Removing rhinestones

[Adwiz]

We have a dress with about 2,000 stones on it. The dress is no longer useful, not even for selling, and we'd like to remove the stones. Does anyone know a good way to do that? They are all crystal AB ss20 size.

[samina]

there was a recent thread addressing this -- i was unable to locate it, tho. maybe someone else will have better success.

in it, contracheck said he generally uses acetone to remove rhinestones... he immerses the article of clothing in a bucket of acetone...

[Dancebug]

Do you know what kind of glue was used? If it is Chrisanne glue, you can remove the stones by soaking the dress in water overnight. It is a long proccess because you still have to clean the back of the stones one by one after the stones get loose off the fabric.

I never had any luck with any other kind of glues, though. I never tried acetone.

[Laura]

Since you're about to trash the dress anyway, I suggest filling a bathtub with hot water and soaking the dress until the water cools down to room temperature. Then try to peel the stones off. If they come off, then they were put on with something like Gem-Tac or Chrisanne glue. If not, then you can move on to the acetone trick.

I de-stoned a dress that had been done with Gem-Tac. It took me several days and repeated soakings, but I just kept soaking and picking away at the stones until I got them all off. It was a pain, but it was better than throwing away the dress! I must have recovered several hundred dollars worth of reusable stones off a completely unsellable dress.

[ACtenDance]

Since you're about to trash the dress anyway, I suggest filling a bathtub with hot water and soaking the dress until the water cools down to room temperature. Then try to peel the stones off. If they come off, then they were put on with something like Gem-Tac or Chrisanne glue. If not, then you can move on to the acetone trick.

I de-stoned a dress that had been done with Gem-Tac. It took me several days and repeated soakings, but I just kept soaking and picking away at the stones until I got them all off. It was a pain, but it was better than throwing away the dress! I must have recovered several hundred dollars worth of reusable stones off a completely unsellable dress.

I did the same with one of my partner's dresses where the stones were glued on using gem-tac. Definitely a pain, but well worth the effort.

[meow]

Definitely a pain, but well worth the effort.

Well worth the time as you can save a fortune re-using the stones. But when you peel them off be very careful not to leave the silver backing behind on the material. The stones won't shine/sparkle properly if you aren't very careful. If a stone won't lift easily then re-heat the water - keeping the water warm helps.:D

[waltzgirl]

I've never de-stoned a dress, but I have taken them off other things. Working while the water is still hot made them a lot easier to remove.

[danceronice]

I know that the person who taught me to stone uses acetone, but we both use E6000 as the fixative and I don't think anything else will lift it.

[yanka]

I know that the person who taught me to stone uses acetone, but we both use E6000 as the fixative and I don't think anything else will lift it.

yep - and acetone kills e6000 pretty easily.

[contracheck]

there was a recent thread addressing this -- i was unable to locate it, tho. maybe someone else will have better success.

in it, contracheck said he generally uses acetone to remove rhinestones... he immerses the article of clothing in a bucket of acetone...
Since samina invokes me, I'd like to make some comments on my method. Almost all of my long professional life I used acetone. I have never encountered an incident, but remember that Acetone is one of the most flamable solvents. Do not use it near open flame. I do not use gloves but if you worry about sexy hands and nail polishes, use a pair of gloves because it will take out oils and fats in your skin. Now, about taking off rhinestones from dresses. My coach is a fantastic theatrical art dancer. Her professional partner has to do a lot of acrobatic lifting. You can see their performance at upcoming USBC. She told me that her partner complained about the heaivess of her heavily stoned dress. I guess that every ounce counts to him. She wanted to salvage the thousands of stones but did not care about the dress. I went to Home Depot's paint section and bought a gallon of acetone, put the dress in a plastic bucket, and poured enough acetone to cover the dress. It's best to do this procedure in a yard but you can do it in the bath tub, too. You will see the stones coming off right away regardless of the glue used. Whenthe dress is well soaked, hang it above a tarp, so you can collect the raining beads easily. Any beads that are still on the dress can be detached by stroking them with hands or a comb or a stick. I collect the beads and place them in a large glass jar, add fresh acetone, and shake the jar to remove residual glue, which will be copious. Repeat this washing step several times with fresh acetone till you remove most of the residual glue. In thefinal step, I wash the beads with isopropyl alcohol, which is commonly known as the rubbing alcohol. I end up with thousands of fresh sparkling beads which are as good as new. You may need more than one gallon of acetone but acetone is cheap. Any supermarket sells rubbing alcohol. You can get rid of these solvents by just leaving them outdoor over night or dispose them into used oil collection tank in a garage. it was gratifying for me to see my coach's happy face. She thought that I was some kind of genius. She wants to give me more dresses. I want some free lessons in return but she has not shown me any such sign.

[Adwiz]

Thanks so much. Great advice, especially the detailed response from ContraCheck. I've used acetone before to remove stubborn stickers from windows, so I do know the effect it can have on hands, and the dangers of using it. This sounds like a great solution. Appreciate all the responses.

