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How To Crystallize a Champagne Flute / Wine Glass

Step by step tutorial showing how to crystallize a wine glass / champagne flute with flatback crystals

Published by: Crystal and Glass Beads – Author: Khaled Alwan

How to Crystallize a Glass Tutorial Equipment Needed

Equipment Required
1. Crystals – for this tutorial I have used ss12 and ss9 Flatback Non-hotfix crystal rhinestones. You can find the flatback crystals needed here
2. Gemtac Adhesive – alternatively you can use e6000 if you have it. You can find Gemtac here
3. Cocktail stick – for applying the adhesive or something similar.
4. Cotton Handkerchief / cloth – or something similar to clean the glass with.
5. Rubbing alcohol – to de-grease the surface of the glass.
6. Piece of paper with writing on – this can be printed, or hand drawn.
7. Crystal Katana – to pick up the crystals or magic pick mini is an alternative. You can find applicator tools here

 

Adhesives Choice ::
So why have I used gemtac and not e6000? While both adhesives work nicely for this project I like the fact that:
i.. Gem-Tac is not toxic
ii.. It’s also self levelling and shrinks when it dries/cures
iii.. With e6000 if you pull off a corner of the adhesive it will all come off in a sheet, this doesn’t happen so easily with Gem-Tac (Please note e6000 gives a good bond and doesn’t come away easily so if you do decide to use over gemtac the bond strength shouldn’t be a concern..

 

Preparation
1. Using the cotton cloth/handkerchief wipe over the outer surface of the glass with some alcohol to remove any grease or marks.

Prepare/layout the crystals for crystallizing the glass

2. Lay out the flatback crystals faceted size up, for this tutorial I have used ss12 which are 3.2mm in diameter so are a nice size not too big or small.

 

Start the Tutorial

Add some adhesive to the glass

3. Using the cocktail stick (or something slim) apply a short thin line of adhesive for the crystals to be added to.

How to Crystallize a Glass Tutorial Equipment Needed

4. Using the applicator tool pick up the first crystal and place onto the adhesive at the rim of the glass. For this tutorial I have used a Crystalkatana which has a wax tip one end and chrome positioned on the opposite end of the tool. It’s by far the best tool for working with any size crystal but cost a bit more than some of the others, so if you are on a budget, you can opt for a jewel setter or magic pic mini if not I highly recommend the Katana (you wont be disappointed ; ) With the crystal in place using the chrome positioner or an orange stick gently press the crystal down so that it get’s a good bond with the glue.

First few crystals added to the rim of the champagne flute

5. Continue making your way around the rim of the glass adding a line of adhesive and then some crystals until the first row of crystals is nearly complete.

Complete first row of crystals

6. Fill in the gap to complete the 1st row (what if the gap is a little too big or small? see below). Have used a black backing under the glass to make it easier to see the crystals.

Complete first row of crystals

7. When it comes to the end of the row if you are lucky and the last crystal fits perfectly into place there are no worries,  if it doesn’t and there is a gap you have 3 choices:
a. If the gap is just slightly smaller than the crystal size you have been working with use a smaller crystal to fill in the gap (this way there wont be much difference between the 2 crystal sizes).
b. If its a small gay rather than fill in the space with a tiny crystal which can stand out on the base of a glass it’s sometimes better to space out some of the surrounding crystals so that the gaps aren’t so noticeable see 3, 3b, 3c and 4. above. c. The third option to filling the gap is to use 2,3,4 etc slightly larger crystals the number you use will depending on the gap size, as they are only slightly larger than the main crystal using a few should fill the gap nicely without being noticeable.

Start Second row of crystals

8. Start the second row of crystals offset between 2 crystals from row 1.

Second row of crystals complete

9. Continue adding adhesive then crystals to complete the second row, then onto the third etc.

Continue adding the second row of crystals

10. That’s the first 4 rows of ss12 crystals complete.

View of crystallized wine glass rim

11. Continue adding crystals.

Start first row of smaller crystals - Crystallizing Glass Tutorial

12. Now that the stem is starting to get steeper and narrower we are going to change crystal sizes and swap from ss12 (3.2mm) and downscale to ss9 (2.6mm).

