Hotfix stone

Introduction

Hotfix or (hotfix stones) are decorations like rhinestone, rhinestuds, nailhead, etc. that can be glued to on textiles or other materials by heating them.

“Flatback crystals which are often called rhinestones have a faceted face one side and a flatback on the opposite side usually with a foiled backing. They are available in a range of materials the cheapest being acrylic and the highest quality and most expensive Swarovski Crystal. They come in a range of shapes and sizes the most popular of which being the circular flatback you can see above which are used for crystallizing such things as nails, lips, clothing, footwear, statues, artwork, gadgets and much more…” (Guide to Using Flatback Crystals (Oct 2, 2017).

According to Wikipedia, “Hot fix rhinestones, also called heat transfer rhinestones, are mainly used for apparel. The flat bottom of the stone has a glue backing and when heated melts onto the surface of the clothing. These can be adhered using a regular iron, however, it is recommended to use a heat press, as they are able to reach higher temperatures (standard transfers require temperatures of up to 180–200 °C (350–400 °F), which regular irons are not capable of) while applying heavy pressures resulting in a more professional standard quality.” (Oct 2, 2017).

Hotfix stone sizes

Rhinestones size are either defined with "ss" (stone size) or pp (pearl plate). PP is a more precise measure.

According to Guide to Using Flatback Crystals (Oct. 2017), as general guide, the following sizes are used:

• ss3 – ss7 : Nail art (7 being the more popular size)
• ss8 – ss10 : Generally used for filler crystals, tiny objects or creating intricate artwork with crystals in conjunction with other crystal sizes.
• ss12 – ss20 : Footwear, clothing or accessorizing gadgets.
• ss30 – ss48 : Clothing especially dance costumes to add some sparkle.

According to Creative Crystal, customers, prefer 4mm (16ss), 3mm (10ss) and 7mm (34ss) in that order.

The procedure for computing the rough amount of stones needed:

• Compute the surface in mm: width X length if you have a square
• Select the stone size in mm
• Divide surface / stone_size

Example: A filled circle of 10 cm (that is quite a lot !) to filled with stones that have a width (diameter) of 5mm.

• Surface of circle formula: radius² * PI
• Surface: 3.14 * 50² = 7854 mm²
• SS22 surface: 5² = 25 mm²
• Stones needed: 7850 / 25 = 314

Size table

The following table includes appromixamte rounded mm values. Various source on the Internet include contradictory information. Do not trust these values, verify with other sources please. Also, different manufacturers, may use somewhat different sizes.

ss	pp	ø mm	Savarovski
000	1	0.8 - 0.9
00	2	0.9 - 1
0	3	1.0 - 1.1
1	4	1.1 - 1.2
2	5	1.2 - 1.3
2½	6	1.3 - 1.35
3	7	1.35 - 1.4	1.4
3½	8	1.4 - 1.5
4	9	1.5 - 1.6	1.6
4½	10	1.6 - 1.7
5	11	1.7 - 1.8	1.8
5½	12	1.8 - 1.9
6	13	1.9 - 2.0	2.0
6½	14	2.0 - 2.1
7	15	2.1 - 2.2	2.2
7½	16	2.2 - 2.3
8	17	2.3 - 2.4	2.4
8½	18	2.4 - 2.5
9	19	2.5 - 2.6	2.6
9½	20	2.6 - 2.7
10	21	2.7 - 2.8	3.0
11	22	2.8 - 2.9
11½	23	2.9 - 3.0
12	24	3.0 - 3.2	3.2
13	25	3.2 - 3.3
13½	26	3.3 - 3.4
14	27	3.4 - 3.5	3.5
14½	28	3.5 - 3.6
15	29	3.6 - 3.7
15½	30	3.7 - 3.8
16	31	3.8 - 4.0	4.0
17	32	4.0 - 4.2
17½	33	4.1 - 4.2
18	34	4.3 - 4.4
18½	35	4.5
19	36	4.5 - 4.6
19½	37	4.5
20	-	4.6 - 4.8	5.0
21	-	4.8 - 4.9
22	-	4.9 - 5.0
23	-	5.0 - 5.2
24	-	5.2 - 5.4
25	-	5.4 - 5.6
26	-	5.6 - 5.8
27	-	5.8 - 6.0
28	-	6.0 - 6.2
29	-	6.2 - 6.4
30	-	6.4 - 6.6	6.5
31	-	6.6 - 6.8
32	-	6.8 - 7.0
33	-	7.0 - 7.2
34	-	7.2 - 7.4	7.0
35	-	7.4 - 7.6
36	-	7.6 - 7.8
37	-	7.8 - 8.0
38	-	8.0 - 8.2
39	-	8.2 - 8.4
40	-	8.4 - 8.7	8.5
41	-	8.7 - 9.1
42	-	9.1 - 9.5
43	-	9.5 - 9.8
44	-	9.8 - 10.1
45	-	10.1 - 10.5
48	-	10.9 - 11.3	11
50	-	11.7 - 12.0
60	-	14.2 - 14.5
63	-	15.0 - 15.2
70	-	16.7 - 17.0
80	-	19.2 - 17.5
83	-	20.0 - 20.2

Software

Embroidery software

Stitch Era includes an optional module for hotfix designs. It can output design stencils or templates that can be printed with different laser and vinyl cutters.

