Sorry for the downtime, welcome back!!

Shrink Plastic Fun

Video game craft projects made with MISC supplies...
User avatar
Firehawke
Rank 12 - Yoshi Mario
Rank 12 - Yoshi Mario
Posts: 2501
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2014 12:26 pm

Re: Shrink Plastic Fun

Post by Firehawke »

That keychain is gorgeous!!!
"May we maintain the courage to defy the consensus. May we ever choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong." - President Thomas S. Monson

User avatar
icedragonj
Rank 6 - Tanooki Mario
Rank 6 - Tanooki Mario
Posts: 298
Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2012 11:20 pm

Re: Shrink Plastic Fun

Post by icedragonj »

I haven't used these in years! The prices on amazon.jp are about $50 for 10A4 sheets. Does it cost that much in other countries? Does anyone know of online shops that would ship to Japan?
I am known across campus as "The girl who knits in lectures"

Aegidia
Rank 5 - Frog Mario
Rank 5 - Frog Mario
Posts: 160
Joined: Fri Feb 13, 2015 4:07 am
Contact:

Re: Shrink Plastic Fun

Post by Aegidia »

By pure coincidence, I made a little shrink plastic Baymax the other day. Very cute! It's a bit warped because I followed the instructions on the pack and put it on some aluminium foil, which didn't stay completely flat... but I love it anyway.

I get Craft Pack Shrink Plastic at 7.25 euros for 6 sheets of 20x26 cm. A different brand sells them at 6.95 for 10 A4 sheets, so I'd say $50 for 10 A4 is very expensive.

User avatar
icedragonj
Rank 6 - Tanooki Mario
Rank 6 - Tanooki Mario
Posts: 298
Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2012 11:20 pm

Re: Shrink Plastic Fun

Post by icedragonj »

Aegidia wrote: I get Craft Pack Shrink Plastic at 7.25 euros for 6 sheets of 20x26 cm. A different brand sells them at 6.95 for 10 A4 sheets, so I'd say $50 for 10 A4 is very expensive.
Thanks, I thought it was a bit much. I have found some cheaper options on e-bay, but nothing local. I guess it is not as popular here? Maybe cause no one has ovens :hmm:
I am known across campus as "The girl who knits in lectures"

User avatar
the_antithesis
Rank 1 - Big Mario
Rank 1 - Big Mario
Posts: 19
Joined: Mon Sep 30, 2013 6:33 pm

Re: Shrink Plastic Fun

Post by the_antithesis »

They have ink jet Shrinky Dinks these days. I made a little Pac-man cabinet using them. Don't have a photo, though. It didn't shrink quite right but I super-glued it together and it worked alright.

User avatar
the_antithesis
Rank 1 - Big Mario
Rank 1 - Big Mario
Posts: 19
Joined: Mon Sep 30, 2013 6:33 pm

Re: Shrink Plastic Fun

Post by the_antithesis »

Got some photos of the Shrinky Dink Pac-man cabinet. You can see where it didn't quite shrink evenly so the piece isn't quite square. I also screwed up the back panel by thinking ahead and coloring the part that goes above the bezel black and then gluing the panel in upside down.

This was made using the Paper Arcade paper model and simply cutting out the necessary pieces and gluing them together, which created a lot of waste. Still, it's pretty nifty. If I were to do this again I would make it out of polystyrene from the hobby store and use water slide decals to apply the artwork. Maybe even casting clear plastic inside and putting an LED light in it to make it light up. But that seems like a lot of work.

Image
Image
Image
Image

Tevosa
Rank 2 - Fire Mario
Rank 2 - Fire Mario
Posts: 40
Joined: Sat Jun 19, 2010 12:06 am

Re: Shrink Plastic Fun

Post by Tevosa »

icedragonj wrote:
Aegidia wrote: I get Craft Pack Shrink Plastic at 7.25 euros for 6 sheets of 20x26 cm. A different brand sells them at 6.95 for 10 A4 sheets, so I'd say $50 for 10 A4 is very expensive.
Thanks, I thought it was a bit much. I have found some cheaper options on e-bay, but nothing local. I guess it is not as popular here? Maybe cause no one has ovens :hmm:
If you use a heat gun and a long skewer/something to hold down the shink plastic, you don't even need an oven. Just make sure you're working on a heat proof surface. I'd suggest getting something used for crafting (like embossing cards, drying wet ink or shrinking cellophane basket wraps) instead of the industrial level types which are usually used to strip paint. They don't get anywhere near as hot but if you're paranoid about burning something (yourself or your house) these should be better.

Image

If you're careful something like this would be much faster. A craft show I once went to had a company selling homemade marshmallows. The guy giving out samples was use one of these to toast the marshmallows and it was like they were being put into an open flame.

Image

A hairdryer probably won't work too well as it might not be hot enough.

Clarington
Rank 5 - Frog Mario
Rank 5 - Frog Mario
Posts: 212
Joined: Sun Aug 11, 2013 7:38 am

Re: Shrink Plastic Fun

Post by Clarington »

@the_antithesis - I love the cabinet! I've seen the printer safe shrink plastic and would love to play with it, sadly I don't have an ink jet printer :( The colours look really vibrant and nice on your piece.

@Tevosa - I've wondered about using a heat gun but was worried about whether I could get the piece to shrink evenly. It seems like it could be a great way to help mitigate pieces that really want to curl in on themselves. If you (or anyone else here!) have tried it I'd love to hear your experiences. I don't own a heat gun and am hesitant to go buy one just to test it out.
I'm gettin' bloggy: http://craftscapades.com/

Tevosa
Rank 2 - Fire Mario
Rank 2 - Fire Mario
Posts: 40
Joined: Sat Jun 19, 2010 12:06 am

Re: Shrink Plastic Fun

Post by Tevosa »

You just get something flat and heavy to press down on the piece while it's still warm. If it's cools too fast, hit it with the heat gun again and then flatten it. Here's a video where it's flattened with an acrylic block.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfxTuZHRf6I

This video has more tips on shrink plastic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vcgk7tN6Mgg

Post Reply