Rubbertoe Posted December 8, 2002 Share Posted December 8, 2002 Actually, that is a brand name of shrinking craft plastic... I suppose the subject should actually read "Shrink Plastic" or something. But anyway... This stuff is quite possibly the best material for making personalized things or "signature items" to place in people's caches. You can make ornaments, keychains, necklaces, etc... pretty much anything you want. The kind that I got works in any inkjet printer, black and white OR color! I bet everyone did Shrinky Dinks as a kid... I had forgotten that I bought this craft plastic a few years ago when my wife had to make some things for work. I was digging around in a drawer, looking for some paper when I found this old package. I'm in the process of printing out a test "thing" now with my avatar on it. The Toe Pages Quote Link to comment
+KYtrex Posted December 8, 2002 Share Posted December 8, 2002 quote:Originally posted by Rubbertoe: I bet everyone did Shrinky Dinks as a kid... RT, you managed to loosen a gear in my head that hadn't turned in years. As I read the topic of this thread, I had a strange sense that I had heard that term somewhere before. But where ? Ah, now I remember! As a child, I too made 'Shrinky Dinks'. I guess the point of my post is just a 'thanks for the memories' type thing. I guess the worry and problems of the adult world doesn't give us much time to remember the simpler days of when we were children. Semi-off topic, I have recently noticed that 'Lincoln Logs' are back on the shelf. They used to be a favorite of mine way back when. Thank your for the slight pause from my adult world. Now I must go and get back to the ever present problems of the real world before my mind realizes I'm gone.... KYtrex ----------------- A "Buckeye" is just a "Hillbilly" that ran out of money on the way to Michigan Quote Link to comment
+Marky Posted December 9, 2002 Share Posted December 9, 2002 Pretty much anything that is labeled Recycle 6 is the same thing as shrinky dink material. Some work better than others. Some of the best are the clear pie covers. We buy them for 20 cents at a party store. And you don't need a shrinky dink oven, you just set your oven to 250 and it will work great. --Marky "Everyone spends time in the darkness, dreamers learn to steer with a backlit GPSr" Quote Link to comment
+bloodwood70 Posted December 9, 2002 Share Posted December 9, 2002 I told my co-worker that that is a medical conditionn and he can get pills for it THATS NOT BURNT, THATS BAR-B-QUE Quote Link to comment
+Planet Posted December 9, 2002 Share Posted December 9, 2002 quote:Originally posted by Marky:Pretty much anything that is labeled Recycle 6 is the same thing as shrinky dink material. Some work better than others. Some of the best are the clear pie covers. We buy them for 20 cents at a party store. And you don't need a shrinky dink oven, you just set your oven to 250 and it will work great. --Marky "Everyone spends time in the darkness, dreamers learn to steer with a backlit GPSr" It doesn't shrink, but it bakes in a 250 oven and the manufacturer says not to eat food out of anything made with the stuff or breathe the air as it's baking. It's a poly vinyl chloride clay-like substance. So, I bought a separate toaster oven just for the craft and use it in a well ventilated area. This might go for the other plastics as well. Marky, Rubbertoe is able to transfer pictures on to his shrinky dinks, can images be transferred onto the recycle #6 material? Or, is it something you just paint or magic marker onto? Cache you later, Planet Afraid of heights? Not me, I'm afraid of widths! Quote Link to comment
+Marky Posted December 9, 2002 Share Posted December 9, 2002 quote:Originally posted by Planet:Marky, Rubbertoe is able to transfer pictures on to his shrinky dinks, can images be transferred onto the recycle #6 material? Or, is it something you just paint or magic marker onto? I wouldn't trust random recycle stuff in my inkjet printer. I have seen inkjet shrinky dink "paper" in some of the office supply specialty paper areas. Usually fairly pricey, about $1 a sheet. The free stuff is best for markers or colored pencils. For colored pencils to work, you have to lightly sand the surface with a fine sandpaper. --Marky "Everyone spends time in the darkness, dreamers learn to steer with a backlit GPSr" Quote Link to comment
+The Cheeseheads Posted December 9, 2002 Share Posted December 9, 2002 quote:Originally posted by Marky:For colored pencils to work, you have to lightly sand the surface with a fine sandpaper. Ahh, memories. IIRC, Shrinky Dink plastic had a shiny side and a rough side, kind of like inkjet transparancies. You used colored pencils on the rough side. I wouldn't be suprised to see these on the shelves soon. Now that I'm buying toys for a one and three-year-old, I'm starting to see "retro" toys back on the shelves, no doubt trying to appeal to me and make me think "Wow! I had this when I was a kid! I have to buy this for my kids, too!" - - - - - Wisconsin Geocaching Association Quote Link to comment
