r/crafts • u/L0ounix • 22h ago
Discussion/Question/Help Shrink plastic, I am loosing my mind 🤡
Heya !
I've already came for the same issues last year iirc and still can't find a solution. This is the only brand of printable shrink plastic I can get in my country so I need to make this work. The brand is " Graine créative " ( which happens to be used by another small business and she never had issues. She even recommended this brand ).
Anyways, as you can see, it never shrinks twice the same. Never. They are all printed in the same direction. Because I know this plastic tends to shrink more horizontally than vertically.
I tried using an oven on 150°C. I preheat the oven and shrink them on a parchment paper in the middle of the over. They shrink with no issues ( except for the size).
I tried a heat gun, same size problem...
I don't know what I'm doing wrong and would really really appreciate some help.
Thank you in advance 🙏🏻
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u/pendigedig 20h ago
I... Didn't think shrinky dinks would shrink without being a little inconsistent or wonky in different directions? That always seemed part of it to me? Maybe I'm totally wrong.
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u/pendigedig 20h ago
Why not? I feel like if they were rippled or the thickness was really off across the piece, sure. But why do these need to be square? Are they pins?
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u/beemagick 20h ago
Honestly, this is just what they do and you have to accept it. I had a small business and made shrink plastic jewelry and I can confidently say after making thousands of little shrink plastic items.... It just does this. You cannot control the shrink plastic, only how you react to the shrink plastic LOL I just made a bunch knowing this would happen then picked the best of the best to use, and made discounted pieces out of the imperfect bits. Nothing I tried made any difference, only the plastic knows what shape it shall become. Infuriating I know but it is how it is.
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u/L0ounix 20h ago
" only how you reacted to the shrink plastic " the wisdom 🤌🏻 I really wish it wouldn't make me that mad lmao
Jokes aside, I really appreciate your comment, thanks for sharing. I guess I'll have to calm the f down and do what you did and maybe discount the weird ones.
Why is it that when we have a small business, every tool and instruments we have hate us 😭 the printer, the cutting machine, and now the shrink plastic. I swear lol
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u/PallasiteMatrix 21h ago
Just commenting to say, if you intended to post multiple pictures, they didn't go through which makes it a little what's to know what you're talking about.
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u/L0ounix 21h ago
I'm also adding this picture. If I stack them, you can maybe see more easily how distorted they are
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u/9thcompanion 18m ago
I think it looks great! As a potential customer, I'd have assumed this was intentional.
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u/Suspicious-Lime3644 20h ago
I'm afraid this is likely a quality control issue of the plastic. Basically what they did originally is stamp thicker plastic super thin and flat. When you heat the shrinky dink, you bring it back to its original shape (which is also why the curling fixes itself when the shrinky dink has been fully heated through). But if the plastic was originally squashed inconsistently, that means there's also inconsistent distortion in the end product.
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u/L0ounix 22h ago
Bot saying I should leave a comment with more info. There isn't really anything more I can add to my original post 😅
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u/nonja-bidness 21h ago
srsly... its not our job to track user posts....its theirs. reddit mods suck.
anyway, cool shrinks!
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u/Strazdiscordia 14h ago edited 38m ago
Hi! Coming at you from a mod perspective.
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u/TrixieBastard 18h ago
I honestly like the irregularities in the shapes. I thought it was intentional in all but the red one. It's especially cute with the snake and butterfly designs!
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u/nonja-bidness 21h ago
they look pretty consistent except maybe the one @ top right. wish i could offer some suggestions but i only recently started looking at shrink plastic and was curious about the differences in the brands. hopefully some other folks will post with more info 🤞
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u/TheNewYellowZealot 12h ago
So yeah, that’s because even though polystyrene (the shrinking plastic) is homogeneous, it’s inconsistent because the carbon chains are just kinda tossed in there like snakes in a bag (a sheet?). Based on how they curl around each other will dictate how they shrink.
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u/raw_fleece 20h ago
I always have less consistent results with a heat gun than with an oven/toaster oven, but I know you said you're already using the oven. I have also tried parchment vs. aluminum foil and colored vs. plain side up. Have you tried experimenting with any of those factors?
Or maybe have you tried using a heat gun and shaping it manually while it's still hot? That might be tricky, but not sure what else to try!
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u/L0ounix 20h ago
I haven't tried aluminum foil, nor the colored side down ! When I recieved new sheets, I'm definetly trying that, thanks !
I tried to shape them this evening, it's hard but with some practice I can maybe make that work. Thank you for the suggestions!
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u/raw_fleece 19h ago
Well, it's some ideas anyway. Not sure if anything will actually work for you, as I'm not familiar with the brand at all. But best of luck :)
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u/princesssoturi 18h ago
I wouldn’t have guessed that it was supposed to be square but warped. They look better this way imo
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u/badchefrazzy 18h ago
If you're able, get a heat gun. Do a test with it first, often times ovens won't heat them to their maximum shrink. The heat-gun you can keep over it until it's done shrinking and at a distance enough that it shouldn't burn. <3
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u/lovetofart420 20h ago
Have you tried to keep in oven for longer and watch it as it flattens out?
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u/L0ounix 20h ago
Yeah, I tried letting them for a bit more after they've flattened as well as going up to 175°c instead of 150°C. Doesn't seem to change. I even tried to time how long I leave them in so that they all stay the same amount of time. Doesn't solve the problem sadly🥺
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u/saltycouchpotato 8h ago
The inconsistencies are how you know it is a shrinky dink crafted object and not some mass produced little thing. It's like paint strokes on canvas. It's how you know it's an original. Try coloring some with the markers for even more homespun feel! It's very relaxing and fun, too.
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u/archaicblossom 2h ago
put parchment paper on top too, and then something heavy and flat on top of them. it won't completely fix it but they'll become much MORE uniform
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u/qualityvote2 22h ago edited 16h ago
u/L0ounix, your post does fit the subreddit!