glueing on rhinestones

[carolynn]

i bought a costume last month that's encrusted with teeny tiny itsy bitsy rhinestones. i thought it might be a Sahar, but turns out it's by Hisham Oshman. (i'd never heard of him before, but keep your eyes open for him, coz i think he'll be big.)

anyhow, i was concerned about the rhinestones falling off, but now!!!! my question is how do i get them off?!?!? i have to move a hook and i need to clear out some of the stones to make room and i can't get the darn things off!!! how does one remove glued on stones without damaging the fabric? they're on lycra and i'm worried about snagging the fabric.

on the flip side, what glue do they use for this? it's dropped a stone or two and i want to be able to put them back, and no fabric glue i've ever used can hold like this. mind you, i'm not much of a gluer so my ignorance is not to be wondered at, but this stuff is impressive.

[Lauren_]

I've used hot fix rhinestones before, and they have tremendous staying power. I wonder if that's what yours are? I don't know how to remove them, not sure it can be done safely.

[Anthony]

Try E 6000 glue. You can get it a Michaels.
Its great on fabrics.
I know that it is the glue that is used alot on spandex, lycra, silk and all.
I have used for jeans and such.

[sabrinabellydancer]

i would email halla moustafa re: removal. she would know, if anyone does.

for adhesive: i also recommed E 6000. make sure you use gloves and work in a ventilated area. the warning on the tube is quite scary, but the stuff works like nothing else.

[steffib]

If things are hot glued on, I suspect the glue can be softened with heat again - think of removing laminate by using a hotgun (which works, doing that right now in a project). It can't hurt to use a hairdryer carefully and see what happens.