After spending so much time making your Shrinky Dinks, it can be disappointing when they came out with many bubbles. These bubbles can ruin the design, and you’ll want to know what caused them to prevent it from happening again.
So, why did your Shrinky Dinks bubble? Shrinky Dinks can bubble for a few different reasons. It usually happens when your oven is too hot or you leave them in the oven for too long. Dull scissors also lead to cracked edges that let air inside. These problems are luckily easy to fix.
In this article, you’ll find everything you need to prevent your shrink-plastic creations from bubbling again. Let’s keep reading!
How To Avoid Bubbling in Shrinky Dinks
Once you know what’s causing the bubbling in your Shrinky Dinks, it’s easy to prevent it from happening. You’ll need to consider what settings you used the last time you tried to make the Shrinky Dinks. What was the heat set to, and how long did you let them bake?
Then, reduce the heat by about 25 degrees and try baking another test charm. If there are still bubbles, you might need to bake the Shrinky Dinks for a minute or two less.
Check out this Shrinky Dink Kit that comes with 51 pieces, including coloring pencils!
You should keep an eye on your Shrinky Dinks when they’re in the oven. They’ll start to flatten after a few minutes— take them out of the oven 30 seconds after they flatten out. The extra 30 seconds helps the Shrinkles to set, but letting them go for too much longer will cause them to bubble.
Lastly, you’ll want to use a sharp pair of scissors when cutting out the plastic. If the scissors are dull, they can cause the edges of the shrink-plastic to splinter. When that happens, air can get into the cracks and make bubbles. Your designs are also much more likely to come out of the oven deformed.
How Do You Get Shrinky Dinks To Lay Flat?
The best way to get your shrink-plastic designs to lay flat is to follow the directions that come in the kit. You may need to make minor adjustments because all ovens are slightly different, but those instructions work well for the most part.
The instructions can vary slightly, but you can follow these steps to get perfectly flat Shrinky Dinks:
- Preheat your oven (or other Shrinky Dink safe heat source) to 325°F (163°C).
- While it heats, cut out your designs with a sharp pair of craft scissors.
- Place the designs on a baking sheet.
- Put the Shrinky Dinks in the heat and watch them closely. They’ll start to shrink after one to three minutes.
- Count for 30 seconds, then remove the pan.
- Inspect the Shrinky Dinks closely. If they’re not flat, you still have time to fix them while they’re hot!
- Lay a piece of baking or parchment paper over the designs. Then, gently press on them with a flat tool, like a spatula. Wait a few seconds for the cutouts to cool.
- You should have some very flat Shrinky Dinks!
Common Mistakes That Can Cause Bubbling in Shrinky Dinks
One of the most common mistakes that cause bubbling is not watching your Shrinky Dinks when they’re baking in the oven. If you walk away from them, you might not notice them shrinking and flattening, making it very easy to leave them in the oven for too long.
It only takes about one to three minutes for the shrink-plastic to change sizes; that’s not a lot of time! You need to know when to measure those 30 seconds and promptly remove the Shrinky Dinks from the heat. Letting them bake for even an extra minute more than they need can lead to much bubbling and warping.
Another mistake is using dull scissors. It’s usually more of a problem on upcycled plastic because it might be thicker than the plastic you get from a Shrinky Dink kit. The thicker plastic will splinter a lot more along the edges if you don’t use sharp enough scissors. As long as you’re careful when you cut and bake your Shrinkles, you’re sure not to have any problems.
Not making a test Shrinky Dinks is another mistake. After making one, you can see more accurately how the shrink-plastic behaves in your oven. You’ll have a chance to adjust, so your actual batch of designs turns out great. The test Shrinky Dink can be as simple as a square, so don’t feel as though you need to make a masterpiece.
Can You Fix Curled Shrinky Dinks?
If your Shrinky Dink curls, don’t give up hope yet! You can still fix it. Most Shrinky Dinks will uncurl in the oven, so you might not even need to do anything. If they don’t flatten out after a minute, you’ll want to take them out and uncurl them yourself.
Check out my other article that’s talks all about why your Shrinky Dinks curled. It’s a must read if you want to fix or prevent curling in the future.
You can uncurl your shrink-plastic as long as it’s still hot. If it cooled down, you’d need to put the shrink-plastic back in the oven for a few minutes so you can change its shape. After they’re warm, lay parchment over the designs and press them flat with a tool.
If your Shrinky Dinks always seem to curl, you can put the parchment paper over them before baking. The paper helps to keep them flat and makes them easier to adjust right when they come out of the oven.
Final Thoughts
To summarize, bubbling in Shrinky Dinks usually happens when you don’t use the correct settings on your oven. If it’s too hot or you bake the plastic sheets for too long, they can start to bubble. Dull scissors also might cause some issues, so you’ll need to make sure that you use sharp ones for your crafts.
Overall, it’s very simple to fix bubbling in Shrinky Dinks. Start by following the directions that came with your shrink-plastic kit. If they still bubble, you’ll want to reduce the heat and remove your creations sooner. All ovens are different, so you’ll need to make a test Shrinky Dink first!
