So way back in 2008, one of the first big “experiments in craft” I did for Dabbled was what I called the Shrinky Dink Test Lab.  I had run across the idea for using #6 plastic to make homemade shrink plastic (aka ‘Shrinky Dinks’) at various places on the crafty webs, but I decided to delve a little deeper.  I started with a basic project (Doodle Charm Earrings), and that led to other questions.  What about coloring with other materials like colored pencils?  How do you seal your plastic afterwards so the marker doesn’t rub off?  And successes and failures in all this also led to interesting effects that could be achieved.

So flash forward to 2012.   Blogs are prettier and fancier now, and more professional looking.  We have Pinterest and Facebook and all kinds of visually focused sharing tools.  The technology is cooler now.  Dabbled gets a bunch more traffic than it did back then.  I ran across a really cute tutorial to make a shrinky bracelet and it made me look back  at  these old Shrinky Dink Test Lab posts and they just look so ….old.   Well, I’m not going to totally redo them or anything, but I did think that perhaps an index of them was in order, for better referencing in the future, and maybe some pretty graphics, too –in case you guys..um…I don’t know… wanna Pin this? ;)

Part 1: HOW TO- Doodle Charms – Jewelry from recycled plastic

This section is a good basic tutorial on how to make shrinky jewerly from old takeout containers, with just sharpies, scissors, a hole punch, and a bit of creativity.  Be sure to read the comments, there are extra tips there about how long to heat them, and whether there are issues with fumes, and some other good points.

Part 2: What would happen if..? (The Shrinky Dink Test Lab)

This section is the first of the experiments.  We cover several cool ideas, like drawing on the front and back of the plastic.  Also we tried several ways of sealing the charm, which produced different effects.  You could totally incorporate these effects into your design.  The comments include several good suggestions for other methods of sealing the shrinky.

Part 3: More experimentation in the Shrinky Dink Test Lab

The second day of odd experiments included what would happen if you sealed the shrinky PRIOR to shrinking, as well as a really neat effect using spraypaint.  We also shrink non-flat plastic (the side of a to-go box) and make a ring out of it.  And we combine several of the techniques to make a giant suncatcher, seeing just how big a shrinky we can make!  Finally, we use colored pencils, rather than Sharpies, to color our design.

Part 4 of the Shrinky Dink Test lab: Successful sealing.. maybe

This is the post where the commenters really come through.  Not only do we have the (mixed) results of my sealing using polyurethane, the commenter pipe up with a bunch of other solutions, and several do their own tests to really give us all the data.  If you’re interested in sealing, this is the post to read (including the comments).

Shrinky Dinkies – Special Edition : Make Wraparound Wine Glass Markers

This is not really part of the test lab, but was a fun project tutorial to make temporary wine glass markers.  Plus the idea of doing a shrinky making party with your friends!

Some Other Shrinky Projects:

• Eco-friendly Charm Bracelet
• Christmas Ornament Template and Tutorial

Hope you all enjoyed the shrinky dinks test lab… I sure did!
A reminder, I want to see your creations. If you’re on Flickr, add your pictures to the new Dabbled pool, and/or put a comment here (with a link to your blog) or one of the other Test Lab posts. If we get enough fun stuff, i’ll do a spotlight on readers’ shrinkies :)

Also, be sure to check out the comments, because there are alot of talented people who posted their experiences, especially with sealing, and there is good info to be had.

Here are links to all the posts, for your ease of reading pleasure.

Part 1: HOW TO- Doodle Charms – Jewelry from recycled plastic

This section is a good basic tutorial on how to make shrinky jewerly from old takeout containers, with just sharpies, scissors, a hole punch, and a bit of creativity.  Be sure to read the comments, there are extra tips there about how long to heat them, and whether there are issues with fumes, and some other good points.

.

Part 2: What would happen if..? (The Shrinky Dink Test Lab)

This section is the first of the experiments.  We cover several cool ideas, like drawing on the front and back of the plastic.  Also we tried several ways of sealing the charm, which produced different effects.  You could totally incorporate these effects into your design.  The comments include several good suggestions for other methods of sealing the shrinky.

