Make your own “Shrinky Dinks” with #6 Plastic

Craft & Design
Make your own “Shrinky Dinks” with #6 Plastic

Plastic
Who didn’t spend hours as a kid playing with Shrinky Dinks? I was always in awe in front of the oven with the light on watching my creations shrink down into a hard piece of plastic. Now you can make your own! Just get yourself some #6 plastic. Most plastic containers you get from many bakeries and restaurants for food items “to go” are #6. You can make anything from jewelry, key chains, magnets,and push pins. The beauty of it all is watching them shrink! Link.

6 thoughts on “Make your own “Shrinky Dinks” with #6 Plastic

  1. litmusunit says:

    Is it toxic to heat up this plastic in your oven?

  2. philliptorrone says:

    it’s only for a minute, so it’s probably fine. run the kitchen fan/exhuast – but i don’t think it will matter.

  3. jalderman says:

    I tried this with some designs drawn on polystyrene (recycle code #6) plates (Hefty Serve and Store Party variety), just as described, and had no success. Tried with varying thicknesses of foil, using a baking sheet and not, letting the plastic “cook” for longer than 1 minute, and all I got was 20% shrinkage at most, a topology like a wilted slice of American cheese, and no discernible increase in thickness. Perhaps not all polystyrenes are alike? Suggestions?

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