Suze Weinberg's Melting Pot & UTEE

Melting Pot® Tips

The Melting Pot is designed with a BUILT-IN TEFLON PAN. This pan houses the heating element underneath and is NOT removable.

When you first plug in your pot, the GREEN light will come on to tell you there is electricity going to it. The RED light goes on and off, cycling as the temperature fluxuates.

UTEE needs to melt at the highest setting (340 degrees F). You should always use the lid when you are not pouring. It keeps in the heat and keeps out the dust.

MOST IMPORTANTLY- ALWAYS work over the Non-stick Craft Sheet. It is a glass infused Teflon sheet and nothing sticks to it.

Adding UTEE™ & FLEX™

The word "MAX" is etched into the built-in pan. You generally want to fill your pot with UTEE right to this line. This is the most efficient way of working.
You can add the UTEE FLEX during the melting process or after the UTEE has melted (it doesn't matter).

The FLEX scoop comes vacuum-packed in the jar of UTEE FLEX.

UTEE comes in a variety of colors: Clear, White, Black, Pearl, Gold, Platinum, Bronze, Interference Blue, Red Hot Red, Violet, Green Zinnia, Fuchsia, Blue Iris, Sunflower Yellow and Tiger Lily.

It is important that you DO NOT STIR WHILE MELTING. This creates air bubbles. Just have patience and let everything melt on its own. Then you may stir gently using the Non-stick Kool Toolz Spatula.

If you have some leftover UTEE in your pot and you're not ready to turn it off or clean it out, add a scoopful of other colors and cover till they melt.
Don't stir them. Let them melt and stay in their individual spots. Then, sprinkle in a tiny drop of White UTEE and use the tip of your Kool Tool Spatula to gently marble the colors. Next, pour out the entire mixture on your Non-stick Craft Sheet and put a cookie cutter into it. Remember you have so many UTEE colors to choose from. Tthe combinations are endless!

Using "To Dye For™" as an Additive

TO DYE FOR is a heat ink additive designed to cook at high temperatures. It is NOT a dye or a pigment ink refill. TO DYE FOR was designed to be used with Clear UTEE, White UTEE and/or Pearl UTEE. You may get a different look with all of them.

Squeeze just a small amount of this thick, (sometimes gooey), additive into your pot of melted UTEE. Then stir it thoroughly with the KOOL TOOLZ SPATULA (which is both heat resistant & non stick). To Dye For colors can be intermixed. 3-4 drops of Magenta mixed with one drop of Blue will make Purple, and so on.

When mixed and stirred thoroughly into clear melted UTEE, TO DYE FOR will create a transparent, almost stained glass look. When mixed in with White or Pearl UTEE it creates a soft pastel look, or you can stir gently to form a marbled pattern.

Using "To Dye For™" with White Opaque UTEE

Try adding white UTEE! You can add WHITE UTEE to any "To Dye For" color that you've made. By adding White, you can turn the transparently colored UTEE into an Opaque color and lighten it a bit.

To Dye For comes in 6 bright colors. All of them can be mixed into Clear, White or Pearl UTEE after it has melted in the pot. All of them can be changed into a "Faux Stone" color by simply adding White UTEE to Clear UTEE mixed with a To Dye For color.

Using "Mold n' Pour™"

Included in the Melt Art line is a two-part silicone molding putty called Mold n' Pour . It is so simple to use! The package comes with a purple putty and a white putty. You simply use an equal amount of both. Knead them togther in your hands for no more than 20-30 seconds to form a solid purple color with NO white streaks. Then, press this ball of purple putty on ANY object you wish to mold (think charms, statues, pins, broaches, etc....it is harmless to almost everything) and wait 7-10 minutes for it to become a hardened mold.
Once hardened it can be used over and over till eternity! But, It can never be changed. You can fill your silicone mold with UTEE, soap, candle wax, paper clay, polymer clay (which you can also bake in the mold), plaster, butter and even chocolate. Just keep your mold dedicated to whatever you use it for. Don't mix craft products with food products.

UTEE will harden in the mold within 1-2 minutes and be ready to wear as a pin or adhere to a card.

Cleaning is Simple

Leave the pot on the highest temperature setting. Use the Kool Toolz Spatula to scrape out as much as you can on to the Non-Stick Craft Sheet.
Let the UTEE harden on the Non-stick Craft Sheet. Save it in a baggie so that you can may re-melt it another time.

Using paper towels, wipe the pot out thoroughly until there isn't a speck of UTEE left. Turn off the pot.

