Sam's Blog: How to Make a Bakugan Knight Pendant

Pyrus, Aquos, and Ventus Castle Knight pendants.

As seen on the TV show Bakugan: Gundalian Invaders, the Castle Knights of Neathia wear a special necklace with a pendant that serves as an ID tag as well as a symbol of the bond between a Castle Knight and his or her partner Bakugan.

This guide will show you how to make a simple and stylish replica of this pendant, using shrinkable clear plastic, paint, and common jewelry materials.

Steps

Some of the supplies and tools you will need.
Gather your tools and supplies. These are listed below in 'Things You'll Need'. Look for supplies in large box stores that stock craft items as well as craft shops and hobby stores.
- Children working on this project will require the help and supervision of an adult, as sharp scissors and an oven will be used. The aid of an adult may be needed for certain steps which require attention to small details. The time it takes to complete this project will include three minutes for baking and between 15 and 30 minutes for fusing.
This site gives you a tiny link to click.
Download and print out the pattern sheet. This is currently only available as a PDF file which you can find at http://www.2shared.com/document/T9COyD5v/bakugan_pendant_pattern2.html. The download link is near the bottom of the page (see image). Once you have the PDF file, print it out full-size on a regular piece of letter-size paper.
Prepare your workspace. First, tape the pattern down (printed side face-up) onto the surface of your workspace. Then, place a sheet of Shrinky Dinks plastic (frosted side up!) on top of the pattern, and tape it down at the edges as well. This will help to keep both pieces in place as you work.
The purpose of this pencil line will be to show you where to cut the plastic once you're done painting the rest of the pattern.
Use the pencil to trace the outer diamond-shaped line of the pattern for the pendant you wish to make. Notice that there are six different pendant patterns on the page, one for each attribute of Bakugan. You will only be tracing the outside line of this pattern for this step.
Most Painters markers come with medium tips, which make it a bit difficult to render fine details such as the pointed part of this Pyrus symbol. You may use a fine-tipped paintbrush to move paint into points in the design if you wish.
Color in the attribute symbol in the center of the pattern with the Painters paint marker. Try to only fill in the space inside the lines; when the plastic is baked later, the painted areas will puff out slightly and fill out the design more. Allow the paint to dry before continuing on to the next step.
- If the marker is new, or isn't painting well, you will need to prime it; shake the marker up and down for a couple of minutes (you should eventually hear the agitator sliding back and forth inside the marker), then press the marker tip down onto a scrap piece of thick paper or cardboard so that the tip retracts into the marker. Paint will start to flow into the spongy tip. It will easily make a mess, so be careful when doing this step!
Mind the gap! Be careful only to color inside the lines of the pattern, and not to the pencil edge. This blank gap around the silver area is necessary later on during fusing.
Use the silver Sharpie or silver paint to color in the triangular 'finials' on the top and bottom of the pattern. Allow this to dry before going on to the next step.
Using the pencil, trace the outer diamond-shaped line of the pattern next to the pattern you have been working on. This piece will remain blank, and will be used later on during fusing as the bottom piece which seals the design is inside the pendant. Simply tracing the outer edge of an adjacent pattern to get this piece saves you from having to move and re-tape the plastic.
Remove the tape holding the plastic down onto the workspace.
A Haos pendant piece that has been cut out.
Use the scissors to cut out the pieces. Remember to cut only along the pencil lines that mark the outer edges of these pieces.
Lay the piece against a piece of white paper to check for pencil marks that you may have missed.
Use the eraser on the pencil to remove the pencil edges from the pieces. Make sure to remove all of the pencil marks; they will not be included in the final piece. Also be sure to keep the pieces clean from eraser filings resulting from erasing.
Prepare the oven for the baking process. Preheat the oven to 325ºF (163ºC) and allow it to warm up as you prepare the cookie sheet. Take the parchment paper and cut a piece that covers the cookie sheet. Then, take the pendant pieces and lay them frosted side up on the paper as shown in the picture. Once the oven has reached the desired temperature, go on to the next step.
The Shrinky Dinks manual recommends you watch the pieces not only for this reason, but because it's just plain interesting as well.

The length of the piece prior to baking.

The length of the piece after baking.

As you can see, this blank piece should have had an eye kept on it as it was being baked.
Carefully place the cookie sheet inside the oven and allow the pieces to bake for 3 minutes. As they bake, they will shrink (they are Shrinky Dinks after all) as well as become nine times thicker.
- It is important to watch them during this process as they run the danger of curling up and sticking to themselves, thus preventing them from flattening out properly. Grab a chair and sit where you can see the pieces as they draw up, and keep the pair of wooden skewers or chopsticks on hand to reach into the oven and pull the pieces apart if they start curling into themselves. (Children should have an adult do this.)
- Once the 3 minutes have passed, take the cookie sheet out of the oven and lay it on a heat-safe surface (or potholders) and allow the pieces to cool. Then, turn the oven temperature up to 450ºF (230ºC) and allow it to heat up. While you're waiting, work on the next step.
The metal eye loop in its original form.

