01753 539222Getting the most from Shrink Plastic
Learn what you can do using Shrink Plastic using our handy hints, tips, examples and project ideas. We explain how to use it and give you some great suggestions on getting the most from it. Children from 5 and up will also really enjoy playing with Shrink Plastic, so we have some suggestions for them as well.
How do you use it?
Rubber stamped image coloured in with Sakura Glitter Gel Pens. Before and after shrinking.
It couldn't be simpler. Just draw your picture, cut it out and heat it to shrink it.
Each sheet of Shrink Plastic feels like a sheet of paper or card before it is heated. One side will have a slightly rough surface, which is the best side for drawing onto. You can use almost any pens or pencils for your drawing, which makes it ideal for all kinds of craft projects. Once you are happy with your picture you can cut it out and start to heat it. If you want to make a jewellery item or a tag from your design, then punch a small hole in the shrink plastic before it is shrunk, as making holes in the finished piece can be difficult.
It can be heated in an oven or using a heat gun like the one we sell for heat embossing. As you heat the Shrink Plastic it will start to shrink down in size. It will go up to 7 times smaller and thicker than the original. Your picture will shrink down with it, making a perfect little embellishment or jewellery item. If you are using Shrink Plastic with children, an adult will need to do the heating step.
Which pens and pencils and inks work best?
Most pens and pencils will produce good results on shrink plastic, though here are some of our favourites...
- Sakura Glitter Gel pens get used a lot here with shrink plastic as they produce such an amazing result. All the glitter in the ink comes together to produce the most amazing effect. Definitely worth a try.
- Sakura Glaze pens are ideal of colouring in or for writing messages. The ink really intensifies when shrunk down and can write well on even the unsanded shrink plastics.
- Almost any pencil will work well on the pre-sanded sheets (see below for more information on this). We can recommend our Watercolour Pencils if you are looking for some.
- Most rubber stamping inkpads will work well, including Stazon, Fluid Chalks, Mica-Magic and Vivid. Stazon ink pads work well, even on the smooth crystal clear sheets.
The same rubber stamp using different inks and pens on different types of Shrink Plastic |
Rubber Stamping with Shrink Plastic
One great way of getting a picture onto a sheet of shrink plastic is to use a rubber stamp. We quite often stamp an image using black stazon ink to produce the outline and then colour it in using the Sakura pens. You can use any of your rubber stamps, but don't forget that they will shrink down by about 7 times when you are finished, so the bigger stamps work best.
Tips on Heating Your Shrink Plastic
Actually shrinking the shrink plastic is great fun, but lots of people panic a bit when their design curls up and starts sticking to itself. This is nothing to worry about and you just need to keep on heating to see it uncurl again and lie flat. However, here are a few tips to help you...
- If you are using a heat gun, always put the shrink plastic on a protective mat (like a heat resistant cutting mat), so you don't end up damaging your table or desk.
- Try to heat the shrink plastic as evenly as you can. If it starts to curl, try moving the heat gun to the side to direct some of the heat under the curl. This will help it uncurl more quickly.
- If you find the heat gun just blows your piece of shrink plastic off the table, try holding it gently in place using a lollypop stick or a cocktail stick. Try and hold it as lightly as possible though, as the shrink plastic is quite soft at the end of the heating process and will mark easily.
- Occasionally you may find that one part of your piece has curled right over and has stuck to another part and won't uncurl. While still heating it, gently pull it apart using your cocktail stick and it will do the rest.
- To create a really flat finished result, flip the shrink plastic over in the last seconds of heating. If you want to help flatten the shrink plastic out, place a sheet of paper over it and press it down gently, taking care not to burn your hands (it can get quite hot after all that heating!)
Always leave the finished piece to cool for a few moments before trying to handle it, as it will be very hot after all that heating.
Creating Perfect Wording and Messages
To do this you will need some of frosted shrink plastic and a printer. Write the message you want to use in your word processor and choose whichever font or typeface that you'd like to use. Don't forget to make it big enough to read after shrinking!
We printed out the word "Love" on a sheet of paper, traced it and shrunk it. |
Print your finished message out onto a sheet of normal paper and then trace through the shrink plastic using your favourite pens. It doesn't matter if you're not very accurate as you won't be able to spot any little mistakes when the message has been shrunk down.
Finally cut out the message and shrink it. You'll be left with a perfect little embellishment with you own personal message on it with what appears to be perfect handwriting!
Cutting out shapes using QuicKutz or Sizzix
We cut out this flower using a QuicKutz die, then coloured it and shrank it.
Our range of shrink plastic can be cut using your favourite die cutting system, coloured in and then shrunk down to create stunning miniature embellishments. We recommend that you use the simpler designs that don't require lots of overlapping layers to produce their finished result though. Why not try cutting out alphabets and shrinking them down as well...
What is Pre-Sanded Shrink Plastic?
Most of the Shrink Plastic we sell is "pre-sanded", which means it has a slightly rough surface on one side. This rough texture makes many pens, pencils and inks write onto the surface with ease. We recommend using the pre-sanded sheets for most projects, as it is easier to work with. The Crystal Clear sheets are not sanded, so you will need to use pens and inks that will write on smooth surfaces, such as the Sakura Glaze and Sakura Souffle pens.
Shrink PlasticRelated Product Ranges...
Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink Pads Colorbox MicaMagic Ink Pads Colorbox Vivid! Ink Pads Quickutz Sakura Gel Pens Sakura Glaze PensRelated Products...
Embossing Heat Gun StazOn Ink Pad (Jet Black)