4 rows of smaller crystals completed - Crystallizing Glass Tutorial

13. Continue adding crystals.

How to Crystallize a Glass Guide

14. That’s 16 rows of ss9 crystals complete again each row is offset. Continue adding rows of crystals until you reach the end of the glass stem then you can either stop or continue onto the top of the  glass itself. For this tutorial we have continued adding a some crystals in a scattered fashion.

Completed Crystallized Champagne flute neck closeup

15. Completed closeup of base and stem.

Completed Crystallized Champagne flute full glass view

16. Completed Glass.

Thank you for viewing the How to Crystallize a Champagne Flute Tutorial we hope you found it useful and welcome your feedback. You can view our full range of Swarovski crystals here

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34 comments

  1. hi, i was wondering will gemtac come off faster? i currently use E6000 for wine flutes but gemtac is non toxic so should b a better just wondering cause i don’t want the crystals to come off faster, it will spoil the show..
    Thanks
    Simranpal Kaur

    • Hi Simranpal Kaur
      Many Thanks for commenting. Iv’e previously tested crystals on glass to see which gave the best bond, for the test I applied the crystals to a sheet of glass let it set for 48 hours then filled up a bath with warm soapy water and placed the sheet of glass into it. Both the gemtac and the e6000 had no problems at all I tested scratching the crystals off after each hour (for the first 4 hours only) and left for a total of 12 hours of soaking after which the crystals were still firmly bonded. The reasons I like the gemtac are that it’s self levelling so if the adhesive is a little thick in one part it will shrink back as it dries, it’s non toxic and I found it harder to scratch the adhesive off glass than e6000. Both work well but my personal preference is gemtac.

  2. Hey how do you wash the glasses would it be in warm soapy water or how do you cure them?

    Also if you put martha stewart paint and crystals on how do you cure the glass?

    -thank you

    • Hi Jana
      Before adding the crystals to the outside of a glass I wipe over the surface with Alcohol to clean away any grease and then you can wash them with warm soapy water. If the water gets too hot and you soak the glass the adhesive will soften buy it goes hard again once it cools (gemtac). Its best to wash by iteslf before anything else goes in the bowl so no crystals are knocked off. I haven’t tried Martha Stewart paint sorry but had a look online and there seems to be some useful information here http://www.plaidonline.com/eduPDF/MSGlasscuringinstructions.pdf

      • Thank you so much for replying to my question so how would you clean the crystallised glass when it’s been used?

      • Hi i am going to undertake a project of strassing some champagne glasses but wanted to know if i should scratch the surface of the glass with sand paper to make the glue bond better? Or does it not make much of a difference?

        • Hi Scratching the glass would certainly provide a better bonding surface but the downside is that you will likely ruin the glass, so I would just opt to use adhesive on a clean surface which provides a strong enough bond.

    • Hi

      When u have all crystals on the glass do u cover with a layer of PVA to help seal or will that loose the sparkle effect ….

      From Chris

      • Hi Christine No I wouldn’t advise covering the crystals with PVA as the effect will completely disappear, its the facets that make the sparkle and when you cover with an adhesive the sparkle greatly/completely diminishes. You can stick 2 or 3 crystals to a piece of card then try applying an ultra-thin layer of adhesive and see what they look like after a few hours just to be sure as all adhesives are different and the ones I tested just didn’t work well.

  3. Hi

    Can I use a wax stick to apply the crystals instead?

    Thanks x

    • Hi Louise yes if it will pick up the crystals that’s no problem, it may leave a little residue on the crystals depending on the wax but that’s no problem, just wait for the adhesive to dry then buff the crystals with a cotton cloth and the wax will go.

  4. Hi… About how many ss12 crystals did use? How many ss9?

  5. Hi There,

    I was wondering can I use hot fix crystals instead non hot fix for the project.

    Thanks

    • Hi Marichika
      No unfortunately hotfix crystals are only designed to bond with paper, card or fabrics. You would been to use a glue suitable for glass and non hotfix crystals to get a good strong bond.

