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tightliner

stencel making, how do you make a good one?

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hi fellers, I've been painting my own stuff for a few years but I'll be darned if I can create a good stencil beyond making gills and spots. I've tried the stencil making material from the craft stores and it works fine but when it comes to making one for the body on a curved bait I have a real problem. Since its going to be spring soon I wanted to make a craw fish pattern on some wiggle warts I have so I wanted to ask some of you guys how to go about it before I screw up another paint job. PS> do any of you guys use a special holder for the bait, like a fly tying rig when painting. Many thanks, Ed.

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I haven't reached the stage of spray templates as yet. But, as an engineer I am big on jigs.

I will be making my templates out of acetate sheet as used by overhead projectors. It is very cheap (everyone knows someone who works in an office). A dozen sheets of A4 will give you enough sheets to last a lifetime. They are very easy to cut with a sharp modellers knife.

They can be mounted onto curved frames made of stiff cardboard.

presumably, the lure is held in the same position each time by a clamp system of some sorts. If the free standing acetate frame has a couple of pointers, one for the nose, another for the tail, then the frame could be positioned in the same location every time, without error or hassle. the pointers don't touch the lure, just position both ends of the lure. Thus you control height, width, depth, distance and angle relative to the lure and gain repeatability without any effort.

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I've just put the vernier on a piece. Thickness 0.13mm or 5 thou' in American money.

It is very thin but not as floppy as you would expect.

When glued to a curved former or frame it becomes quite stiff, certainly stable enough to handle for spray templates. It takes to super glue if you rough it up with fine emery.

A single frame could be manufactured and the templates made interchangeable, by hanging on pegs or velcro. I'm sure more ideas will come to light.

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I tried a couple of types of adhesive stencils and none worked very well. Even the "light tack" stencil will lift recently sprayed and flash dried acrylic paint. Or it will leave adhesive residue (just as bad!). I still use it but now just don't take the backing off. It's nice to have a more durable stencil that won't wear out after 3 baits. Otherwise, it's too much hassle to carve them. But it needs some pliability to conform to round baits. And I prefer a stencil made with a non-slick material so overspray will stick to the stencil and not run onto the bait. Maybe cereal boxes are ideal :)

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I like blank clear stencil material, such as found in the craft stores or in craft sections of wal-mart, etc. I cut it with a stencil cutter--same as a wood burner with different tips. Draw your design on the stencil and place it on a sheet of glass. Make each cut without removing your tip until finished. use small metal objects, or templates for guides for making smooth lines and curves. Yes it takes some practice, but I have stencils I've been using for over 3 years with no end in sight, using water-base paints. They clean with a damp rag wipe and are ready for the next lure, or the opposite side of that lure. I hold mine with clips in front of the lure usually not touching the lure for soft edges. For harder edges I'll increase paint flow and hold closer, or directly on lure, often with a gloved hand. Because these stencils are transparent they allow easy exact placement on the lure, which I consider a big advantage. You can also tape-off portions for different or different-sized lures, or just to modify the design.

Dean

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The links below are my solution to hands free operation.

It has not een built, but I made a cardboard version and it worked fine.

The stensils 'snap' into place past the pegs and lift out from the front or back with ease. The stensil is held quite firmly using acetate sheet and it will work with any material that tends to spring back to flat.

I think the pictures are clear enough for construction, but if anyone wants more info, I am prepard to draw it up with instructions.

http://aolpictures.aol.co.uk/galleries/folicallychalled/1de0uAWn7u0u-R-x0SDQCJxquoXFbCnLzvgfv4xQp5Fd3Ig=/large/

http://aolpictures.aol.co.uk/galleries/folicallychalled/1de0uAWn7u0u-R-x0SDQCJxquo1y7ErXS8y5v4xQp5Fd3Ig=/large/

There are lots of possibilities for improvement. Many more ideas could be incorporated, but I decided to keep it simple for discussion purposes.

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