Custom Stencil

I never knew this before but you can actually have a custom stencil made! Sometimes you want stencils of something specific or only some letters to spell out someone’s name and you have to end up buying the whole alphabet. You might want it in a certain font or size and just struggle for hours to even come near to the one you are looking for. It can be extremely frustrating!

Most stencils are cut out of polyester film also known as Mylar. The stencils are laser cut to ensure precision and very good quality. You get different types of Mylar such as the thin, flexible 5mil hazy white. This is used to laser cut the custom stencils with a lot of fine details and they are available in arts and craft stores.

Many people will want to know why Mylar is used for the custom stencils. Polyester has the ability to be rolled and it will bounce back to its original flat shape which is great. It’s also very strong so you will not be able to tear it, not even if you use both hands. This means you truly make an investment because you will be able to use your stencils for a long time if you look after them well.

You must look after your custom stencils and always clean the ink and paint off them when you finished using the stencil. Polyester is solvent proof so it can be cleaned with paint remover or acetone. You must however check that your stencil is made of Mylar if you want these qualities, don’t just assume it is made of Mylar.

If you struggle how to use a custom stencil then this part is for you. First you need to use something such as masking tape to help you keep the stencil in place. You can also use repositionable adhesive. It’s an adhesive spray that you spray on the back of the stencil. Then you need to pick the color or colors that you want to use and start painting over the stencil. Make sure you do it gentle and don’t let paint get over the edges of the stencil. You can also use a roller to do this, sometimes it works better.

Another thing you can do with a custom stencil is do use spray-paint over the stencil to make the pattern. Here you must also make sure not to spray over the edges, it will end up getting spray-paint where you don’t want it to be.

f you will need a custom stencil in very big sizes then you should contact a few different shops and see what their limitations are. Each shop will have their own limitations of sizes so shop around a bit and get some quotes. If you can’t get the exact size you want then ask the shop assistants or online sales people for some advice or tips of what you can do to overcome the problem.