craft blog
pattern shop
orang utans
photography
recipes
journalshrink plastic ring tutorial
Thank you to everyone who requested a shrinkydinks ring tutorial! I hope this will answer all your questions. Please leave me a comment if you have any questions etc, or link to pictures of your own rings!
I’ll answer some questions from the comments on my previous shrinky rings post before I get started, and add more hints and tips throughout the tutorial.
Shrink plastic, for the uninitiated, was originally marketed as a toy for kids. It starts life thin and flexible. You draw on it and then bake it in the oven, and it shrinks to become about 1/3 of the starting size, but 9 times as thick. This thickness makes it strong and hard. It will not bend after baking, so if you try to pull your ring open, or stand on it, it may snap, but it is strong enough to withstand regular use as a ring.
The last step (bending the ring into shape) is the most difficult, so I highly recommend that 1) you read through all the instructions before starting, and 2) practice on a blank piece of shrink plastic so you can get a feel for it and test your size and bending technique before putting too much effort into your design!
Full tutorial instructions are after the jump…
1. Find your shrink plastic
I use I use Shrinky Dinks Frosted Ruff N’ Ready, which accepts rubber stamped images beautifully. Any transparent shrink plastic will work. If you use the coloured opaque shrink plastic, you would have to decorate the outside of your ring instead of the inside. You could also use the inkjet printable type of shrink plastic.
Note: If you are looking for sources, search for “shrink plastic” (generic term) not “shrinkydinks” (brand name) and you may have more luck. For example, for you UK people, googling ‘Shrink Plastic UK’ (without the quotes) will give you lots of online stores that sell it. You’re looking for large sheets of it, not pre-cut shapes.
2. Measure and cut to size
Note: Different brand of shrink plastic may shrink by different amounts, so you might want to try baking a plain test piece to make sure you’ve got the size right before spending time on decoration.
If you know your ring size, you can use a ring size converter to calculate the desired circumference of your ring. The circumference in this case will be equal to the length of your strip of plastic (after shrinking). Shrinkydinks shrinks by approx 3 times, but I found I had to allow an extra 10% in the length measurement to compensate for the curvature in the finished ring. For my rings (finished size approximately US 6, UK J, and 6mm tall) my starting dimensions are 14.2 x 1.6cm.
To cut the plastic, I like to use a guillotine (paper cutter) to get straight lines, but it’s probably not good for the cutter blade (I use an old cutter blade). You could also use an xacto knife and metal ruler, or just cut the plastic with scissors.
The corners can be very sharp, so I like to round them off slightly with scissors before baking (don’t worry if you forget this step; you can file or sand them down after baking).
3. Decorate shrink plastic
Follow the decorating instructions that come with your shrink plastic. Here are some ideas:
- Rubber stamps + alcohol-based permanent inks (be warned: other types of stamp ink will smudge)
- Fine-point permanent marker (e.g. Sharpie) to draw or trace your designs
- Coloured pencils (use in combination with the above to add colour)
- Print designs directly onto your plastic (inkjet shrink plastic ONLY)
If you’re using the frosted type, remember to decorate the rough (frosted) side.
I used peg stamps to decorate my first rings. The designs are only 1cm tall so fit my rings perfectly. Below I have also tried some other rubber stamps:
Don’t forget to let your ink dry before adding any coloured pencil embellishments, and remember that colours will become more saturated and vibrant after baking, so less is more in this case.
4. Find a suitable form to bend plastic around
Here’s a useful tip to find an object of the right size to create your ring: take an existing ring, and try to slip it over various thin cylindrical household objects, e.g. marker pen barrel, wooden spoon handle, lip balm tube. You are looking for an object that is a tight fit inside your ring. If you don’t have anything suitable, you could buy a short length of wooden dowel of the right diameter. Your object will come into contact with hot plastic, so don’t use any treasured possessions for this step.
5. Shrink your plastic
This is the fun part!
Preheat a toaster oven or conventional oven to the temperature specified on your packaging. Make sure you are in a well-ventilated area so any fumes don’t build up.