TIP -When your pot is brand new, the UTEE will pop right out of it, with no help, after it cools down. However, after many uses it's best to follow the directions above.

Suze Weinberg Answers Questions UTEE & Melting Pot

Should I melt directly in the Melting pot or use the Project Pan?

Personally, I have always preferred to melt directly in the pot. The built in pan cannot be removed, although some people have tried!!!
This pan houses the heating element so please don't try pulling it out - it ain't budging!!

My project pan doesn't seem to let the UTEE melt..am I doing anything wrong?

Absolutely not !!
To get the best results with UTEE, soap and wax etc., remember the following:
1) Use the lid:
Of all the mediums that you can use with the Melting Pot, embossing powders will take the longest time to melt. By using the lid, you will trap the heat and speed the melting process. Staying away from cool drafts or direct air currents from fans or A/C units will also help the melting process.
2) Melt mini batches:
For faster melting times, try adding small amounts of your material into a pre-heated Melting Pot. Once all the contents are fully melted, add more material. Repeat until you have a full Melting Pot.
3) Do not mix or stir:
Mixing and stirring can cause air pockets and bubbles to form within your melted material. Those bubbles will remain in your art even after the material has cooled. So remember, if it¹s a smooth and solid effect that you desire, resist the urge to stir.
4) Are you using a Project Pan?
First, make sure the Project Pan is securely in place. Before plugging the Melting Pot into the wall, position the Project Pan into the permanent pan by inserting the tab at the back of the pan into the corresponding slot in the Melting Pot. The clips at the front of the Project Pan should fit tightly over the connection bars on either side of the Melting Pot¹s permanent pan, just behind the spout. Since the clips are bendable you may need to pull or push them into the proper position. Now that the Project Pan is in place, press down on the pan to ensure that you have a snug and tight fit. Remember, you can achieve faster melt times by creating the best possible contact between the Project Pan and Permanent Pan.
You will find the Project Pans work best with products that have a low melting point such as batik wax, candle wax and gel, soap and hot glue. The Project Pans are the ideal way to keep all your different Melt Art mediums separate and avoid having to clean any waxy or soapy residue from the Melting Pot's permanent pan when making candles or soap.
My suggestion - the one that I always use:For the fastest melt times with UTEE, pour the material directly into the Melting Pot's permanent pan and save the Project Pans for your other materials. UTEE is easy to pop out of the permanent pan once it cools and hardens or to wipe off once most of the material has been poured out of the Melting Pot.
Please note that there is a thermostat in the pot, similar to the one on your oven. This means once the Melting Pot has heated to the desired temperature it will turn off. When the thermostat senses that the temperature has cooled to below your setting, it will turn on again and start to heat the pot. This is normal.

After I get my pot out of the box, then what?

Firstly, make sure you also got the lid out of the box..it is behind the cardboard...now, don't laugh..you have no idea how many people threw theirs away without realizing!
Next, send in the registration card to Ranger (not to us) in case anything ever goes wrong with the pot.

How can I make different colors of UTEE?

While not the professionally correct way, I often make my own custom colors of UTEE by adding dry pigment powders in very small amounts of about a half jar of either Clear or Black UTEE.
If you add Interference Pigments (like Violet, Green, Blue) to Black UTEE you get spectacular bright UTEE colors.
I often add dry red pigment to my Clear UTEE to create a vibrant Red UTEE, as seen in my kitchen backsplash pictures.
Wear a face mask when using airborne products like dry pigments. Add about a level teaspoon to 1/2 jar or more of UTEE and shake vigorously in a closed jar so the pigment attaches to the UTEE.
Then I melt it or use it with my heat gun for exciting effects.

ABOUT UTEE

What is UTEE: UTEE is the acronym for Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel. Are you kicking yourself now???

THE MELTING POT

How do I clean the Melting Pot: Aha...the MOST frequently asked question:
1. The pot has a Teflon coating. When new, or only slightly used, the UTEE should lift out easily once the pot has been turned off and completely cooled down.
2. If the pot has been used many times a build-up will occur that makes it more difficult to get the UTEE out. So, the best thing to do is get it out while the pot is still on.
3. I use my KOOL TOOLZ spatula (which is both heat resistant and non stick) and I scrape out the UTEE onto my non stick craft sheet. Then, WHILE THE POT IS STILL ON AT A FULL 340 degrees I use wads of paper towels or old disposible rags and I carefully and methodically wipe the pot clean. Then, turn it off and allow it cool. The UTEE on the craft sheet can always be reheated at another time.