Shrink Wrapping

[MrNatowski]

This is something I'm surprised I haven't seen more info on. A friend of mine bought some shrink wrap bags recently and started experimenting. He cut the corners off the two open corners of the shrink wrap bag (To keep the corners from bunching up after being shrunk).



He then took an Ipod box, put a deck of cards in it padded with some paper to keep it from moving around, and put it in a 6" by 9" shrink wrap bag. After this he folded each side down against the box.



Then he took apart a heat laminator (A heated frying pan could work but will most likely burn the plastic),



turned it on, and after letting it warm up he carefully removed the top metal piece, holding it by the cords to keep from burning himself.



He held the corners down against the sides of the box like this.



and holding it in this position he pressed it against the bottom metal piece for a second, sealing it.



He then used a burner without the frying pan turned to simmer, and held the ipod/shrink wrap bag about 12" above the flame, slowly moving it to avoid burning a hole in the plastic, letting the heat shrink it tightly against the box, paying extra attention to the corners.

The end result looked like this.





Normally you would use a shrink wrap sealer to close the bag, and then shrink it with a heat gun, but since my friend didn't have one of these he made do with what he had. Ipods are sealed with a sealer and don't have the overlap shown in these pictures, but many items are shrink wrapped with this sealed overlap, meaning most people won't know the difference unless they've seen a lot of sealed ipods recently.

What do you guys think? Does this seem like a good idea for a return scam at walmart (Buying one, taking it out, and resealing it)? I also noticed that software and dvds are sealed the way my friend did it, but since the shrink wrap actually shrinks when being sealed, it's difficult to get it neat enough to look passable.

There's surely an endless amount of potential for shrink wrap, so if anyone here has any ideas or experience in this field, share the knowledge.

[Brimley]

Are you kidding!? I have shrink wrapped everything in my girlfriends house before. Its the next best annoying toy next to a label maker

[vinipooh123@gmail]

This wont work at walmart with the 160gb ipod, when you are going to return this item they will call the manager of the electronics department to clear the return, he will glance at the box - and it looks like shit. I highly doubt this will fly.

[MrNatowski]

Are there any good ways of sealing a shrink wrap bag without a sealer? If not does anyone know of a retail store that sells them or is the internet about the only place? Office Max, Office Depot, and Staples don't have them or know where to find them.

[zooting22]

There are more stores besides walmart, idiot.

OP: good idea, post results

[Snoopy]

That's not even shrink wrap.

[MrNatowski]

Thanks lockedbanana.

Snoopy, it is shrink wrap. If you go on Ebay and look for shrink wrap bags, you can find them in all different sizes. At home depot you can find something similar to shrink wrap. If you go to the aisle with all the windows, they have window weatherization sheets, which shrink when heated to fit around the windows. Only problem is this type of shrink wrap tends to leave bubbles and doesn't look as smooth as the shrink wrap bags. Also if you buy shrink wrap from office supply stores make sure you don't confuse it with stretch wrap which isn't the same and won't shrink properly when heated.

[Bender]

Maybe if your selling it second hand online or w/e.

[jackvs]

You are on the right track, modify slightly using a scalpel and superglue. Most modelling shops sell scalpel type razors, and a bit a careful work will allow you to reseal the box with superglue.

Or for the real artists, you open the box, reseal it, and then open it again. Go to the store and act seriously pissed - say you opened the box and found it empty. Works good if you suddenly notice marks of the superglue in front of them.

[kirby]

Originally Posted by jackvs

You are on the right track, modify slightly using a scalpel and superglue. Most modelling shops sell scalpel type razors, and a bit a careful work will allow you to reseal the box with superglue.

Or for the real artists, you open the box, reseal it, and then open it again. Go to the store and act seriously pissed - say you opened the box and found it empty. Works good if you suddenly notice marks of the superglue in front of them.