The software allows drawing shapes that then can be filled with slots for stones according to several parameters.

Online auxiliary tools

(to do)

Textiles and hotfix stone varieties

Textiles

Hotfix stones can be applied to variety of textiles. According to Understanding Hotfix by Harman, hotfix rhinestones should only be used when the material it is being applied to has all of the following attributes:

1. Heat resistant (min of 250°F/ 120°C) (e.g most plastics are not heat resistant)
2. Resistant against pressure
3. Porous/Absorbent - it does have any waterproof or other coating that would make it non porous. The water drop test is a quick and easy way to get an initial idea of the absorbency of the carrier material. Apply a couple of water drops onto the carrier material. If the material quickly absorbs the drops, it offers good absorbency. If the water pearls off the carrier material, or if it takes a long time to be absorbed, the material offers insufficient absorbence.

They also provide a list of unsuitable fabrics, e.g. very tightly woven textiles, extremely thin fabrics, smooth leather and smooth imitation leather and water repellant treated materials.

Hotfix varieties

Hotfix Rhinestones come in several varieties and qualities.

• Swarovski Rhinestones are the best quality in any color. They have a 14 facet cut for most of the size from SS10 --SS40. For smaller ones, they use a 12 facet Cut. 100 4mm (SS 16) can cost between 5 and 20 Euros on Amazon.fr
• Preciosa Rhinestones also have a 14 faceted cut in larger sizes and are much cheaper than Swarovski stones, e.g. 350 SS16 cost 5 Euros on Amazon.fr
• DMC rhinestone (Diamant Machine Cut) is a korean rhinestone company or comparatively high quality, but cheaper than Swarovski. E.g. 1000 SS 16 can cost 10 Euros. On AliExpress I have seen offers for 1440 pieces at $5.

Applying hotfix stones

To position hotfix stones, it is best to use a template made with a laser or a vinyl cutter. The template allows positioning of the stones. If you use an iron or a heat press, you can keep the template in place. However, make sure that it is heat resistant, e.g. in particular never use vinyl with PCB inside since burned vinyl releases very dangerous combat gas !

Hotfix stones can be fixed with different methods. All of them are defined by four parameters

• Amount of heat depends on the maker. E.g. Swarovski has a range of 120 °C to 170 °
• Time: E.g. max. 20 seconds for 160 °C and 60 seconds for 120 °C when applied from the front.
• Pressure: A certain amount of pressure must be applied but not too much since otherwise the glue will spread out. Also if you use an applicator the stone can either get stuck in the opening or not stick, i.e. you will have to find a good compromise.
• Side of application (from top or from underneath)

Both time and heat parameters are highly connected. Higher temperature requires less time.

Before using any tool / textile / stone combination for real, do a test !!

Hardware for hotstone application

Probably the best bet for a beginner is to start using a cheap hotfix applicator. Presses are fairly expensive and working with an iron is a bit more tricky.

As a general rule:

• position the fabric on a surface that is heat resistant, e.g. a sheet of metal or a heat-resistant cutting mat
• separate layers of fabric underneath with baking paper, else they may be glued together
• Make sure to heat enough (at least 120 degrees and make sure that the textile will not melt, i.e. do not use plastics)

Hotfix applicators

Hotfix applicators are cheap devices that look a bit like a soldering iron. They allow heating a hotfix stone one by one. It includes removable ends that will adapt to various hotfix forms. Better ones can aspire the stones. A cheap application costs about 10 Euros. One that includes a vacum mechanism is about 100.-

There are two variants:

• Grab a stone from the top. If you are lucky it should stick, then let it heat. As soon as the glue softens or boils, press it down a few seconds.
• Put the stone on the textile. Then then press the hot applicator down.

In both cases, you can apply a very slight rotational movement to make sure that each part sticks. But do not move the stone and do not apply too much pressure.

Ultrasonic devices

This looks an applicator but works with ultrasonic fiction as opposed to a heated end. More expensive. It allows to pick up a stone.

Heat Press

A heat press or transfer press (presse à chaleur, Hitzepresse, Transferpresse) can glue a whole set. Heat presses also can be used to transfer other materials, in particular cut out heat resistant plastics and textiles. A good beginner's machine can cost 400 to 500 Euros, but one can find $200.- models on sale. High end models can cost from 1500.- to 2000.- There are a huge amount of various makers and vendors. Most do not include information about suitability for hot stone application. I believe that one has to take a model that:

• has a large opening or a lateral swivel swing (Schwenkarm) or a drawer style lower plateu. A swivel press is probably best if you plan to improvise a bit. E.g.
• it should provide even pressure and temperature
• it should auto-adjust pressure to uneven textiles with springs and somewhat flexible mats.
• allows height/pressure adjustment, i.e. dealing with the somewhat larger height of hot stones by moving the heat plate up or down with a "pressure knob"
• anti-sticking coating (e.g. teflon)
• 38 x 38cm size should be enough (15x 15)
• Manual (In German)

In addition you may need a silicon mat to put underneath and a teflon sheet (else use baking paper).