.

Part 3: More experimentation in the Shrinky Dink Test Lab

The second day of odd experiments included what would happen if you sealed the shrinky PRIOR to shrinking, as well as a really neat effect using spraypaint.  We also shrink non-flat plastic (the side of a to-go box) and make a ring out of it.  And we combine several of the techniques to make a giant suncatcher, seeing just how big a shrinky we can make!  Finally, we use colored pencils, rather than Sharpies, to color our design.

.

Part 4 of the Shrinky Dink Test lab: Successful sealing.. maybe

This is the post where the commenters really come through.  Not only do we have the (mixed) results of my sealing using polyurethane, the commenter pipe up with a bunch of other solutions, and several do their own tests to really give us all the data.  If you’re interested in sealing, this is the post to read (including the comments).

Shrinky Dinkies – Special Edition : Make Wraparound Wine Glass Markers

This is not really part of the test lab, but was a fun project tutorial to make temporary wine glass markers.  Plus the idea of doing a shrinky making party with your friends!

2/09: More Shrinky projects:
Funky cool Bracelet
Shrinky Xmas Ornament
Shrinky Wine glass markers

Go ahead and read below to hear about the experiments (and the comments, some great info there too!), but here is a summary of some of the lessons learned with the various techniques.  What you choose depends on your desired results, and also what you have decorated your shrinkies with:

• Spray Acrylic – As we learned in our previous experiments, this can cause permanant markers to lighten and/or run together.  So use cautiously, or include these ‘bugs’ as features in your design!
• Embossing powder – although several people swear by this, our tester did not have much success.  If you use it anyway for other crafts, and have it on hand, give it a try.
• Polyurethane – my trials with this are documented below.  It is a good option for some projects, but be conscious of the possibility of cracking issues for small items like jewelry that have holes in them.
• Diamond Glaze (or Triple Thick Glaze or Crystal Effects) – Diamond Glaze has consistently good results from testers, and is recommended.  Cons are that it may be hard to find, but I’ve included Amazon Links at the bottom of this post (support Dabbled!).
• Mod Podge: Recommended by a couple of readers, but this was not tested as part of the lab.
• Nail Polish: Apparently works really well, but note that it can yellow over time.
• Spray Poly:  Able to apply a thinner coat than by dipping or brushing, so this might work really well without having some of the downsides of the paint on kind.

Do you have a sealing story to share? Leave it in the comments!

See all 5 installments in this 4 part series! If you’re starting with this one, go read the first several to get to this point.

Also: an Instructable on the original doodle earrings, including some of the lessons learned.

So, I thought I had it all figured out. After some web research, and checking what supplies were in my basement, I figured I’d seal the shrinkies with a jar of Polyurethane.. There are other methods (embossing powder, nail polish, and other stuff–ValGalArt mentioned in the comments that Shrinky Dinks makes something to seal them with) but this seemed like a good bet.

I took two charms (colored front & back), and dipped one (the red one) and painted the coating on the other (green). I then hung the green one to dry thoroughly (the poly needs to cure overnight. This actually worked well, no smearing, colors stayed true. However when I started to take pictures, I noticed that both of them had a tiny hairline crack in the plastic itself, by the hole. I’m not sure if the poly stressed the plastic or what. It seems to be structurally sound (i don’t think it’s going to break at the crack or anything), but still not perfect. So read on..

I figured that the culprit was either hanging them to dry (stressing the plastic more around the hole) or that the top was just too narrow. So I did a few more experiments. “Star” was done as a rounded rectangle, and dipped and hung. No cracking. “Andrea” was done by painting on the poly and letting it dry flat. No cracking. However the yellow “Dominic” was done the same way, and it cracked after I coated one side. So my guess is it’s somewhat hit or miss. The narrow tops of “Andrea” and “Dominic” are just more prone to cracking. But perhaps I didn’t stress the plastic too much when i hole punched “Andrea”. From this I’d guess that the wider rectangle is just less prone to cracking. But it doesn’t seem to matter if you hang them or lay them flat.

