Stencils without the stencil or " Painted " stencils

See attached pics.
Make the stencil. I use my wife's Cricut machine so limitations only by using that. Cannot always get exactly what you want but with the software from the machine and online files, options are huge.

The process is as follows:
1) Make the stencil
2) For this rocket, I primed then sprayed the white you see.
3) Apply the stencil (in this case the inside of the stencil not the outer part. I call it a "reverse stencil".
4) With the stencil in place over the white, spray your principle color. Here, the fluorescent orange.
5) Remove the stencil before your main color (again the orange) gets a chance to start drying. I usually remove it immediately.
6) Clear coat the entire rocket after paint has dried depending on the paint manufacturers recommendations. I used Rustoleum Fluorescent and white. They recommended allowing the fluorescent 24 hours drying time before clear coating.

What are you using for your stencil (paint mask) material? I have been using the Cricut stencil vinyl but find it problematic. The problem is that it won't lay flat. The larger the stencil or more detailed it is the more ripples I get. I can usually push the ripples down and they look like they went away only to re-appear just a few moments afterwards.

I am working on a Estes Vapor right now and made a paint mask for it and ran into this problem because of the size and detail in the graphic.

I am thinking of trying Frisket but I have never worked with it.

-Bob

Bruiser said:

What are you using for your stencil (paint mask) material?
-Bob

Click to expand...

I use the vinyl Cricut stencil material.

Frisket film was the original masking material "back in the day"..

either a sheet or a roll. you laid it down, then cut it with a sharp X-Acto knife, and peeled off what you wanted. you then shot your paint.. (Typically ink with an airbrush..)

I've had mixed success with it on rockets. It is primarily meant for flat, smooth surfaces..

Bruiser said:

The problem is that it won't lay flat. The larger the stencil or more detailed it is the more ripples I get.

Click to expand...

I had this happening and it turned out it was the way I was removing the vinyl from the cutting mat. Instead of just peeling it off, turn the mat over and keep the vinyl flat against the table and roll the mat back to get it removed. Works alot better that way.

I will try that. I have also come up with another idea that I think might help. I am going to go over the mask with blue tape before I peel it off the backer. Err, before I pull the backer off it. That should help keep it from "moving" once off the backer. This is my next mask for the Vapor I am painting this week. It will get quite "floppy" without some type of reinforcement.



-Bob

The tape is a solid idea. You defiantly want to hold all the small parts in place while you get it stuck to the new surface.

Transfer tape is the only real way to transfer oracal stencils.

Ninja'ed by Banzai88 as I'm typing this, but I'll post it anyway.

Are you talking about using blue tape instead of proper transfer tape? I'm not sure why you would do that.

Also: this page has a nice summary of recommended vinyl types. They recommend the Oracal 631 or 813 for stencils, over the Cricut stuff. @Banzai88, which one do you use?

I use 631. Hold over from my RC car body painting days. Cheaper by the roll, EASY to work with, and dead flat reliable. Did I mention easy to work with?

yeah, transfer tape.. (sorry, late to party!) Masking tape, being it blue, green, other, is usually only 2" wide max. Transfer tape can come in rolls quite large.

You can use masking tape, and i have in the past. Just 'blot' it on your jeans a few times to remove some of the stickiness..

I'm not sure if you can, but I would think yu can run a sheet of frisket film thru your printer, to get your pattern. Then apply the film, and cut out the areas you want. No tape needed, and you've cut on the model, as per expectations of using film.. But this does take practice & finesse..

dr wogz said:

yeah, transfer tape.. (sorry, late to party!) Masking tape, being it blue, green, other, is usually only 2" wide max. Transfer tape can come in rolls quite large.

You can use masking tape, and i have in the past. Just 'blot' it on your jeans a few times to remove some of the stickiness..

I'm not sure if you can, but I would think yu can run a sheet of frisket film thru your printer, to get your pattern. Then apply the film, and cut out the areas you want. No tape needed, and you've cut on the model, as per expectations of using film.. But this does take practice & finesse..

Click to expand...

clear self adhesive shelf liner works as transfer tape too! Con-tact and Magic Cover are two brands, Hobby Lobby sells Magic Cover.

Yes, I was talking blue tape. I've never heard of transfer tape before.

I visited the link and I will get some Oramask

Going to do more research on transfer tape

-Bob

Bruiser said:

Yes, I was talking blue tape. I've never heard of transfer tape before.

Click to expand...

Intriguing. Isn't it in all the instructions for the Cricut? Not sure how you can use one productively otherwise.

There's instructions? They must have left them out of my Maker.

What I have learned has been from youtube and using it.

Don't ask me to make a card. I have no idea

-Bob