  6. Hello I have been trying to fix Swarovski Crystals onto a champagne flute for the last week using e6000 glue but I’m having no luck as they keep peeling off, is there anything I could be doing wrong? Ive left to dry for 3 days

    • Hi Kayleigh
      If the glass is at all greasy the glue will peel off, it may be worth washing the glass with washing up liquid, then rinsing a few times with cold water to make sure the bubbles have all gone or if you have rubbing alcohol wipe over the surface. You can remove any of the crystals you have used by using acetone nail varnish carefully peel the glue from the crystals and they will be ready to use again once the acetone evaporates. Iv’e used e6000 on glass a number of times and had no problems so the glass either has a coating or there is a layer of grease preventing the glue from bonding (the grease can be from washing up liquid, handling the glass or from the manufacturing/packing).

  7. Hi, i was wondering how would i wash the wine glass after using it with the crystals? I didn’t wash the glass before i apply the crystals on it but it seems like that are pretty secure. Would that be a problem. The glue i used was swarovski. Thank you

    • Hi Thomasina
      To get the glass clean you can use a soft cloth and warm soapy water, if the glass and crystals are dirty use a soft brush and gently clean the crystals. I’m not sure if by Swarovski glue you mean CG 500, if so its an epoxy glue and either method described will be fine for washing the glass. Just refrain from soaking the glass in very hot water (if you do leave to cool before touching any of the crystals) don’t use a hard bristle brush or any abrasive chemicals that will eat the glue.

  8. Hi Kayleigh
    Was wondering how long the gent av glue takes to set and is it suitable for glitter Thank you x

  9. How long did it take you from beginning to end to complete project?

    • Hi I cant remember sorry but wouldn’t take more than a few hours even if you take your time and haven’t previously crystallized anything.

  10. I want to apply crystals to a board covered in chalk paint.
    Can I do so if the paint has been waxed and cured or should I not wax the paint until after the
    crystals are applied?

    Thanks for your advice,
    Connie

    • If you glue the crystals to the board itself you should bet a strong bond, however if you glue them to the wax I doubt they will take much wear and tear as it’s not a great surface for any adhesive to bond with.

  11. Hi
    How do you get rid of the rest of the remaining glue. I use just a slight amount but there is always a little excess.

    • Hi Diana If I do apply a little too much adhesive I either remove it or wait a minute or two for the adhesive to start to cure and then apply the crystals. Gemtac adhesive shrinks back and flattens as it dries but other adhesives like e6000 don’t, so if you apply an excess you have to remove it.

  12. Hi, how long does it take for gemtac and e6000 to cure please?

  13. Hi,
    This is my first time decorating glass I bought initials that have adhesive on the back of the letter. Should i sea with modge podge over it to seal?

    • Hi Donna, by adhesive do you mean that the back is sticky? if so they will work well as long as you don’t wash the glass and its just for decoration. If you intend to use the glass and wash it multiple times I would recomend using something stronger than a sticky backing. You can use Modge Podge but it will lessen the sparkle of the crystals. Basically its the light hitting the crystal facets that gives the sparkle, when you cover the crystals with a coating it rounds/smooths the surface of the crystals and as such lessens the sparkly effect. You could do a tiny test on the bottom of one of the glasses, add a dot of modge podge, leave to cure and then try rubbing/picking and see how securely it bonds to glass. If it gives a strong bond then when you coat the crystals it will need to seep slightly onto the glass to form any kind of bond to hold the crystals more securely.

  14. Hi, thank you for your tutorials, it’s absolutely amazing for someone who never worked with crystals and gems. I would like to ask you if there is not some sort of crystals banding to apply on glass or metal straight surfaces (i.e. like a glass jewelry box or a plastic mobile phone cover) making the whole process less time consuming.

    • Hi Magda For applying to a flat surface there is crystal mesh or crystal rock which has a plastic backing, but both options are way more expensive than applying loose crystals and may not give you the effect you require. Regards Yasmin

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