Ive been meaning to do a post or maybe even a video of how to apply stencils correctly for some time... not sure you all need to see my ugly mug or hear my voice so im going with the post and hopefully that will work.
This is also a test for FATHOM stencils.. the reason for the test is that when i did the cabinet i made it as BLUE over YELLOW.. this is the logical process for any painting and even the shapes we have for the cabinet sides...( darker over lighter). Problem is that when we come to do the header sides, it is clearly YELLOW over BLUE.. reverse of the cabinet. My job as a stencil maker is to find a way to make any stencil as fool proof as i can and if i can keep the colour sequence the same then its much easier for the end user. With that in mind.. i went away and redrew the cabinet so it could work as YELLOW over BLUE ( oh joy oh joy... that cabinet is such fun to vectorise!). The problem with this sequence is that alignment is absolutely finite and HAS to be 100% correct.. so.... how did we go?.
OK... applying stencils.
Im assuming that the prep work has been done correctly and not what im using here which is a side to Capt Fantastic that has been sitting out ion the rain and sun for over 2 months.. its ugly,wet, swollen, delaminating and has a ticket to the dump. So, i slap on some household white acrylic.. wait 10 mins and start to use the stencils... i couldnt have a worse base to use if i tried.. but if i can get good results here, then anyone should be able to get grteat results no matter what.
First up.. we trim the stencils and lay down onto the cabinet side..
Get them in place and then put some heavy non scratching weights down on them... this isnt necessary if using the cab upright ( you just align top edge).. but when flat.. lay down and align.
Once in position peel back one side by about 100mm or so.. if right handed then its the RHS you need to peel back.. if left handed then LHS.. our weights are still in place. The backing paper is folded underneath and we can apply the first 100mm of our stencil..
Now the correct way to apply any length of stencil is to use an applicator ( old credit cards work well) and work from the middle out.. NEVER FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OPPOSITE.
Here i am working up..
Then down..
Each time i am placing the applicator in the centre and working out.
Using your left hand, you can pull the backing paper off as you go taking small bites with your applicator ( approx 30mm).. work along the stencil from middle to outside edge all the time.. each 30mm bite is 2 uses of the applicator.. centre out to top.. centre out to bottom... i cannot emphasise this enough!
As you reach your weights.. you move them up out of the way and eventually off the cabinet altogether..... now you have a full stencil in place.
Here i have deliberately misaligned the stencil so i have no other form of reference for the 2nd colour other than the registration crosses... no edge to align to.
Stencils are in place..
Now we have to remove the clear backing tape... once again, im right handed so its easier for me to start on the RHS and move left... removing the tape is done by folding it completely back on itself.. once you have enogh, use the whole of the palm of your hand and slowly remove the tape keeping an eye that you are not lifting any of the stencil with it... watch the corners!... You can hold these down with a finger and keep going.. once the stencil grabs... it wont move again.
So working our way through.. we can remove all of the backing tape
First colour can now be put down.. in this case BLUE... light, light coats.. you want JUST enough to make a semi solid colour.. dont go in heavy handed.. it leads to peeling when the stencil is removed.
I have sprayed registration crosses in place..
Allow to dry, which doesnt take more than 10 mins because we only have a very light coat yes?... then peel off the stencil and reveal your pattern.
Now we need to do the 2nd colour.. this one is more tricky as this is where our registration is very important..
... again - lay stencil down and trim off any excess
What we are going to do this time though is turn the stencil over and peel over the top edge.. the one that would align to the top of the cabinet..
Now what we do is flip the stencil over and align this sticky top edge to our registration crosses.. start with one while holding the whole top edge just off the cabinet... pull tight and place the very last one in place... the middle cross should align itself. If out slightly, then pull up sharply and realign... do not push the stencil down hard until you have good registration..
You can see here.. im slightly off, but in all honesty, any stencil should allow for this tiny amount of misregistration
Now we do the same again to remove the backing paper, but this time we are removing at along its longest length.. again, using an applicator and working from the centre out in small bites and pulling the paper away with our left hand.
Whole backing paper is removed and 2nd colour applied.. in this case cheap $2 thin yellow enamel.. not sure you can buy worse paint!
Now we need to let this top coat dry.. again, its JUST enough to make a colour and applied in several light coats. I went to the bottle shop at this point and saw these and thought of Nino and Gorgar.. not sure why.
Ok.... bottle of beer in hand.. we can remove the final stencil and see what we have..
Tail looks good.... because this stencil is YELLOW over BLUE.. each little cross hatch square needs to be removed individually ( BLUE over YELLOW.. this is not necessary)
And heres the final outcome..
Like i said earlier... registration on this stencil has to be 100% correct.. there is no room for error.. you can see, im 1mm out
That result although good, is not good enough and needs to be better. So the decision is made to sell these stencils as having Blue on Yellow for the cabinet and Yellow on Blue for the header... the end user will just have to take a little longer with these than any others i sell... but... the results will not have that 1mm edge to them and thats whats important here.
Quick check with a spare side rail to make sure the crosses are covered and stencil and rail combine as they should..
And im done... FATHOM stencils have had a test ( i made 2 different files for the cabinet depending on colour sequence) and decision made...plus ive also shown how to apply stencils correctly and get good results.. even if using the worst materials i can find.
Cheers!!!
