{"id":100002475,"date":"2026-04-01T15:16:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T09:16:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bosociety.org\/?p=100002475"},"modified":"2026-08-05T21:05:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T15:05:49","slug":"what-kind-of-plastic-can-you-use-for-shrinky-dinks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bosociety.org\/index.php\/2026\/04\/01\/what-kind-of-plastic-can-you-use-for-shrinky-dinks\/","title":{"rendered":"What Kind Of Plastic Can You Use For Shrinky Dinks"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"toc\" style=\"background: #f9f9f9;border: 1px solid #aaa;display: table;margin-bottom: 1em;padding: 1em;width: 350px;\">\n<p class=\"toctitle\" style=\"font-weight: 700;text-align: center;\">Content<\/p>\n<ul class=\"toc_list\">\n<li><a href=\"#toc-1\">Free shrink art templates &amp; inspiration<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#toc-2\">Additional information<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>Start by cutting your polystyrene sheets into the desired shape and size for your Shrinky Dink design. When heated, polystyrene shrinks and hardens, making it the perfect material for creating Shrinky Dink designs. Shrinky Dinks are made from a type of plastic called polystyrene. In this article, we will explore the world of Shrinky Dinks and uncover the mystery behind the plastic used in this popular DIY craft. Shrinky Dinks are actually nothing more than sheets of polystyrene, a common type of plastic or polymer. Writing something on paper is the mechanical part of creative thinking, but \u201cit has to start here,\u201d Morris said, pointing to her head.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>If you\u2019re wondering can you use #5 plastic for making shrink plastic, unfortunately the answer is no. #6 plastic is the only plastic you can use.<\/li>\n<li>The colors darken as the plastic shrinks.<\/li>\n<li>I was so happy to share and enjoy this fun craft with my daughter.<\/li>\n<li>To ensure even shrinking, it\u2019s crucial to follow the manufacturer\u2019s instructions and use a thermometer to check the oven temperature.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Being neat is not important, as you will cut out the image and shrinking concentrates the colour. It\u2019s best to use fairly light shades of pencils, as any colour you use will darken when you shrink the image. This works fine if you are a paper crafter who can stamp with archival inks, or you have a great selection of permanent coloured pens, but your average crafter does not. There are lots of ways to shape and add designs to shrink plastic, including die-cutting, hand-drawing and stamping. You can still buy Shrinky Dinks the brand, but the name now commonly refers to the miniature shrunken shapes you get after heating and shrinking plastic rather than these specific printed sheets themselves.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"toc-0\">Collecting Old Shrinky Dink Kits<\/h2>\n<p>One such creative outlet is making shrink dink objects, which can be enjoyed <a href=\"https:\/\/shrinky-dink.com\/\">https:\/\/shrinky-dink.com\/<\/a> by both children and adults alike. As the summer holidays approach, parents are on the lookout for engaging activities to share with their kids. However, it\u2019s essential to exercise caution when working on this project with children, as it involves baking in a hot oven and requires adult supervision at all times to ensure their safety. Remember to exercise caution when baking in the oven and always supervise children during such activities.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"toc-1\">Free shrink art templates &amp; inspiration<\/h3>\n<p>You\u2019ll gain access to all my printables for free and you\u2019ll get all the latest Recipes &amp; DIY information straight to your inbox! This Holiday Bookmark Craft is perfect to keep the kids entertained during the Winter holidays. Kids will really enjoy coloring in the mittens and watching them shrink to miniature size. And if you love clean design and finish check out the process to these Printable Shrinky Dinks.<\/p>\n<p>From keychains to jewelry, Shrinky Dinks offer a fun and unique way to show someone you care. Cut two pieces of Shrinky Dink plastic sheet to your desired earring size. Cut a piece of Shrinky Dink plastic sheet to your desired size. Be sure to use thin layers of paint and allow each layer to dry completely before adding another, as thick layers of paint may crack or peel off after shrinking. The colors will intensify and become more vibrant as the plastic shrinks, creating a beautiful finished product. Click here for more information on shrinky dink plastics and which ones to use for best results.<\/p>\n<p>Understanding these pitfalls can help ensure that your creations turn out perfectly. It\u2019s crucial to preheat your oven before placing the Shrinky Dinks inside, as uneven heating can lead to imperfect results. Creating with Shrinky Dinks is a fun and imaginative way to personalize jewelry, craft projects, and decorations.<\/p>\n<p>Permanent markers create deep, vibrant colors. In addition to securing sets from Colorforms, collectors of vintage sets will need to source options on the secondary sales market from Skyline Toys, Western Publishing, and Milton Bradley. Kids could purchase Shrinky Dinks kits from popular TV shows and movies of the time, Disney characters, Marvel and DC superheroes, and other toy brands. Colorforms incorporated many of their existing character licenses from their popular playsets into the Shrinky Dinks line. The shrunken works of art were durable and retained the detail of the pre-heated versions.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"toc-2\">Additional information<\/h3>\n<p>The shrinkable art was an instant success with children she knew. Even adults got in on the action, with Shrinky Dinks becoming a popular tool for DIY projects. Over the years, Shrinky Dinks embraced popular culture, offering kits with themes from TV shows, movies, and even holiday designs. These sheets of magical plastic started out as simple drawings and transformed into hardened charms, figurines, and ornaments when baked in the oven. Today, they\u2019ve found a second life on platforms like Etsy, where independent artists sell custom Shrinky Dink jewelry, ornaments, and miniature art.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"toc-3\">Materials List<\/h2>\n<p>All you need is a few household items to get started and the possibilities are endless. Typically, they reduce to the amount of about \u2153 of the original size. This is great if you are just getting started. Find so many ideas that include jewelry, art and lots of fun projects.<\/p>\n<p>My twins love making jewelry with them for their grandparents. Guiding children through the creative process makes cherished memories. Kids can make custom shrink art pieces to share and swap with friends. Our kits are perfect for birthday parties, sleepovers, camp, or as gifts. As children draw, color and assemble their shrink art designs, they build artistic skills from composition to fine motor coordination.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"toc-5\">Craft Stores: Check local craft stores like Michaels, Joann, or Hobby Lobby for Shrinky Dink plastic<\/h2>\n<p>But if you have more questions about jewelry making and what you\u2019d like to learn let me know! It\u2019s not super strong, and is pretty much gone within minutes after you\u2019re done baking. I\u2019m new to this shrinky dink fun, ordered some sheets but can\u2019t wait to get started! Are you sure you\u2019re using #6?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Content Free shrink art templates &amp; inspiration Additional information Start  [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[134],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-100002475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-shrinky-dink-com-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bosociety.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100002475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bosociety.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bosociety.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bosociety.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bosociety.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100002475"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bosociety.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100002475\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100002476,"href":"https:\/\/bosociety.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100002475\/revisions\/100002476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bosociety.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100002475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bosociety.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100002475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bosociety.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100002475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}