Can I make my own Shrinky Dinks?

Shrinky dinks are made with plastic you draw on and then shrink in the oven. You can use plastic takeout containers to make homemade shrinky dinks that are just like the ones you buy at the craft store.

How to make Shrinky Dinks at home?

Place Shrinky Dinks® pieces, colored side up, on tray or cookie sheet covered with foil or brown paper. Heat at 325°F (163°C) for 1 to 3 minutes. Watch as the Shrinky Dinks® shrink. After the pieces lay flat, allow an additional 30 seconds of baking time to complete the process.

What kind of plastic can you use to make Shrinky Dinks?

The sheets of plastic you get in a Shrinky Dinks kit is polystyrene—the same stuff as recycled plastic #6, which is commonly used for those clear clamshell containers you see in cafeterias. When manufactured, raw polystyrene is heated, rolled out into thin sheets and then rapidly cooled so that it can retain its shape.

Can you make Shrinky Dinks with normal plastic?

It turns out that only ONE KIND of plastic can be used as a Shrinky Dink stand in, and that's plastic stamped with a #6 recycle code. Other kinds of plastic doesn't work, and some might even be dangerous.

What can I use instead of Shrinky Dink paper?

Here's how we made homemade shrinky dinks:

Scissors. Tin foil or parchment paper to line a cookie sheet for baking them on. If you wish to shrink these outside to avoid any fumes, a toaster oven you can use for crafts.

Can you use Sharpies to make Shrinky Dinks?

Sharpies, Acrylic Paint Pens, or Colored Pencils:

Our pigment of choice for Shrinky Dinks would be permanent markers (sharpies). They work well for a variety of ages and are ready to roll straight out of the package.

Can you do Shrinky Dinks with a hair dryer?

Yes, you can use a hair dryer to shrink certain types of shrink film, but it is definitively not recommended. At the end of the day, using a hair dryer to shrink wrap your products is a bit like cleaning your floor with a toothbrush… It does the job, but not well or efficiently.

Do Sharpies work for Shrinky Dinks?

Sharpies, Acrylic Paint Pens, or Colored Pencils:

Our pigment of choice for Shrinky Dinks would be permanent markers (sharpies). They work well for a variety of ages and are ready to roll straight out of the package.

What items are #6 plastic?

#6 Plastic: Polystyrene

• Disposable drinking cups.
• CD, DVD cases.
• Egg cartons.
• Food containers to-go and disposable cutlery.
• Insulation, including building insulation.

Can you use a hair dryer to shrink Shrinky Dinks?

Yes, you can use a hair dryer to shrink certain types of shrink film, but it is definitively not recommended. At the end of the day, using a hair dryer to shrink wrap your products is a bit like cleaning your floor with a toothbrush… It does the job, but not well or efficiently.

How to make Shrinkies at home?

​Heat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, and place your plastic drawings in the center of a cookie sheet. Once the oven is preheated, place the cookie sheet on the top rack. After about a minute, the plastic will curl, shrink, and then flatten out.

Can you use foil instead of parchment paper for Shrinky Dinks?

Aluminum foil will work fine, but wax paper should never go in the oven. Additionally, never bake a shrinky dink on an uncovered baking sheet.

Does pencil show up on Shrinky Dinks?

Any colored pencils work great on Shrinky dink plastic. The key to getting vibrant designs with colored pencils is to lightly sand the shrink plastic to score it. This helps it hold the color from colored pencils or twistable crayon pencils.

Can you shrink plastic in the microwave?

Although the microwave isn't actively warming the plastic, foods — especially those rich in sugar or fats — can easily reach temperatures that certain containers can't tolerate. "You can easily take something right out of the deli, put it in the microwave, and end up shrink-wrapping …

What happens if you microwave Shrinky Dinks?

Start to arc. Okay the microwaves will sort of cause currents to flow in the metal it'll arc but it'll also heat up that piece of plastic on the outside I never realized that.

Can you use #5 plastic for Shrinky Dinks?

You can use number 5 plastic for shrinky dinks or number 6 plastic.

Can I reuse PET 1 bottles?

Health advocates advise against reusing bottles made from plastic #1 (polyethylene terephthalate, also known as PET or PETE), including most disposable water, soda, and juice bottles. Such bottles may be safe for one-time use but reuse should be avoided.

Why won’t my Shrinky Dinks flatten?

Try heating it longer. I've never done whole sheets before either. One thing that I did find was that although the directions say to heat the plastic on cut up brown paper sack, I got better results by heating directly on the cookie sheet.

Does cling film shrink when heated?

The short answer to this question is yes. Technically, the heat produced by most hair dryers can shrink plastic film. Specifically, polyvinyl chloride or polyolefin.

Can you make your own shrink plastic?

Bake the Plastic

​Heat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, and place your plastic drawings in the center of a cookie sheet. Once the oven is preheated, place the cookie sheet on the top rack. After about a minute, the plastic will curl, shrink, and then flatten out.

Can you use Sharpies for Shrinky Dinks?

Sharpies, Acrylic Paint Pens, or Colored Pencils:

Our pigment of choice for Shrinky Dinks would be permanent markers (sharpies). They work well for a variety of ages and are ready to roll straight out of the package.

Why won’t my Shrinky Dinks shrink?

Try heating it longer. I've never done whole sheets before either. One thing that I did find was that although the directions say to heat the plastic on cut up brown paper sack, I got better results by heating directly on the cookie sheet.

Can you use a hair dryer for shrink plastic?

Yes, you can use a hair dryer to shrink certain types of shrink film, but it is definitively not recommended. At the end of the day, using a hair dryer to shrink wrap your products is a bit like cleaning your floor with a toothbrush… It does the job, but not well or efficiently.

How to make Shrinky Dinks without oven?

Put the cut out plastic shape into the crockpot. If the crockpot is fully hot, it will begin to shrink right in front of you—it will curl, fold up a bit and create either jubilance or tears. But then it flattens and is fine, and tears will turn to glee.

Can you heat Shrinky Dinks with a hair dryer?

You need a heat source. The most common way to shrink shrinky dinks is in your oven or toaster oven. A heat gun or blow dryer is also said to work.

Why you shouldn’t refill plastic water bottles?

You should never refill a plastic water bottle because it can leach chemicals into the water. Plastic is made from petroleum, and when it is heated, it can release harmful chemicals into the water. These chemicals can include bisphenol A (BPA), a known endocrine disruptor.