[Laura]

Question: what kind of protective gloves could one wear while handling the acetone? Obviously it needs to be something the acetone won't dissolve. Thanks!

[and123]

Rubber (latex) gloves are resistant to acetone.

[9dncr]

GREAT thread... I once attempted to take stones off of a choker that I made late at night, thinking that it was a small item I attempted to use tweazers to pry them off! My fingers were not happy. Here I am reading that the stones will "rain" off the item w/ acetone! Now I know, almost wants to make me go out and find something to de-stone and try this approach!

[contracheck]

My fingers were not happy. Here I am reading that the stones will "rain" off the item w/ acetone! Now I know, almost wants to make me go out and find something to de-stone and try this approach!
I know that it's my fault, but "'hail' off" may be better words for this situation; beads fall off like hails from summer sky. I am now a public enemy #1 of rhinestone industry.

[9dncr]

" Hail off " huh? Are your dresses covered in ss30's? Man I need to look at what you have for sale! Ebay will not be happy to hear of this.... :)

[contracheck]

" Hail off " huh? Are your dresses covered in ss30's? Man I need to look at what you have for sale! Ebay will not be happy to hear of this.... :)

As far as I know, normal men don't wear dresses. If you'd like to see my heavily stoned costume, see my Paso Doble jacket in the photos titled "Paso Doble: A Decision at Alamo" in "Member Galleries" in '"Photo Album." I put so many ss20 stones that the jacket weighs a ton now, like a real armor. In this dance, I was a warrior in an epic battle and I was out numbered by 100 to one, as was the case of Alamo. My defeat was a foregone conclusion. Right before the battle, I kill my wife (not the bull) by piecing her heart with a dagger because she preferred dying by her loving husband's hand to being disgraced by the ramapging enemy. Look at the photos in the numbered sequence, then you will get the idea of the unfolding event. I don't sell anything but I am a shameless self promoter.

[Joe]

Say it ain't so!

[9dncr]

:D REMEMBER THE ALAMO!!!!! :D

great pics of your dance= jacket is phenom!

[Me]

I admire a man who will wear rhinestones. :D Every time I tell my partner that I want to stone up one of his Latin shirts he gives me this funny look and backs away slowly...

[contracheck]

Say it ain't so!
This is a little too cryptic for my smalll brain.

[contracheck]

:D REMEMBER THE ALAMO!!!!! :D

great pics of your dance= jacket is phenom!

My coach/partner is one of the best Paso dnacers in the world. Look at her every move, from fingers to toes. While I am full of hot air, she is too humble. Because of her humility, it has taken a couple of yrs for me to appreciate that she is actually a better Paso dancer than Carmen, Karttunen, or Karina. But it takes a man like me to make her shine. In dance, a man is nothing but a frame and the lady is the picture. look at her every move. All our sweat and toile not withstanding we receive no credit.

[Phoenix]

Dear Contracheck, I owe you BIG TIME. I had a dress covered in at least 20 gross of rhinestones I knew I wasn't going to use again. Soaked the whole thing in acetone for about an hour. It's a good thing you warned about using a tarp underneath the bucket, because you were right - the rhinestones came hailing down from the dress with just a couple of shakes. Most of the stones were left in the bucket when I lifted out the dress. I can see why you are Public Enemy #1 of the rhinestone industry.

Now, do you have any tips for sorting all these stones :)

[Joe]

Hire a couple of illegals' kids.

[Me]

DISCLAIMER:

Does not work on hot-fix. (Just found out in my back yard. Oh, adventure!)

[reb]

Dear Contracheck, I owe you BIG TIME. I had a dress covered in at least 20 gross of rhinestones I knew I wasn't going to use again. Soaked the whole thing in acetone for about an hour. It's a good thing you warned about using a tarp underneath the bucket, because you were right - the rhinestones came hailing down from the dress with just a couple of shakes. Most of the stones were left in the bucket when I lifted out the dress. I can see why you are Public Enemy #1 of the rhinestone industry.

Now, do you have any tips for sorting all these stones :)

Contracheck - what an accolade! I've never seen such praise!!:cool:

But it takes a man like me to make her shine..

uh-oh;)

[contracheck]

Contracheck - what an accolade! I've never seen such praise!!:cool: uh-oh;)

Hee, hee, to everythig there is weakness. Glues are weak to acetone and I am weak to praise, especially to an unexpected one from a pretty lady. You also made a major contribution to my dancing. I had a good time with Aleksandr yesterday ordering 2 suits and a vest and a pair of latin pants. He knew you. I don't know how to pay for them. May be rob a bank. If I can't impress the judges with my dance skill, perhaps I can at least impress them with my good look.

[reb]

He knew you. I don't know how to pay for them.
Lose my address - quick!!!!!!

uh, I mean - I'm . . . out of the country right now!
:car:

At the tone, please leave a message
*beep*.

[and123]

DISCLAIMER:
Does not work on hot-fix. (Just found out in my back yard. Oh, adventure!)

Try a heat gun?