Stencil Care & Tips
BLUE VS. PURPLE STENCILS:
• Blue Stencils are ideal for glass, ceramic, chalkboards, and other smooth surfaces. They are slightly tacky and will adhere the more they are pressed onto a surface.
• Purple Stencils are ideal for wood, fabrics, textiles, and other textured surfaces. They are sticky to the touch and instantly stick to a surface.
WHAT TYPES OF PAINT CAN I USE WITH THESE STENCILS?
• Water-based paints and inks are recommended including acrylic paint, chalkboard paint, glass paint, screen printing inks and more! Do not use oil-based paints. Chalk paste works best for clean, crisp lines.
• Etching cream can be used with the stencil however it will break the stencil down faster than regular paint. Etchall Etching Crème has had the best results of etching creams.
• Torch Paste is a great way to burn into wood and was specially formulated to work with these stencils.
APPLYING A STENCIL:
• One side of the stencil's clear backing has a film that helps it stay tacky, so the stencil must be reapplied to the same side it was removed from.
• Start by placing a mark with a Sharpie on the clear backing of your stencil. This mark will help remind you which side of the clear backing the stencil was on.
• Remove the clear backing. DO NOT THROW AWAY.
• Place your stencil adhesive side down on your project and smooth with fingers or squeegee to remove any bubbles. Careful to not stretch the stencil, it may warp the design.
USING THE STENCIL:
• Medium to heavy bodied paints, chalk pastes and inks work best with these stencils. I enjoy working with Speedball screen printing ink and thicker acrylic paints!
• Apply in small dollops to the stencil surface then swipe your squeegee across with slight pressure to fill the open design areas of your stencil.
• You can pass the squeegee across the surface again to remove any excess.
• Carefully peel back one corner of your stencil to peek at your design. If the design requires touch ups, carefully lay your stencil back down and proceed with any touch ups. You can also wash your stencil out and once everything is dry, line your stencil up again for any touch ups.
• You may be able to reuse the stencil immediately or wash the stencil out between uses. Just be sure that the ink/paste does not dry in the mesh.
CLEANING STENCIL FOR REUSE:
• Under running water gently massage stencil to remove any excess ink/paint. Be careful not to bend/wrinkle too badly in the process – these are hard to remove.
• Place stencil, adhesive side up, on a flat surface and re-apply the clear backing, taking note of the Sharpie mark you made earlier.
• Squeegee over the clear backing to remove excess water.
• Flip stencil over and gently pat with a paper towel to remove any water or residue from the surface.
• Allow to dry completely before reusing.
• Stencils may stain from the pigments in your ink/paint. This is normal! As long as you can see through the open mesh, you stencil is still good to go!
TO INCREASE TACK WHEN REUSING A STENCIL:
• Gently blot or lightly mist the adhesive side of your stencil with a damp cloth or prior to use. Do not soak as this can cause the ink/paint to bleed under the stencil.
• After applying your stencil to your project, pat the open design area of your stencil with a dry paper towel.
HOW MANY TIMES CAN I REUSE THE STENCIL?
• This will vary from person to person depending on level of detail, storage, how you wash out the stencil, the type of paint you use, etc. A highly detailed stencil may only get 3-4 uses where as a more simple design could get 20+ uses.
Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions regarding your stencil!
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