip.
Let the tool warm up for a good 5 minutes. The rhinestone you want to pick up should be on a flat surface with the stone side facing up. Press the tip of the setter onto the stone so it can pick it up. Leave the stone in the rhinestone tool for about 5 seconds as you watch for the adhesive to start melting.
When it does - that's when you want to put the rhinestone on the surface: paper, fabric, canvas, etc.
Now that problem is how to release the rhinestone from the setter. This is where a super fine pair of needle nose tweezers are necessary. Slide them into that little slit to hold the rhinestone down while you pull up on the rhinestone tool.
You'll have a second to move the rhinestone slightly before the glue melts.
Rhinestone heat setter method #2 is using the flat tips. (If you're swapping tips be sure you turn off the rhinestone tool and let it completely cool before you swap tips.) Screw one of the flat tips into the rhinestone setter and again let the tool warm up.
Use a pair of tweezers to put the rhinestone into place on the surface.
Then use the hot flat tip in the Rhinestone hot fix wand to press directly onto the top of the rhinestone for a few seconds giving the adhesive a chance to warm up.
When it cools down and dries again, the rhinestone will be adhered to the surface.
Either way you choose to apply the rhinestone, this rhinestone setter seemed to work really well. It got super hot which is what is needed to ensure the rhinestones stay in place. It's a great little tool for when using and iron or heat press just isn't possible or isn't convenient.
Here's what it looks like when I open my card! Cute, right?!
This setter works for adding rhinestones to not only paper, but also wood and fabric...and while of course we recommend a Silhouette CAMEO machine, you don't have to have one to use the rhinestone setter!
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