+hoovman Posted December 9, 2002 Share Posted December 9, 2002 My wife has a bunch of rubber stamps she uses for making cards and stationery. Has anyone tried stamping on shrink plastic? Seems like an easy thing to do if it works. Quote Link to comment
+Dekaner Posted December 9, 2002 Share Posted December 9, 2002 At first glance I thought this thread was 'Stinky Dinks' instead of 'Shrinky Dinks'. Oh great, yet another thread about doots... - Dekaner of Team KKF2A Quote Link to comment
+Marky Posted December 9, 2002 Share Posted December 9, 2002 quote:Originally posted by hoovman:My wife has a bunch of rubber stamps she uses for making cards and stationery. Has anyone tried stamping on shrink plastic? Seems like an easy thing to do if it works. Yup, that works fine. The paint based stamp pads work best for this. --Marky "Everyone spends time in the darkness, dreamers learn to steer with a backlit GPSr" Quote Link to comment
+trippy1976 Posted December 9, 2002 Share Posted December 9, 2002 Can you give a link and a better explanation of the stuff for those of us who are um... out of the shrinky dink loop It sounds so very familiar, but I can't imagine what I would run through my ink jet and then shape into whatever I want... I feel so deprived. -------- trippy1976 - Team KKF2A Saving geocaches - one golf ball at a time. Quote Link to comment
+The Cheeseheads Posted December 9, 2002 Share Posted December 9, 2002 quote:Originally posted by trippy1976:Can you give a link and a better explanation of the stuff for those of us who are um... out of the shrinky dink loop You generally bought these sheets of thin, flexible plastic which were a little rough on one side. You could lay them over a picture to trace with a pencil, and then color in with colored pencils. You then cut your picture out and put it on a cookie sheet in the oven. The plastic would shrink up to a fraction of the original size, but it would thicken and become more dense and turn into a solid piece of plastic. If you cut appropriate holes before baking, you could run a string through and make things like necklaces, ornaments, etc. It kept us kids occupied and out of trouble... - - - - - Wisconsin Geocaching Association Quote Link to comment
+Whidbey Walk Posted December 9, 2002 Share Posted December 9, 2002 Trippy check out www.shrinkydinks.com I didn’t even think of the geocaching application aspect, but we just gave our 9-year-old daughter a bunch of shrinky dink stuff for her birthday. Now to I have to figure out how to tell her that dad needs to borrow some of her shrinky dink stuff for his own project. http://home.earthlink.net/~whidbeywalk/ Quote Link to comment
+leatherman Posted December 9, 2002 Share Posted December 9, 2002 I've used Shrinky dink for multi-cache coordinates. It's much more waterproof than laminated paper. If you do not extend your expectations unto others, you will not be disappointed by the stupid things they do. Mokita! Quote Link to comment
+fortworthbret Posted December 9, 2002 Share Posted December 9, 2002 Might be worth a shot to shrink a Travelbug descript page and attach it with the tag. Quote Link to comment
+eroyd Posted December 9, 2002 Share Posted December 9, 2002 Oops!...sorry. Thought this had something to do with our New Years Day polar bear swim. Quote Link to comment
+trippy1976 Posted December 9, 2002 Share Posted December 9, 2002 that rules I may have to get a pack just to try them out. Good idea on the waterproof thing. -------- trippy1976 - Team KKF2A Saving geocaches - one golf ball at a time. Quote Link to comment
Rubbertoe Posted December 9, 2002 Author Share Posted December 9, 2002 I actually dug out several varieties of shrink plastic out of the paper bin... I have clear, with both sides shiny - clear, with one side rough for inkjet use - and then I have an opaque white, which is shiny on both sides. The rough side is a must if you want to do any printing with your inkjet - my first attempts with the white shiny stuff resulted in a smeared mess. Sharpies work great on all of those different types, and appears to be permanent both before and after shrinking. The black sharpie, that is... the red seemed to smear a bit if you force the issue. As for stamps, I've not tried any of that sort of thing yet - but I'd guess a rough surface would be best for any type of ink transfer... be it a stamp or ink from a printer. The opaque white stuff melts the best, and it seems a bit thicker and durable. The brand name of that is Suze Weinberg's Bright White Shrinky Dink Brand Shrink Plastic. Oh... it has an url on the envelope, too: http://schmoozewithsuze.com I've gone through a few sheets and only produced a couple of things that I'd even consider leaving in caches... I'm still in practice mode. The Toe Pages Quote Link to comment
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