# How soon can I shrink wrap?



## rparrny (Sep 22, 2015)

I bought some shrink wrap and have never used it before.  I know there is a learning curve there and anyone with words of wisdom...please chime in.  I'm wondering though...how soon can I wrap?  Do I have to wait until the soap is completely cured?


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## DeeAnna (Sep 22, 2015)

Do you have just flat film or shrink bags? Do you have a heat sealer or do you plan to use tape to secure the openings?

I package my soaps after they cure at least 4 weeks. YMMV.


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## rparrny (Sep 22, 2015)

DeeAnna said:


> Do you have just flat film or shrink bags? Do you have a heat sealer or do you plan to use tape to secure the openings?
> 
> I package my soaps after they cure at least 4 weeks. YMMV.


I have the bags and was planning on taping or glue stick.  Was gonna use my hair dryer.


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## shunt2011 (Sep 22, 2015)

I wait at least 4 weeks before packaging. Also you may have trouble using a hair dryer. I tried that several times and had no luck. I highly recommend a heat gun


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## DeeAnna (Sep 22, 2015)

Yep, a heat gun will work better than a hair dryer unless your film shrinks at lower temps than what I have been using. You might be twiddling around for minutes per bar if using a hair dryer.

I would be concerned that glue sticks or tape may fail with the heat required to shrink the film -- you'd sure want to experiment with different adhesives to make sure which one will work best. The shrink film systems I've seen are not adhesive based -- they heat seal the film. But that's not to say there aren't adhesive based solutions -- I'm not an expert by any means.

I use shrink bags, a heat sealer, and a heat gun. Works well for small scale soaping. Click the link at the bottom of this message for a tutorial. 

I'd go to a heat sealed flat film for larger production.


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## cmzaha (Sep 22, 2015)

I do the same as DeeAnna. Impulse sealers are quite inexpensive on Ebay and also come in handy for sealing snack bags such as potato chip bags. I have used one I purchased 5 yrs ago on ebay and it is still going strong, and I package a lot of soap. 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/12-Impulse-...lon-Sealing-/360964773311?hash=item540b2d55bf


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## DeeAnna (Sep 22, 2015)

Mine might be a heavier duty version, but it's basically the same as yours, Carolyn. We just got done using it to heat seal 12,000 bags of product for an order going to our largest customer. The sealer is really reliable and has paid for itself many times over.


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## Dahila (Sep 22, 2015)

I have wagner and I am very happy with all options on it http://www.homedepot.ca/product/ht3500-digital-heat-tool/939812


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## Dana89 (Sep 22, 2015)

I have a sealer but do not have a heat gun yet so I have to blowdry mine. It ends up with a wrinkled look. I need a heat gun asap.
I wait as long as I to wrap them. Either until I have no more space or I am about to give it away.
I don,t know if they stop curing when shrink wrapped but exsposure to  circulating air (I use a small fan in my curing/exercise/guest/office/just put it in there until I can figure out what I want to do with it Room.) is IME good for the soap, it just keeps getting harder and better with light air flow.


ETA- I have the same heat sealer from Ebay except mine is 8 inches. It does work great but I have had to change the heating element in it, it comes with 2 extras and they are really easy to replace. If you run out of the ones provided they sell those on Ebay and Amazon for less than 10 dollars.


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## kchaystack (Sep 22, 2015)

I used a 40% off Michael's Coupon and got one of the Martha Stewart heat guns.  It works well on the shrink wrap I got off amazon.


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## shunt2011 (Sep 22, 2015)

I too have a Wagner. Worth every penny. I went through 3 cheaper ones from Harbor Freight in a 6 month period. Been using the Wagner for two years now with no problems.


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## DeeAnna (Sep 22, 2015)

The cool thing about my Dewalt heat gun is it will stand upright on a table to free up your hands. DIdn't realize what I was getting until I got it home and tried it out, but I wouldn't do without this little feature. It is so very, very handy.

This one: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00307B4P0/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


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## RogueRose (Sep 23, 2015)

Go to Harbor Freight and pick up a cheap heat gun for $20 or $7.99 on sale with a coupon.

As far as taping, what kinds of tape or other adhesives have you used?  I have been using little pieces of regular 3M scotch and it works perfectly and is as clear as the shrink wrap.


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## rparrny (Sep 25, 2015)

cmzaha said:


> I do the same as DeeAnna. Impulse sealers are quite inexpensive on Ebay and also come in handy for sealing snack bags such as potato chip bags. I have used one I purchased 5 yrs ago on ebay and it is still going strong, and I package a lot of soap.
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/12-Impulse-...lon-Sealing-/360964773311?hash=item540b2d55bf


Thanks for the link, the shipping was over ten bucks but I found it on Amazon for $22 and I have prime, so the price would be way lower.  I have a food saver, I wonder how well it would do?


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## DeeAnna (Sep 25, 2015)

If your vac sealer is like mine, you can't adjust the sealing time as easily as you can with a dedicated heat sealer. Also a vac sealer can be more fiddly to use for just heat sealing a bag. But it should will work fine, especially if you don't have a lot of bags to seal.


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