So, I appeal to you, my readers, to let me know your results if you try this method, and if you try anything else. Take before and after pics and send them to me and I’ll post them here @ dabbled as a follow-up. I particularly want to see how embossing powder works (it was recommended several places), but I don’t have an embossing gun so I’ll need a volunteer to do that option.

8/8/08 Edit:
Heather Sitarzewski did some sealing research for us! The results:
Better late than never… I tried coating the shrinkies with embossing powder and I ended up with a bubbly, melted mess. So I decided to try a clear embellishing accent called “Crystal Effects” from Stampin’ Up (you can also get something called Glossy Accents from Archiver’s, Hobby Lobby etc.) it worked brilliantly!!! Although I lost the one I did that to… so I’ll have to make more! Will try to post as soon as I have the next batch completed!

Edit: From the commenters:
meggiecat said…
I love shrinky. JudiKins Diamond Glaze in the squeeze bottle works beautifully as a sealer and a glue for multipiece objects.
Lucky Squirrel has a chart about sealers for their PolyShrink product.http://www.luckysquirrel.com/info_sealers.html
Aimee said…
..I’ve used embossing powder on shrinkies before, and it works really well, I think it would be hard to coat both sides though.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this Shrinkies Experiment series! I’ve had a lot of fun trying all this stuff and hopefully you’re now inspired to create some fun stuff from things you would normally throw away.

Oh yeah, and remember, i need validation that I didn’t write all this up for it never to be seen by human eyes… so don’t forget that posting a comment on one of the posts in this series enters you in the drawing to win some of the output of the experiments!

See all 5 installments in this 4 part series!

Not on Amazon: Crystal Effects from Stampin’ Up

• Shrinky Dinky Test Lab – Intro
• Shrinky Dinky Test Lab – Part 1 – How to make Doodle earrings
• Part 2: Experiments
• Special Holiday Edition – Glass markers and a Shrinky Party
• Part 4: Sealing

Tomorrow: How to successfully seal your shrinkies.. maybe…

Part 3 – More experiments:

1) What happens if you coat your shrinky in clear coat, PRIOR to shrinking?
Let’s use the lightening effect to our advantage for an interesting watercolor effect. And create an opaque effect! Note, we did get some cloudyness where the spray top coat was on too thick, but it IS unusual!

2) Let’s color on the back, then spray the back with paint – in this case a black design, sprayed white. Worked really well. If the paint doesn’s protect your design enough, you can now seal it with whatever you would seal the paint with.

3) Let’s color a scrap piece from the side of the box (what a pain!) and make a ring out of it! Fun, silly, and please don’t burn your fingers (follow the same basic instructions as the glass marker project.

4) Let’s see how large a shrinky we can make if we use the whole top of the to-go box, and we’ll use the opaque technique from test (1) to make it an opaque suncatcher. I’m going to hang this with several others as a homemade mobile.

5) Let’s do one with colored pencils! (note: you have to sand the surface to get the pencils to write, I did this with watercolor pencils because that’s what i had on hand.) Not bad, but i don’t like how the clear plastic looks where I roughed up the surface.

Coming Next: How you REALLY should seal your shrinkies.
(See All Shrinky Dinky Test Lab!)

Oh yeah, and you know me, i need validation that I didn’t write all this up for it never to be seen by human eyes… so don’t forget that posting a comment on one of the posts in this series enters you in the drawing to win some of the output of the experiments!

For the 4th of July, my husband and best friend were running the Peachtree Road Race, so I decided to have brunch at my house and invite over friends for mimosas and food. Since we were doing mimosas (champagne and OJ for the uninitiated), i figured everyone would be drinking out of stemmed glasses and they’d get mixed up, so what about making some fun, temporary glass markers using shrinky dinks. I made up 6 the night before on a whim, and they were quite loved by all, but the funny part was that the morning turned into a shrinky dink party as everyone wanted to try and make their own (both more glass markers, and other fun stuff).

