Undoing E6000 adhesive

Occasionally there are jewelry projects that need a little extra insurance when it comes to holding things in place.  This isn't an issue with setting cabochons since they have a curved top surface and the bezel can be pushed around it to sort of tuck it in.  But when I set something a little less conventional without that curved surface, it can be a challenge to do it in a way that is secure.

Spent shotgun shells are a good example of this; not only do they not curve like a cabochon, they actually have an extra little lip around the top that sticks out farther than the base.  E6000 is a good adhesive for that situation since it's flexible and pretty indestructible. Once it cures, there is no way the shotgun shell is coming out of the setting - it's waterproof and set for good.

But after I made a couple of rings with spent shotgun shells using the E6000 I realized there was a simple way to cut them down farther than I had previously been able to. So I wanted to see if I could undo the adhesive to try the setting again.

I had read that acetone could be used to undo industrial adhesive, so I set up a spot outside and poured some into a small glass container.  I put the ring in and the lid on so the acetone wouldn't evaporate, then soaked it overnight.  The next day I could easily turn the shotgun shell part of the ring and pull it out - success!  I put the ring back into the acetone for a few more hours and scraped all of the E6000 remnants away with a toothpick.  Simple.

I washed it with soap and water to make sure I got all of the acetone off and reset the shotgun shell then did a final polish. I also added a brushed satin finish to the shell - I love it!