Remove the belly ring if you have already tried it on. 

     Do not cut it while you are wearing it.

      Remove the top ball and snip the end to the desired length. Use clean and sharp scissors and cut it on a sharp diagonal.  Do not cut it straight across.  Do not take off the end with the charm.  Always removed the top ball to shorten.   

      *If you have a maternity belly ring, be sure not to cut it too  short.  You  want to leave plenty of growing room.

     Push the ball firmly back onto the bar and turn slowly until you feel it catch.  It may take you a few tries to get it right.  Don't worry if the ball looks a little crooked.  PTFE is very flexible.  It will look great when you are finished.

      After you feel the catch, twist the ball on and off a few turns to set the new threads in the PTFE

     Take the ball completely off and sanitize your belly button ring with warm water and antibacterial soap, then you are ready to wear your new flexible belly button ring.

Rethreading PTFE for Acrylic Balls 

The process is the same for rethreading the acrylic balls.  These have no metal inserts and are a little harder to work with than the steel balls.  If the balls are 2 different sizes, I recommend removing the large ball and rethreading that end.  The easiest way to do this is to use a steel ball to "set" the new threads in the PTFE and follow the instructions above.  Then you can replace the acrylic ball.

The PTFE can sometimes become stripped out.  If this happens, the ball will not stay on.  Instead, it will keep on turning and not catch.  If this happens, don't worry.  Simply cut a tiny bit off of the end at a sharp angle and try again.                 

                                                    Be sure to push the ball down onto the PTFE as you turn it. 

When sanitizing acrylic belly button rings, DO NOT use alcohol. 

It will cause the balls to dry out, crack and split almost immediately.