stencils

[S-tier Adam]

Couldn't find any useful threads for this. So basically I have to paint a small emblem onto a piece, so I figured I would make a stencil, mask of the piece, and then airbrush. I originally went to get frisket film, but then bought something cheaper instead. Unfortunately the non-adhesive stencil material I got is COMPLETELY USELESS! You can't possibly cleanly cut into this stuff, its total crap.

So before wasting more time and money, I figured I'd ask the forum. I'll be by the art store tonight, so I'll probably pick up some frisket, but if anyone has a better solution, please let me know!

[S-tier Adam]

I picked up the frisket, and its clearly a better product, but I'm still not having any luck. I'm using a brand new blade, have tried various techniques and pressure, but all result in very unclean lines.

Any suggestions, or should I scrap the stencil idea and look into a custom decal?

[Astounding]

I don't use stencils much, and have not used frisket for years (and then only on flat art), but I do a lot of masking with tape. I have refined my technique over the years and have better results on a more frequent basis. However it is not always perfect. One tip I would suggest to you is to apply a coat of clear before applying your color. This will "leak" into any imperfections in the edge of your mask, hopefully sealing the leak and keeping the color where it belongs. Any clear that has leaked through the mask is much easier to clean up after (as opposed to color) and if color has seeped through as well, hopefully the barrier of clear that got through first will make clean up easier. Also, if your emblem color can be applied as a light coat you should have cleaner results. I would also consider - are you removing the frisket while the paint is still wet, or letting it dry first? If the paint is still wet you may be causing the problem on removal. What paint are you working with? Is it an acrylic?

[S-tier Adam]

oh I couldn't even get that far with the frisket, I was just practicing on a flat surfaced and destroyed it everytime. I might try the tape method, and I'm looking into decals as well. Thanks for the tip, I hadn't even considered using tape. I'm using acrylic airbrush paint, createx.

I did have a problem with letting paint dry one time while my masking material was in place (silly putty). When I went to remove the putty, it started pulling up the painted area entirely even though it was all primed, painted, and sealed and I hadn't had problems with any other areas.

[Astounding]

Two things to consider:
- When using tape, I use plain masking tape but layout strips on a cutting mat and slice it up with a craft knife and straight edge, then lay them in place with the tip of the knife. This way I can not only cut small pieces of any size to build the shape (even decent simulations of rounded shapes, or you can cut curves if that works for you), but I also get a much cleaner edge with the fresh cut edges of the tape.
- De-masking right away or waiting depends a lot on the conditions. Using the paint you are using, immediate removal is probably best. What you experienced with the paint lifting is a common problem. The wet paint is bridged from the part to the mask. When acrylic paint dries this bridge remains rubbery and wants to stretch, thus the ratty edge or lifting occurs. If you were using a crisp paint, such as lacquer, you might want it to dry thoroughly so you can get a sharp break. You can reduce the bridge effect somewhat by building a higher wall with layers of tape so that you are spraying down into a shallow well. And as I mentioned previously, if you can keep the paint to a light application (maybe just a mist) that can also help to get a clean break. You can also run a knife tip gently along the mask line before removing the mask. Let me know how it works out for you. Good luck.