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.
This material is a solid at room temperature but will melt into a liquid when heated by the coffee. This melting sucks out just enough heat to cool the coffee to 140 degrees and transfers small bits of that energy back into the liquid over a long period of time to maintain the 140 degree mark.