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My demo/now upline has used it now and then through the years at her workshops. She ALWAYS heated it with a heat gun.
I never bought it because it seemed an awful challenge to get it uncurled and flat and hold it while it went crazy before turning into what it was supposed to be.
So now I'm a demo and ordered it and the directions say to bake it, nothing about using the heat tool.
__________________ Kathy Wrose "Fun must be always." - Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks "It was fun." - Kirk, Star Trek: Generations
A demo friend showed it to me and that's the only way I've seen it done - with the heat gun. If you have some chop sticks or something to kind of hold it with. You can build a little box with cardboard lined with foil. Then immediately right after you shrink it flatten it out with the bottom of a flat drinking glass.
I'm curious to see if people bake them how they flatten them out afterward.
I bake mine-I am heat gun/shrinky dink challenged! All my heat gun "dinks" have just balled up and stuck to themselves.
I turn on my oven light when I put the tray in, and just watch them carefully. They will curl up at first, but in a few seconds begin to flatten out. At that stage, I remove them from the oven, and put something on top immediately, and they flatten out nicely.
I've heard that it you put a little cornstarch on the polyshrink it won't stick to itself. Never tried it tho. I use a heat gun, then press down on it with whatever I have handy. It's usually an ink pad.
__________________ Jennifer
I am only as strong as the coffee I drink, the hairspray I use and the friends I have.
If you can't get rid of the skeleton in the closet you might as well take it out and let it dance. George Bernard Shaw
It is really easy and fun to use. Just use a deep baking pan or pot ( I use a double broiler) then start heating away with your heat gun. If it flies around too much just use a fork or chop stick to gently hold down. Keep heating until it flattens out completely. It is ok if it folds up onto itself because it will flatten out as you keep heating. It is really a kick to watch it turn into a cute little charm. Use a normal size hole punch ( 1/4") to punch hole in before you start or can leave plain and attach to card with tacky glue. I use stazon ink to ink image onto poly shrink. You can color in image with TP and stazon too. Just make sure your image is completely dry before cutting out and shrinking. Whew........did I answer all your ?'s. Have fun! Nancy
I kind of like the polyshrink. The loads of love truck is just too darn cute in miniature!! Colorbox has a video on different things that you can do with it. They suggested that you lightly sand it with 300 grit sandpaper to prepare it for stamping/coloring. You can heat it in the oven if you want. Personally I use the heat gun because it is faster. Last year I learned a little trick at Rubber Rama in St. Paul....you use an acrylic block (like you'd have for UM stamps) and use that to flatten the hot shrink plastic. My work surface is covered with paper and I try to keep the stamped/colored side if the image facing up to prevent sticking to the paper on my work area. That works pretty slick. I also use that to "hold" the plastic in place while I am shrinking it.
__________________ Have an awesome day!
Loretta Rathert~
Last edited by basurok; 09-09-2005 at 12:30 PM..
Reason: forgot something
I only ever use a heat gun, I haven't got the patience to bake it. There are a couple of tips I can pass on.
First, either buy presanded shrink plastic or sand it lightly either with a sand block, or with very fine sand paper. I have never had my shrink plastic stick if I have done this. In fact, even if I haven't done this it doesn't stick.
Secondly, once it has shrunk sufficiently it will straighten back out and I then hit is with the wood part of a stamp to flatten it. If it has cooled you can heat it back up again until you get the required shape. So you can flick up butterfly wings for example.
Thirdly, I shrink it in an ovenproof ramekin, I have never had it shatter and it stops it from flying round a table. You could also hold it with a piercing tool or tweezers.
I botched the poly shrink a couple times myself. But now I got it the key is to put something on it before it gets too cool.
I used the What's for dinner recipe card size. Wrote the recipe out with the journaler marker. Shrank it. Sprayed it with acrylic sealer. And then put a magnet on. I give these to my hostesses.
Oh and the first time I used it I forgot to sand it. Then the design just rubbed off. :razz:
Have a good day !!!
Melanie
I use my toaster oven set to 275� if I am doing alot of pieces, it works really quick. I cut a piece of card board (like the back of a notepad) that fits into the oven as a base. No sticking.
Sanding is great, except on the clear - it turns it cloudy.
Stazon is a great ink to use on PS but the Fluid Chalk inks are great as well.
If you are making charms - don't forget to punch a hole before shrinking!