So, here’s the skinny on the so cool glass markers:

These are definitely temporary/disposable, as the only way to remove them is to break them off. But they were quick and easy, and would be great for a party, shower, or something like that. You could do them all personalized with people’s names, even.

Basically, you follow the basic shrinky dinks from #6 Plastic containers (like to-go boxes) from Parts 1 & 2. Do a long thin strip (about 3/4 in wide), write whatever word (or whatever) you want on one side, then color in on the back as you like. For this I did some 4th of July themed, like “Liberty” above, and some more silly (like a gay flag with Tipsy in the center for a particular friend). Shrink as directed, but as soon as it’s done (while it’s still ‘burn your fingers’ hot) take it out and quickly wrap it around the stem of a stemmed glass before it cools. (you should probably wear gloves for this, but i didn’t, i just did it quick.)

For brunch, everyone thought they were so cool they wanted to get into the action, so they were all taking the scraps i had left and making their own. A shrinky dinks party would be a pretty cool party in itself!

The Party-goers get into making their own!

The Shrinky Dink Test Lab – Part 2

After I finished making the doodle charms, I sat down to write up the tutorial… but I got distracted thinking about what other things I could try. These are the first of the results. Includes instructions for making charms with a different technique.

Test 1: Coloring on the front and back.
One of the difficulties in coloring the Doodle Charms was that the black sharpie would smear when you touched another color to it. Not a huge deal, but I figured i’d see how it would be to do the black design on the front, and then color it in on the back. For this example, I did a set of wine charms.

Follow the detailed directions from Part 1, but draw your design on the front, and color it on the back.

See Photo above for a step by step.

Results: Very nice! an interesting 3D effect, and easier to color. Try to make sure you color all the back and don’t leave blank spots.
So, this was successful (and easy) but I wanted more!

Test 2: What really happens if you try to seal them with the stuff you have lying around the house?I had read before that you had to be very careful sealing these things, as it could mess them up. There are many threads on the web with the best ways to do this. I couldnt really remember what would happen, so why not try? Now the basement where all the paints and stuff are kept is hubby’s domain, but I found a can of clear, non-yellowing top coat, to give it a try. (Had a read the label and seen acetone as an ingredient, I might have had a clue what would happen)

Results: Well, some good and some bad… The colors faded considerably, almost immediately. It did take out any ‘brush marks’, which was nice, and did leave an interesting mottled appearance (if that worked with the look you were going for). The lighter colors were the most affected (orange in particular – black was hardly impacted at all). I also screwed up and didn’t read a can, and sprayed one of them (the star) with green spray paint! Luckily it was on the back, so you can still see the design from the front.

Test 3: Coloring over the raised plastic #6 symbol & coloring in dark colors to see what kind of cool effects you could get by spraying with top coat.

1- Freshly colored, note the triangle around the hole punch. 2-Freshly cooked -triangle is gone. 3-Freshly sprayed 4- A comparison to the original size

This was a dual test (done using the back colored method of test 1). First I wanted to see what would happen if i shrunk the #6 triangle symbol on the plastic. My hypothesis was that it would disappear.
Results: And I was correct. The only issue with this is it is harder to color (and there was some blotchness where i probably put more color in that area trying to color it in). You would be fine filling in with a solid color, but i wouldn’t recommend trying to draw a straight line over it.

I also broke the rule from Part 1 to use light colors. I used dark colors, in the hopes that I would then spray it with the top coat, and lighten it, for an interesting effect.
Results: Note that i kinda screwed up on the coloring. I only colored in the clear spaces on the back, but not the area i could see were black lines. once the plastic thinkened, you can see the blank, uncolored spaces if you’re not looking at it straight on. So then I sprayed it, to see if the colors would lighten up. This worked ok, but the different colors seem to lighten different amounts, and really there was not alot of effect on the dark colors. The orange, however, which shrinks to almost red, tends to go pinkish and blotchy. However, i think it bled the colors together a little bit, and helped my blank spaces problem!