The usual procedure for design with lots of hot stones seems to be the following:

• Create a template, e.g. with a laser cutter or a vinyl cutter. Search for "Rhinestone template material".
• Put the rhinestone into the holes and make sure that all are in position. You can use a brush for that. To do so, put a whole big lot of stones over the stencil.
• Once the stones are in place, put a heat resistant transfer paper on top and press it down.
• Put the cloth in the press and (optionally) preheat for 5 seconds to get moisture out.
• If you have two layers of cloth (e.g. a T-shirt), put some baking paper, teflon sheet or similar between the layers. Else, glue will not just glue the stones but also the textiles together ...
• Apply the transfer sheet with the attached stones on top of the cloth. Make sure to aim for the right place and directions. Stretch out the transfer sheet, then press it from the top. Ask a second person for help if needed.
• Heat for about 10 to 20 seconds (needs some more precision)
• Let it cool down entirely, then peel away the transfer sheet.

In order to do this well, you need

• Template material that can be cut either with a cutting plotter or a laser cutter.
  • If you use a cutting plotter, you can buy specific materials from the maker of your cutter, e.g. Cameo sells a rhinestone starter kit.
  • If you use a laser cutter, any material can do, e.g. thin cardboard or acrylic sheets
• Heat resistant transfer material, e.g. search for "hot fix rhinestones transfer paper" (or "feuilles de transfert strass" in french)
  • If you use a laser cutter, make very sure not to use vinyl-based plastics (it will attack your lungs).
• Some backing board
• A brush (e.g. a foam paint brush works well, a toothbrush less well). You also can try soft foam that came with some packing. If you want to buy, search for "rhinestone sweep brush".

Many videos on Youtube explain the process. Most also promote specific products. Search for "Heat Press Rhinestone Transfer".

I wonder if this could be done without transfer paper. I.e. put the cloth in on the heat press, the template on top, the rhinestones inside, then heat and press down. That procedure would need a press that can be sufficiently opened plus heat-resistant template material, e.g. cardboard should do. A variant would be: put the cloth on some thin plate, template on top, brush rhinestones, then move the whole thing into the press, then apply.

Iron without holes

A simple iron (without holes) also can do, heat it to 150°C (that is position 2 on a normal iron). Put cardboard or baking paper underneath the cloth and then put either some baking paper or a flat kitchen towel in between the iron and the stones. Alternatively you can buy more professional fabrics, e.g. teflon-based instead of baking paper. Press it down for about 30 seconds for stronger fabrics.

Links

Various

• Understanding Hot Fix (Harman), retrieved oct 2017
• How to Apply Hotfix Crystals, by: Khaled January 22, 2012, retrieved oct 2017
• How to apply hotfix crystals with an Applicator, Zyneri blogs, retr. oct 2017.
• How to Heat Press Rhinestone Transfers… the right way, Colman, retr. oct 2017.

Heat presses

In french: "presse de transfert", "presse thermique", "presse à chaud". In german: transferpresse, hitze presse, textilpresse

We just ordered a Ricoo T538B heat press and will report once it arrives. The model gets decent enough reviews in various places, e.g. the price/quality+functionality relationship seems to be OK.

If you live in Europe, buying in Germany is probably cheaper. E.g. a same model was 300 on the german and 500 on the french Amazon. Most cheaper models seem to have small problems identified in various online reviews. A good German make cannot be found under 600 Euros.

Other models I had a look at: Low end (with hopefully acceptable quality)

• Craftpress $295.00
• Fenta Pink Hobbypress 270 CHF (30 x 23cm swivel model)
• Fenta Pink-Press, 360 CHF
• Krativegewerbe.dh - 38 x 38 cm Swivelling transfer press, 360 Euros (looks like the Ricoo T438)
• Hobbysqueezy, 250 Euros to 400 CHF (30 x 22cm), full opening, but no timer.
• Profisqueezy, 38 x 38cm, 400 Euros
• Ridgeyard 166 Euros (Amazon.fr)
• HobbyCut AA1-S (230 - 280 €), e.g. from airbrush
• Hyppypress
• Happypress 3. 30 x 21cm, (340 Euros)
• Ricoo Powerdwarf, 300x23 cm, Swivel, 260 Euros
• Ricoo T538-TB (340 €)
• Ricoo T438M (300 to 500 Euros !)

Mid end

• Secabo TC2 (23 x 33cm), 435 Euros
• Secabo C2 (38 x 38 cm), 350 Euros
• Secabo TC5 (38 x 38), 610 Euros.
• Hotronix Digital Clam, $950$