Note: Please read the instructions below all the way to the end before baking your ring - the shaping happens very quickly after baking so you need to be ready…
Place your strip (decorated side up) on a piece of brown paper on an oven tray, and put it in the oven. Keep watching… this is where the magic happens. Your strip will begin to curl up and wiggle about as some parts heat more quickly than others and so begin to shrink more quickly. Don’t worry if it looks like it’s stuck together - in my experience it always flattens out as it continues to shrink. When it has finished shrinking, leave it in the oven for another 30 seconds to heat through evenly.
Here’s an animation of the shrinking process:
6. Shape your ring
When your strip comes out of the oven, you will have to work quickly - you only have about 10 seconds before it has cooled and becomes rigid. Disclaimer: to protect your hands from the hot plastic, you should probably wear a thin glove (for more control) or an oven mitt (for better protection against the heat) but I don’t bother - it is hot, but the plastic doesn’t stay hot for long enough to burn skin.
Remove the brown paper from the oven. Wait for about 2 seconds (so it’s not too hot to touch), then carefully wrap the strip around your forming tool, with your decorated side facing in towards the tool. Hold it in place for a few seconds until it becomes cool and rigid.
I’m not going to lie, this step is tricky. You really do have to work quickly, and not make any mistakes, otherwise you won’t have time to wrap the entire strip around your object before it cools. But don’t lose hope! There is a magic fix for a badly-formed ring like the one below…
Pop your misshapen ring back into the oven on the brown paper, balancing it upright on its curved surface so the join is at the top (as in the picture above). After a minute or so, the plastic will relax back out of its shape, and revert back into a flat strip… I told you this stuff was magic! Let it heat through for about 20-30 seconds, then try to form the ring around your tool again.
Left: unsanded edges; Right: sanded edges
That’s it! You can sand down the edges to give a smoother finish, but this may partially obscure your design. You could also paint the edges after forming for a different effect. For more durability of your design, use a clear coat to carefully varnish the inside of the ring (one coat should be enough).
You can make matching earrings, charm bracelets or necklace pendants - just punch holes for the jewellery findings before shrinking the plastic, and remember that the holes will also shrink, so don’t worry that they will be too large.
Enjoy your new jewellery!
Jessica Said,
February 24, 2008 @ 11:49 am
Thanks so much for getting this tutorial up for us. It all looks like great fun, I think I shall go now and buy some shrinky plastic so that I can have a play.
sue Said,
February 24, 2008 @ 12:11 pm
you so rock!!!
thanks for your talent and time too.
sue
Amy Said,
February 24, 2008 @ 4:03 pm
This looks like so much fun, I will have to try and find some shrink plastic and brush up on my stamping skills.
laurakate Said,
February 25, 2008 @ 2:50 am
thank you!!
actually going to try it right now, i’ve had a mini packet sitting around for ages, i hope they’re big enough pieces.
x laura
futuregirl Said,
February 25, 2008 @ 1:18 pm
Great tutorial! I’m going to have to try this now … you make it look so easy.
lulu Said,
February 25, 2008 @ 2:10 pm
wow, you make this look so easy I really want to give it a try. Thanks so much for showing us how to…. even if I do think mine wont look a bit like yours
; )
kara Said,
February 25, 2008 @ 2:16 pm
Thank you!! I have a TON of shrinky dink material (I never got to play with it as a kid so now I do!) I am excited to try this:)
elowezil Said,
February 25, 2008 @ 2:24 pm
Thank you SOOO much for doing this tutorial. I can’t wait to try some rings and will also a bangle. You’re a star! Thanks.
Marlies Cohen Said,
February 25, 2008 @ 2:57 pm
This is so cool, now I can experiment with my shrink plastic and make something else. Thank you so much for your tutorial. I will add a link to my site to this.
Marlies
http://www.mcuniverse.com
Jaime Said,
February 25, 2008 @ 3:16 pm
Thanks June! I was wondering how to do that… I wondered how to get started so that was a great tutorial!!
sarahhh Said,
February 25, 2008 @ 3:27 pm
thanks for this!
