The Melting Pot by Ranger

Thanks for visiting Craft Critique! If you've come here from a search engine or from a direct link, you might be missing out on more content! Please visit CraftCritique.com. And for more amazing content such as projects, artist interviews and more, sign up for our Monthly Newsletter.

Reported by Sarah Moore

I should preface this article by saying that I wanted one of these Melting Pots by Ranger for the LONGEST time. I had heard that you could melt Poly Shrink with it; and that it would add a glaze at the same time it melted the plastic. It sounded like a miracle toy! I read up online and learned all about how I could mold buttons and other small tokens with it; and I figured it would make the Cracked Glass Technique a breeze!

I purchased the Melt Pot at a Micheal's with a 50% off Coupon. It retails for $40 (US). Brought it home, dumped in some Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (UTEE). The ranger/Suze Weinberg brand as well, and plugged it in.

First test; a small paper tag stamped with Staz-On Ink. I used a pair of crafting tweezers to hold the stamped tag and dipped it in; the ink ran under the enamel and it covered my tag with a REALLY think coating of the UTEE. Looked icky too... the melted UTEE dripped off the corners of the tag and I couldn't get a smooth edge... just a drippy one. I tried using a cheap-o plastic spoon to scrap off the drips, but it looked really crumby. Then I had no where to set the darn tag. It was all covered in gook. So I just held it until it cooled; then it stuck to my tweezers. I had to crack it off my tweezers to remove it.. but it was unusable anyways.

Next test; Shrink Plastic. I stamped a small flower (in Staz-On) and cut it out. I again held it with my tweezers; dropped it in and waited for the magic. And it DID melt... but now I had to get it OUT of the thick goo. It did not survive removal.

Test three... making a mold. it never happened; and here's why. The molding medium costs $13 (US) a pop! And it's a one use only compound! I just don't need to duplicate a button that badly; and after the bad experience I was having so far; I am not dumping any more money into this baby. I did not purchase the molding compound; not in the budget.

I just don't get how one could possible coat an item with the UTEE and get it out of the pot without having drips; or at least a mark where the item was held. PLUS if Staz-on will run in the melted UTEE (and tint it yellow by the way) then what kind of ink WILL work???... who knows. I also need to add that this thing gets HOT. I actually had to turn it off because I smelled something burning last time I used it and after moving the pot I found it had permanently warped my self healing mat and stained my table! Ouch!

I am sure there are a million uses for thins thing; but I can't figure it out... unless I am ready to invest in molds, non-stick craft sheets, special tools... but that just ain't gonna happen! I feel like this thing should work on a basic level first.

I did find ONE cool thing to do with the Melt Pot. In my testing I dipped all sorts of things in the pot; bottle caps, buttons, Metals tags, ribbon... all of it YUCK. But while using an oval label holder embellishment from my Stampin' Up! Hodgepodge Hardware Kit I realized I could create a thin film to cover the opening of the label holder; like you would with a bubble wand while blowing bubbles. It cooled into a thin "window" over the frame, and created an antique glass look. I used it on the card below.

Please visit my blog for the other details on this card

Edited to add 4/13: While I had a poor experience with this product many others have not. You can look at the comments to see some helpful tips, a Yahoo Group, and a site supported by Suze Weinberg that can help you used this product better.

Please remember that this article is the opinion of ONE crafter. We recommend that you use several sources of research before you decide to buy a product we review.

To those who posted strong opinions... we thank you, and we hope you will submit your articles about this product to Craft Critique to help us better educate our readers. (we are seeking articles from those NOT professionally affiliated with the product only please).

Edited to add... AGAIN... 4/13: This is (I thought obviously) an article written by one person who did not do any research before purchasing this product, and who did not want to go the "extra mile" to purchase books, videos and additional tools that might have made this this product work better. This is an article based on ONE use of this product; an experience that was so daunting that it frustrated the user to the point that she set the product aside for several weeks before attempting use again; still with poor results. It is absolutely probable that the poor results she achieved were based on USER failure.

Craft Critique has a mission to show real life crafters real life experiences with products. It does not claim to be an authority in any area, and all the reviews contained herein are just opinions. This is why we operate as an open collective and welcome your comments, opinions and article submissions.

I should add that this product was personally purchased by the user and the maker is not a supporting vendor for Craft Critique.

Edited to add... one LAST time:

Comments are being moderated only temporarily. We would like to remind our readers that nonconstructive comments posted anonymously will be deleted.

Due to the overwhelming response to this article I agree that it is only fair to give my Melting Pot a second (or third) chance. I will spend the next few weeks researching the links, sources and techniques you have all suggested. I welcome more helpful ideas, and I hope you will all return for take two.