What is the best material to use for stencils?

Question

I found some neat stencil designs online and I was wondering how to go about getting them from the website they are on to some kind of firm material I could use for spaypainting

Answer 1

I use cardstock, cardstock, and more cardstock !!

It's FREE (the back of legal pads, etc), it cuts well, and is good for a job or two.

For certain stencils I've used over the years, I've cut "Masters" out of sheet-brass and aluminum, or the light-plastic used for some binder covers

Answer 2

Another good material to use for making long-lasting stencils is old x-rays. If you know someone who has old ones, or you know anyone who works in a hospital, you can find some (or perhaps if you ask at the radiology dept of a hospital or clinic?)

Similar possibilities are thicker sheets of acetate, or even some of the thin flexible mats for cutting vegetables on... there may be more in the quilting dept of a fabric store, etc.

Very thin plastic sheets for making overhead transparencies should work too.

To cut them you can use a pointed Xacto knife, or some kind of hot tool like a stencil burner or other, on an appropriate surface (often glass). You can first mark the pattern by putting the plastic sheets over the pattern, then tracing with a marker, etc. (if an x-ray is too dark, press them both to a window during daylight).

HTH,

Diane B.

Answer 3

I copy and paste them to a note pad or word processor, print them and use brown paper bag, or card stock, or the paper I printed it on, cut the design out, use spray adhesive to stick it to the wall or what ever I want to stencil and then go for it, you could use plastic sheeting you would purchase at the craft store, to trace your pattern on.

Answer 4

The stencils are on Mylar plastic. They are temporarily attached with re-positional spray adhesive. This allows them to be placed in one place, paint applied, and moved to the next position. You can get this spray adhesive and the Mylar in any large craft store.

Answer 5

Lucite or some other type of firm plastic that can be cleaned and reused.