I tried to do this about a year ago, and I burned the bejeezus out of my fingertips…. if the plastic sits for the couple of cooling seconds that you recommend, does this increase the chances of malformed rings?
June Said,
February 25, 2008 @ 3:49 pm
kim Said,
February 25, 2008 @ 5:02 pm
I’m thinking about doing something like that only roll it up so theres a smaller hole then overlap the rest(like how you make paper beads) the stamping is a good idea
msHandiworks Said,
February 25, 2008 @ 5:50 pm
My son’s girlfriend makes necklaces and earrings from Shrinky Dink. She inspired me to buy SD and try it. Have to say, your rings are so pretty and easy to make. Thanks.
Stephanie Said,
February 25, 2008 @ 10:59 pm
Oh thats awesome!!
Heather Said,
February 26, 2008 @ 8:14 am
Can you also use a heat tool (embossing gun) to do these and what would be the process for that? I don’t have a toaster oven so I am looking for a baking alternative.
June Said,
February 26, 2008 @ 10:16 am
To use a heat gun, put the shrink plastic on a piece of brown paper on a heatproof surface - you don’t want to burn your tabletop. Aim the heat gun at the plastic and wait. You’ll have to move the heat gun over the surface to get the entire strip to shrink, but don’t worry if one end shrinks before the other - it will all shrink eventually when given enough heat. Once it’s all shrunk, keep the heat gun moving over the surface to make sure the entire strip is evenly heated through.
It is somewhat dangerous - you’ll have to judge when it’s warm enough to bend into the ring shape without being too hot to handle or to start to melt the plastic. I would recommend you definitely wear gloves if you’re going to do this - if you have overheated the plastic, you could burn your fingertips by touching it without protection.
If you find it’s not pliable enough to bend into the ring shape, heat it some more and then try again. I would definitely recommend you use a toaster oven, or even your regular oven, before you try using a heat gun. Please take care if you try this method!
Jacqueline Said,
February 26, 2008 @ 3:05 pm
I just love it , thanks !!!!
Cindy Said,
February 26, 2008 @ 4:43 pm
Thanks so much for sharing this helpful tutorial! I have some shrinky dinks at home that I can’t wait to try this with now!
vanna Said,
February 27, 2008 @ 11:52 am
i want to make these so bad, it brings tears to my eyes!! i will have to wait til i shovel out my craft room to find my shrink plastic… i have all kinds of ideas to make rings to match my outfits!
Lori Said,
February 27, 2008 @ 12:19 pm
I’ve seen your beautiful rings highlighted on the Craft blog and so I was so excited to see that you put up a tutorial!! Thank you!! Now to get some shrink plastic…
Honey, I know how to shrink the jewellery. « Said,
February 27, 2008 @ 3:48 pm
[...] 28, 2008 by Sarah Remember these? PlanetJune now has a tutorial for making your own ShrinkyDink [...]
Didi Said,
February 27, 2008 @ 4:48 pm
Wow love the idea.
Thanks for sharing it, I will try for sure =)
AdornmentCraft » Blog Archive » Shrink Plastic Flower Pin Tutorial Said,
February 28, 2008 @ 12:28 pm
[...] you like the looks of this project, also check out Planet June’s Shrink Plastic Ring Tutorial.) « de Cor’s Handmades Wired Chinese Knot [...]
Shrink plastic ring « Lady Lulu’s Braindump Hut and Craftarium Said,
March 8, 2008 @ 10:05 pm
[...] March 8, 2008 Shrink plastic ring Posted by Lu under she’s crafty | Tags: jewelry, shrink plastic | I am still feeling under the weather, but I really wanted to make something today. I went to my old standby, shrink plastic. I decided to follow PlanetJune’s shrink plastic ring tutorial. [...]
SewDelish Said,
March 10, 2008 @ 7:28 am
Thanks, Just what I was looking for!
Jill Said,
March 15, 2008 @ 8:09 am
I just found a great site with the ‘rough’ shrinky plastic super cheap! $5 for 10 8×10 sheets
http://www.goestores.com/catalog.aspx?storename=shrinkydinks&DeptID=34365&ItemID=695466&detail=1
den2 Said,
March 19, 2008 @ 11:45 am
hey! ive been looking everywhere for a tutorial like this! good stuff! ^_^ now i just need to find the stuff.