Coming tomorrow: Part 3 – More experiments! See All!
…ok, so i lied. Tomorrow being the 4th of july, here in the states, i probably will be too busy.. but I’ve got my a brunch to plan, the Peachtree Road Race to “watch”, my mimosas to make and Guilder to frame for it; I’m swamped. ;) But I will throw up a quickie bonus feature!

Oh yeah, and you know me, i need validation that I didn’t write all this up for it never to be seen by human eyes… so don’t forget that posting a comment on one of the posts in this series enters you in the drawing to win some of the output of the experiments!

• See the Wrap Up, with Links to All the Test Lab Posts!

The Shrinky Dink Test Lab – Part 1
This started so simply. I was going to make these charms and that was going to be that. The project was to make cool looking jewelry, rather than childish stuff. Well, it grew from there as after I was finished I got some more ideas, and kept trying things, so stay tuned for more fun successes and failures playing around with recycled plastic shrinkies!

Doodle Charms
Here’s a quick fun project! You don’t need to be able to draw more than a doodle, and you end up with pretty & interesting jewelry!
These charms can be used for earrings, necklaces, or whatever you’d like. They are made out of plastic recycled from a to-go container (#6 plastic). The directions below are for 2 matching ones, which could be earrings. Because plastics & pens vary, you might start out with a test piece so see how much your plastic will shrink, and how your colors come out. Or just jump right in! It’s only trash.

Materials
Plastic: It needs to be marked #6. Many to-go containers seem to work.
Sharpie Markers in a variety of light colors, plus black.
Hole punch
Toaster (or regular) oven, preheated to around 250 degrees F

Cut out two pieces of the flat parts of the plastic container in the size/shape you want. Mine was about 3 inches x 2 inches. You could also do circles or other shapes, but you need to round off any corners because corners will get sharp when shrunk. (note: all plastic doesn’t melt the same and keep the same proportions, so cut both pieces running the same way. e.g. if you’re doing 2 rectangles, cut out one large rectangle and cut it in half to ensure your pieces run the same way. If you’re doing circles, be sure to mark the top and put your holes in the same place.)

On each one, use a hole punch to make a hole in the top center.

Draw your doodle design on each one with the black sharpie. The designs don’t need to be the same, and be creative. Just a series of shapes and doodles. If you’re nervous about drawing it, practice on a spare piece. And you can always draw something on paper and trace it on to the plastic. Remember, shrinking hides a multitude of sins!

Randomly color in the design using a variety of light colors. Colors get way more intense when shrunk. The black will smear if you touch another color to it, so be careful. Again, shrinking will hide most issues.

Place your colored piece on a square of parchment paper, on a tray in your toaster oven. Watch the magic happen! Don’t worry… it will curl up. and curl up again. then finally settle down to the smallest size.

If it’s not quite flat at the end, you can press it down flat immediately. Note, depending on your plastic, it may not be quite the same proportions as you started with.

Voila!

Another fun option: Punch holes in the top and bottom of the charms, and you can string them together into dangly earrings.

Note: these aren’t sealed, so treat them gently… We’ll get to the hassles with sealing in the next experimentation phase!

If you try this (or have your own previous attempts!) comment here with a link… Also, all commenters for this series of posts (links or not) will be entered in a drawing to win one of the featured attempts!

Related:
Introduction to the Shrinky Dinky Test Lab
Part 2: The Experimentation Begins!
Part 3 – More experiments!
All Shrinky Dink Test Lab Posts

Note: the idea of shrinkies from to-go plastic is certainly not original – i think i heard it first on Curbly

Just like the shrinky dinks you played with as a kid, but cheap and good for the earth!

Check it out!

• Part 1: HOW TO- Doodle Charms – Jewelry from recycled plastic
• Part 2: What would happen if..? (The Shrinky Dink Test Lab)
• Part 3: More experimentation in the Shrinky Dink Test Lab
• Part 4 of the Shrinky Dink Test lab: Successful sealing.. maybe
• Shrinky Dinkies – Special Edition : Make Wraparound Wine Glass Markers