Bend it a few times with the pliers before deciding where to cut it off.

For this one, a larger loop was created at the bottom end.
Prepare the metal eye loop. This tiny piece of wire will be fused inside the pendant and will be used to hang it from a necklace chain. See the photos at right for how to bend the wire and cut off the excess with the jewelry pliers (you will need to bend the wire a bit at the non-loop end so that it cannot be easily yanked out of the pendant after fusing). The wire must not be so long that it extends past the silver 'finial' into the clear part of the pendant, but also not so short that you can't get a lot of bends into it.
The empty Pyrex dish.

The blank piece with the eye loop on top, supported by the flat toothpick.

All of the pieces are now ready for fusing. Make sure you don't place your pendant with the symbol turned upside-down!
Prepare all of the pieces for fusing. Get the Pyrex dish and begin layering the pieces inside it. The blank piece is laid frosted side down on the glass first; the eye loop is then laid at one end of the blank piece, then the painted piece is laid frosted side down with the top end on top of the eye loop. A flat toothpick is placed under the exposed part of the eye loop to keep it from touching the glass.
The dish in the oven, prior to any fusing taking place.

The piece after fusing. The wire may or may not show through the 'finial'; either way, this is perfectly fine.
Carefully place the Pyrex dish containing the pieces inside the oven and allow them to bake for 15 to 30 minutes. During this time, the top piece will melt into the bottom piece, turning them into a single piece. The frosted surfaces will flatten, causing the pendant to turn clear.
- Check the pendant after 15 minutes to see if the fusing has completed; it is likely that the silver-painted ends will still need a few more minutes to fuse. Once you are satisfied with the result, remove the dish from the oven and set it on a heat-safe surface. The dish must be cool to the touch before moving on to the next step!
Wiggle wiggle, and it comes loose. Notice the plastic bits left behind.

Free! In some cases, you may end up with some air bubbles around the symbol. That's fine
Carefully remove the finished pendant from the Pyrex dish. Grab the pendant near the middle with the thumb and index fingers of both hands, and gently wiggle it back and forth, gradually applying more pressure, until it comes loose from the dish. There may be some clear plastic left on the dish where the edges of the pendant touched the glass; this can be easily removed with a safety razor.
Also be careful not to bend the eye loop while sanding the upper edges.
Sand any sharp edges. Your pendant may end up with some sharp or jagged edges where it was touching the glass. Use the fine-grain sandpaper to dull these edges. Be careful not to scratch the smooth plastic on top of the pendant.
The open ring with the pendant hanging from it.
Use the pliers to open the jump ring, then slide the open ring through the eye loop on the pendant. Remember to open the ring by bending it sideways, instead of pulling it open.
The open ring with the chain inserted.

The jump ring, closed.
Take the ball chain and insert it inside the open ring. Simple enough. Afterwards, close the jump ring. Alternatively, you could close the jump ring first (bending it sideways until the ends meet), then undo the chain and slide it through the ring.
Ready to wear!
Your Castle Knight pendant necklace is complete! Wear it to your next Bakugan tournament meet and impress your opponents.

Tips

These were made using pearlescent paints. Notice how the symbols have a somewhat glittery look to them.
Use pearlescent Painters markers to create a sparkly effect on your attribute symbol.
This Haos pendant was made using yellow Sharpie.
If you wish for your symbol to be transparent, use regular colored Sharpie markers.
Linus' Castle Knight pendant from the Bakugan anime.
Don't worry if your first pendant doesn't come out looking perfect. There are bound to be a few imperfections, due to the somewhat chaotic nature of Shrinky Dinks plastic.

Warnings

Since sharp scissors are involved, be careful not to cut yourself.
Be mindful of the oven and use an oven-safe hand mitten to handle the hot cookie sheet and Pyrex dish.
Children will need an adult to help them with the oven and bending the wire, and possibly with cutting the plastic and arranging the items to be fused in the Pyrex dish. An adult should supervise the child at all times during the project.
During the fusing process, there may be a slight scent of burning plastic. Be mindful of this if you have an aversion to this scent.

Things You'll Need

Shrinky Dinks Frosted Rough 'n' Ready shrinkable plastic
Painters opaque paint markers in the colors you wish to use:
- Pink for Pyrus
- Light Blue for Aquos
- Light Green for Ventus
- Light Yellow or Gold for Haos
- Light Purple for Darkus
- Light Brown or Tan for SubTerra
A pencil with an eraser (preferably a .7 lead mechanical pencil)
Silver Sharpie marker -OR- silver acrylic paint
A silver-colored metal eye pin jewelry finding
A silver-colored jump ring jewelry finding
A silver-colored 24' (60.9cm) ball chain
A roll of tape
A large pair of scissors
A pair of wire-cutting jewelry pliers
A piece of fine-grain sandpaper
A Pyrex (recommended) or otherwise oven-safe glass dish
A toaster oven or a conventional oven
A cookie sheet (baking tray)
A pair of long wooden skewers or chopsticks
Parchment paper (baking paper) or wax paper
Some flat toothpicks (as opposed to round ones)