Tahnee Said,
March 31, 2008 @ 10:26 pm
Oh wow this is awesome– just started getting back into shrink plastic and was wondering if making rings was even possible. Nice tutorial
Nicole Said,
April 6, 2008 @ 9:12 pm
I tried making these years ago, but i didnt think to find something to wrap it around. Instead i used the finger in question. Ouch. another tip, forming it in the blast of a hot hair dryer or heat gun will give you some extra time. I sometimes use my heat gun instead of the oven for more control to shape while shrinking.
Foodaholic Said,
April 8, 2008 @ 8:26 pm
Those are beautiful! I can’t wait to try making some rings. I love customizing my own accessories. Thanks for the great instructions.
Ella Said,
April 12, 2008 @ 3:40 pm
These are beautiful! Hey anyone else tried to make them? Id love to see what their’s looked like!
Mary Lou Said,
April 15, 2008 @ 11:50 am
Hi,
My question is this…do I have to apply a coating to the inside ? and what kind would that be ?
The rings are awesome !
Mary Lou
Katie Said,
April 21, 2008 @ 9:15 am
I had a party yesterday and I got this kit with that stuff in it and it is such a fun thing to play around with.
katharine hearts more links « katharine hearts the internet Said,
April 23, 2008 @ 4:30 pm
[...] shrinky dink rings (looks fun, but could be frustrating to get that perfect circle) [...]
Aly Said,
April 26, 2008 @ 3:23 pm
You are a genius; I now mourn the loss of all the projects I tossed out because they fused together. But now I know to wait longer so they’ll fold back out =)
June Said,
April 28, 2008 @ 9:27 am
Aly, if they are really stuck together and don’t uncurl when you reheat them, when they are hot you can use a chopstick (not fingers!) to help free them, and then they will straighten out again
Riechan Said,
April 29, 2008 @ 4:31 pm
Hello, Thankyou sooooo very much, I just love them !!!!!
But I don’t understand one thing very well, how big does it has to be when you measure it on your plastic. If I measure my finger and than take that measurement and enlarge it 3 times it should be the right measurement + 10% ??
Giulia Said,
May 1, 2008 @ 6:01 am
Genial!
Isabel Said,
May 2, 2008 @ 4:04 pm
I love The Dinks and have been doing fun craft projects with them for years. But I never thought about doing this with them. I love it.
Okay, so what do I do with the pack of opaque dink paper I have? I can’t figure out what it’s good for! Any suggestion?
June Said,
May 2, 2008 @ 4:43 pm
Isabel, you could still make rings with the opaque shrinkydinks - just decorate the OUTSIDE
Otherwise earrings, napkin rings, wine glass charms… You have tons of options!
potiron Said,
May 3, 2008 @ 5:21 am
Thank you for your idea!!! I love shrink plastic and am always looking for ways to do better than the little stuff I’ve done and not worth showing!!!
The tricky part will be to find something my finger size (as I have very small fingers)
I’m going to look up your other tutorials. I’m happy I found your blog!!!
Take care
potiron Said,
May 3, 2008 @ 8:08 am
I just tried my first ring -not easy calculating the correct lengths….
Anyway, your rings never join, do they???? There’s a space??? or am I understanding this wrong
Thanks for your help,
Potiron in France
June Said,
May 3, 2008 @ 11:45 am
It’s all a bit of a trial and error method - it gets easier with practice!
Hopie Said,
May 6, 2008 @ 7:00 pm
Hi There! Thanks for sharing your tutorial!
What a great little idea there - I do have a query:
Do you glaze your work?
If yes, before or after you have baked?
Super stuff - thanks again!
Hopie
Hopie Said,
May 7, 2008 @ 3:34 pm
Hi! Just saw your post on acrylic glaze sealer - thanks again for the great tutorial.
elowezil Said,
May 9, 2008 @ 5:45 pm
Wonderful tutorial and your results are awesome! Thanks so much for sharing the instructions. Am off to play …!