[Private_collector]

Hi David,

I had not heard about Cricut stencil cutters until you wrote about it. Having now looked into these on internet, I don't see why it couldn't be used to make vehicle stencils. From what I have read, they take a fairly small sheet of stencil material, but that material is specifically for stencil use so should be absolutely ideal! I suppose two sheets could be joined end to end to make longer stencils. I would give it a try. Could be quite a revelation for other folks, who want to do the same thing. If you do get to play with it, please let me know what you think.

Phil, I'm really excited about getting my sign cutter. It virtually fell into my lap, courtesy of my friend (and fellow MLU member) Andy Cusworth. It belonged to the Father of a friend of his. The Father used it commercially, both in UK and in Aus after he emigrated. Unfortunately he passed away several months ago, and the cutter was part of the estate. The entire setup cost me $200AUD. I think the rolls of vinyl that came with the cutter are probably worth almost the full purchase price. If you look at it that way, I bought the vinyl rolls and got the cutter and computer thrown in for free!

Over a year ago, I bought a stencil set from a UK company. It was reusable, and if memory serves me right, the materal was called Oilboard. It doesn't seem to have adhesive, or if it does it is VERY low tack. Might just be surface tension that keeps it snuggly attached to the surface. I used it to spray 'over filling' warnings onto the fuel tanks and it worked really well. The Cricut machine David spoke of would be better suited to making those than my cutter, that's why I am keen to hear how any test goes. With my machine, you would weed away the actual letters/numbers, leaving the surrounding vinyl to be applied to the surface. You spray onto the surface, then remove the 'negative' sign background once finished, leaving painted writing instead of vinyl stickers. To use this method you MUST ensure the paint adheres well to the panel or removing the stencil vinyl will also take off your paint. Good prep work prior to the paint job takes care of that, so should not present as an issue. There are low tack materials you can use, and I recommend use of this. Unfortunately they are single use only.

I'm always amazed how much businesses are charging for computer-cut signage. It is really easy to produce, and takes virtually no time at all, especially if you request an existing font. The catch is, of course, that the cutting machines are not something most people have lying around, so they know they can charge big $£€ for what really is a very quick, simple, and cheap product.