Fig. 82. stencil letters and stencils
A. How stencil letters are cut.
B. A stencil for marking boxes.
C. Decorative stencil for wall borders.
To cut the stencil lay it on a smooth board and hold your knife just as you do a pen when you write but with your fingers a little closer to the point. Start at the top of each line if it is a vertical one, or on the left hand side if it is horizontal; hold the knife at a slight angle so that all the lines you cut will slant in toward the center of the letter and so bevel the paper. In cutting the stencil you can turn the sheet around to bring the lines into the best position for cutting.
It does not take much pressure to cut through the board but press down hard enough on the blade to make the first cut go clear through and never cut over the same line twice and also make the cuts run right up sharp into the corners. It takes very small skill to cut stencils but the chief part of the art lies in drawing the letters or the designs on the paper or metal.
Cutting Brass Stencils.
—To cut sheet metal stencils use annealed[87] sheet metal about No. 25 Brown and Sharpe gauge;[88] mark out the letters or design as for paper stencils and then cut them with stencil chisels. When you have the stencil all cut file the burr off of the edges of the letters or design with a fine file and file them at an angle so that all the edges are sharp. A practical stencil is shown at [B].
[87] Patterson Bros., Park Row, New York, carry sheet brass and copper in stock for stencils.
[88] The Brown and Sharpe Wire Gage is also used for measuring the thickness of sheet metal.
How to Use Practical Stencils.
—A short, stubby brush, called a stencil brush and made especially for the purpose is the best kind to use to stencil with. Dampen it a little and rub it on a cake of stencil ink;[89] hold the stencil down tight to the surface you are to mark and then dab—not paint—the spaces in it with the brush.