__________________ A bad day stamping is better than a good day house cleaning! Karen D My Etsy store
I use my toaster oven set to 275� if I am doing alot of pieces, it works really quick. I cut a piece of card board (like the back of a notepad) that fits into the oven as a base. No sticking.
!
Yep! My toaster oven has never failed me. I've done my kids b-day parties where the attendees make keychains, zipper pulls etc. I've seen different directions for PS and the one that made most sense is that heat needs to be even across the product. I actually turn my little baking pan bottom side up and put a piece of brown paper bag (with the corner turn up for easy pulling out). The back side of a notepad would work too...I'll need to try that next time. The PS shinks in less than 20 seconds!
I NEVER sand it. Fabrico inks, stazon, fluid chalk, chalks w/blender pens all work well on PS. Sharpies will work--but when they shrink the colors are way dark, darker than I like. I saw PS shrunk with a heat gun once. I decided it was too time intensive for me. I like doing a whole pan full at one time! Poly shrink is just a too fun product!
I always bake mine but I am usually doing a cookie tray full of items. It works very well. Once I am done, I will cover the inked side with Versamark and clear embossing powder and heat them with my heat gun. That seals the color in and gives it a nice shiny finish.
I always bake mine because I am always making cards in bulk, so that saves time! If you ever have a problem with sticking, you can always reheat and it will flatten! I loved shrinky dinks when I was a kid and even more now!
OMG....Shrinky dinks kick butt!!! I cannot step away from this new technique!!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by scrappinkar
I always bake mine because I am always making cards in bulk, so that saves time! If you ever have a problem with sticking, you can always reheat and it will flatten! I loved shrinky dinks when I was a kid and even more now!
If you read the directions, it says you should not bake the polyshrink directly on a metal pan. I personally use a little scrap of cardboard. I always bake in the oven at 300 degrees so the heating is consistant and that makes it shrinks slowly so it doesn't curl. If you use Sharpies to color your project but it is too dark, you can put a little rubbing alcohal on a cotton ball and wipe some of it off. It will still be the color you wanted, just lighter. ;-)
Rachel
If you use Sharpies to color your project but it is too dark, you can put a little rubbing alcohal on a cotton ball and wipe some of it off. It will still be the color you wanted, just lighter. ;-)
Rachel
GREAT TIP! I use rubbing alcohol to remove sharpie/stazon...and never thought to use just enough to lighten it! Thanks for that tip! TFS
Hi - I've used the heat gun before and if you hold it with a tweezer or the tongs in the tool kit then have a flat glass close and flatten it right after you move the heat gun off of it. It should work fine. I think the oven method would be too difficult if you don't have an oven at your workshop or stamp camp.
Good luck!
Okay so if your not supposed to cook it on a metal pan - why do they give you metal pans in the kids shrinky dink maker?
We had tons of fun at our last birthday with the machine (from a garage sale never used since they had not picked up the light bulb it needs that was not included in the box)
I found a couple things - die cuts work great - we cut circles out for all the kids and they stamped on them with stazon and colored with colored pencils
Dad got a key chain with one for fathers day and it is still looking as good as new.
I have some fake crystal effects that I have added after shrinking and it makes the image look clear.
Make sure whatever you use to flatten them is really flat or go for something with a great texture if you want texture. I used something with a few small defects in it and they came out on the shrinked art. I also acidentally used a wire cooling rack... that left some interesting designs. Now, if I had done it on purpuose I might have enjoyed them!
The colors and clear will give you different looks - so if you don't like one type try another.
__________________ Kyloe
The lesson from Charlie Brown: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.
You are using a machine with a light bulb to shrink the shrinky dink, I think? And we are putting the polyshrink into a real oven. I'd guess that they are basically a little different.
My polyshrink does indeed say to bake on a cardboard or teflon sheet, and "avoid baking on bare metal."
__________________ Kathy Wrose "Fun must be always." - Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks "It was fun." - Kirk, Star Trek: Generations
I bake mine-I am heat gun/shrinky dink challenged! All my heat gun "dinks" have just balled up and stuck to themselves.
I turn on my oven light when I put the tray in, and just watch them carefully. They will curl up at first, but in a few seconds begin to flatten out. At that stage, I remove them from the oven, and put something on top immediately, and they flatten out nicely.
HTH
Ditto. This is exactly what I do too! Though, I've rarely had to flatten them after they come out of the oven. They seem to flatten themselves as they cool.
Another polyshrink question
Nancy
