Decorating Flip Flops and Crocks
Crocks....comfortable, so ugly they look good !
Flip-Flops come in all different varieties...some are made of real rubber, others are some type of vinyl or polyurethane...IF the Flip-Flops are made of real rubber, it is fairly simple to apply rhinestones to them. BUT, if they are made of a vinyl or polyurethane, you can bet their is an acrylic finish applied to the surface. BEWARE, most glues hate acrylic finishes! Therefore, I suggest the following techniques to apply rhinestones to these articles:
PLEASE NOTE: Not all flip flops are created equal! Cheap flip flops from China often "leak" oil out of all plastic parts, especially the "elastic rubber" straps. NO glue will hold stones to this type plastic, for as soon as you remove the oil and glue stones on, more oil will end up on the surface, floating the stones off...this oil can make the glue gummy and, in general, a mess. DO not waste time with cheap flip flops made in China! Just a little helpful hint from Phil...it ain't the glue, it is the flip flop material you are fighting! AND if you have an allergic reaction to the "rubber," DO NOT wear them again!
Prepare straps - Use a used 3M kitchen sponge (green scratcher side, yellow sponge side). Use the green side to "sand" the straps where you will be applying rhinestones. Be sure to remove any shiny finish. You can play it safe by using ammonia in the cleaning process...ammonia dissolves acrylics.
Once the straps are prepared, wipe clean with alcohol and allow to fully dry.
Apply GemTac glue as outlined in "applying rhinestones to Fabrics and other items.
Set stones, one at a time, into glue. Sizes 16SS is the most common sized used for Flip-Flops. Often, two or three rows are used.
Allow to fully dry...I suggest a time of one week for GemTac...this glue continues to gain strength over a period of about 3 months, but I have found that just about maximum strength is reached at about day 7.
You will find GemTac to remain very flexible over a very long period of time. The only thing GemTac does not like is really cold temperatures...as the temperatures approach freezing, GemTac becomes brittle. IF you flex the base at these temps, the rhinestones will probably pop free...so do not wear flip flops when it is freezing (a no brainer, in my opinion).
IF there is a time that an occasional stone is lost, repair is a piece of cake...simply reapply a small amount of GemTac and stick a stone into it, allow to dry, and you are done.
I do not like E6000 glue for flip flops. I have not seen that it holds well, and E6000 dries shiny...I do not like that either.
It appears that the success or failing of Flip-Flop decs is in the preparation of the straps...not most glues, etc.
CROCKS: We have found these to be remarkably easy to decorate...clean surfaces with alcohol ... do this twice to make sure all mold release oil is removed from the surfaces you are going to glue to. USE GemTac glue, follow instructions found under "Gluing rhinestones to fabric and other surfaces" here at Rhinestone Guy...very fast, very easy, and very inexpensive to get a good look from these shoes. Don't be afraid to use shapes from Swarovski, any round stone, and we tend to use smaller stones rather than larger stones...they withstand abrasion better, have smaller surfaces to snag on and be ripped free.
Good luck, and have a good time. Phil Brandt