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✨ Supplies for Project
⇢ Acrylic (Save 10% with Code: LASERLADY)
⇢ Silicone Baking Mat
⇢ Heat Gun
⇢ Heat Resistant Gloves
⇢ Gorilla Duct Tape
⇢ Gorilla Clear Grip Contact Adhesive

✨ Practice Design Download

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It’s time to take your laser cut acrylic projects to the next level! Differentiate yourself from your competitors by adding this one hot step! Say goodbye to those fingerprints and let’s turn up the heat!

➕ Subscribe to my YouTube Channel HERE

Safety First!

Here are the supplies needed to safely transform our laser cut acrylic projects into 3D masterpieces!

I will be using my stovetop as my heat safe base and on top of that I like to use this Silicone Baking Mat. When we are using fast hot air to blow things around, this tends to keep little bits in place and can handle the heat.

Of course, we need a nice, cheap Heat Gun! Now don’t go using this as a hair dryer, you will melt all your hair and skin off. This one is only about $20 on Amazon and has 2 modes, 750 degrees Fahrenheit for the low setting and 1000 degrees for the high.

We’ll also need some tools to shape our pieces. The less we use our hands directly on the heated acrylic, the safer we are. I’m sure you are smart enough to know that extreme heat is dangerous for our silly weak human skin. Pain is bad, let’s avoid it.

There are Heat Safe Gloves made for this, but I don’t have any. I’m going to use these regular cheap winter gloves as a bit of a barrier, but go for the good gloves. They’re only a few bucks. I also like to use an oven mitt when I actually need to use my hands for shaping, so we’ll see that later.

Recap: Fire is Dangerous. Don’t set your house on fire. Don’t set your self on fire. Keep pets and kids away. Have water nearby. Have ventilation in your workspace. Fire is Bad. Read the instructions for your heat gun. BE SAFE.

Project 1 – Heat Shape Basics, Glitter Acrylic Party Streamer

Just about any type of laser safe acrylic can be shaped with heat. Acrylics that don’t work include ones with an added layer like an iridescent acrylic or mirrored acrylic.

For this intro project, I am going to use glitter infused acrylic. This fun spiral uses very little material and will be transformed into something quite magical.

To get started, I glove up my flipping hand. You could absolutely use tongs to flip things for a no-hands approach. Now I am going to flip on the heat gun to the low (750 degree) setting.

Going slowly, I just go around and around, back and forth, directing the heat onto the spiral about 2 inches above it. You don’t want to hold it on one spot for too long, or you risk warping that spot.

Every so often, I flip it over. Once you can start to see the acrylic moving like a thick bologna, or rubbery sheet, it is ready to change shape.

Using both my pliers, I grab the edge and middle tip and start to pull apart. The skinny nature of this shape helps it to cool faster, making it re-solidify. You will feel it harden, and beware! If it feels like it is still able to be shaped, but getting harder, don’t force it. You can break and tear heated acrylic pretty easily.

Now, if you don’t like the shape it hardened into, just hit it again with the heat gun. It will want to go back into it’s original form.

Do the slow and steady process again and give it another go!

If you like the look and want to harden it back up again, I like to wave it around in the air, or blow on it. There are other ways, and we’ll get into that soon.

This is looking good to me, so let’s finish it up! I had made a golden star to hang off of here, and now we are ready to party!

Next up, let’s learn about molds!

Project 2 – Heat Molded Acrylic Flower Magnets

The flowers we are about to make are even easier than the last project!

I got this super fancy plaid acrylic from Craft Closet, I’ll have links below with a discount code for you.

The masking is pretty hard to get off this one, so of course I whip out my tried and true Gorilla Duct Tape. Using the heat gun on the masking paper would also loosen the adhesive and make it easy to get off, just try not to burn it.

I also cut out a flower from a matte pink acrylic. The middle of the flowers are engraved, and to make those pop out a little, I painted in the engraving with some Paint Pens. Just wait for the big reveal!

This pink flower has one shiny side and one matte side, and for materials like this, just make sure you have the front facing side where you need it.

For the mold, I am going to use this little plastic bowl. You can use anything that can take on a little bit of heat. A ceramic bowl would do great, a mug, a plant pot, things like that.

Once the piece is fully heated, I am going to try to center this thing in the bowl. It’s pretty hot to hold in there, this is where those heat safe gloves, and oven mitt, or even a rolled up towel will come in handy.

Once you give it enough time to cool down, you will see it’s pretty shape! Molds are great when you want to make many things with the same outcome. It you are selling these online, you want all your product to match your pictures, after all.

Now that both my flowers are shaped, let me show you the final result!

After I take off the masking of the flower middles, I just glue them on there with some Gorilla Clear Grip Contact Adhesive. I use the same stuff for the magnets on the back!

After they dry, they are ready to make your fridge or any metal surface cute as all get out. These would make great gifts for coworkers, or make them in team colors, or for flower admirers, like me!

Project 3 – Laser Cut Heat Shaped Succulents

In this next example, I want to show you what it’s like when your piece is too big, or long in this case, to shape all at once.

Depending on your project, it might need to be worked over time.

I made these long bloopy pieces to be rolled into a succulent plant shape – hopefully. The thing is, once I get it rolled up a little bit, the acrylic is so thin, that it starts to solidify before I am done rolling.

Using my handy pliers to keep the rolled bit in place, I carefully use the heat gun on the remaining bits.

Whatever tools you use, make sure they are safe for high temperatures. The plastic handles on these pliers help to keep the heat from traveling down to my meat covered fingers.

To get this hot plastic roll out of my hands, I use that little bowl from earlier, now filled with ice water, to dunk my piece in to cool it quickly.

Once I have everything rolled up, I glued them to a base for a little succulent decoration. I’m not super in love with it, but that’s ok. Not every idea works out like we hoped. At least we learned something!

And that something is going to help out in this next project!

Project 4 – Laser Cut Acrylic Sink Caddy

Surely you can tell what I am making with this cool rectangular shape! Ok, maybe not yet.

For this project, we need a dowel. Instead of a mold, we are going to use this to help us with our shape.

Larger pieces like this can take some time to get hot enough to bend, which also means it takes longer to cool. Once I finally get it to that delicious bologna texture, it’s time to wrap it around this dowel.

Using an oven mitt, I can spare my hands a bit. The next part we shape, will be molded around this middle bit of my sink.

Luckily, being in the sink and all, we can use some cool water to solidify it almost instantly. Do you know what it is yet? Yup, a cute little sponge holder!

Using water for big things like this really helps save your hands from the ouchie heat, as well as little things like these tiny bat earrings.

Project 5 – Heat Shaped Laser Cut Bat Stud Earrings

Being so small, this heat mat really helps these little bats from blowing away.

In no time, they are ready to shape. Using my pliers to steady the bat body, I bend the wings forward a little bit and dunk them in some cold water.

If you needed to make a lot of these, you can make quick work with a system that acclimates to your project.

Keeping your tools nearby, along with methods of cooling, streamline possible increased profits while saving your skin from melting off.

I’d love to know if you have ever tried heat shaping before, or what you think about the most delicious sandwich mystery meat called bologna?

The more you challenge yourself with your creativity, the more amazing products you will create to impress your customers with.

Happy crafting!

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