Ultimately, we can't tell you exactly how long you can leave butter out. We have no problem with leaving butter out to soften as long as it is well-covered. It usually doesn't take us more than a couple days to go through a stick anyway! We've never had rancid butter in that time.
For complete instructions, see my weekly column. Note: The vinyl melts in just a few minutes and is warm to the touch when you pull it from the 200-degree oven (don't use a hotter oven or the vinyl will start releasing toxins). You can form it by hand immediately, but use leather gloves if you're nervous. All beginners in Record Upcycling should try a bowl.
Glue sticks in the store are very expensive if youâre going to do large batches. Just get a slow cooker and set it to 350F, which is the normal application temp for hot melt and let it melt in that. Better control of temp makes for less smoke. Iâd also add a tub full of water to speed the cooling process.