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I have a large word stencil that has about 16 words that I can only envision using one at a time. What are some pros/cons to cutting apart my stencil? It will be easier to clean each word one at a time, but I might misplace the word since it will be a smaller piece.
I have cut apart a lot of stamps over the years to separate words and phrases and make them more usable for me. I would think one could do the same with stencils. I think the main con would be that the resale value, should you ever be finished with them and decide to sell, might be lower. But then again, as it gives other people ideas, it might make the resale value increase.
The following 2 users liked this post by ozarkstamper:
When I stencil, I nearly always seem to leave one part uncovered that I don't want to put ink on, so I'd be concerned that if I cut a large stencil apart I'd have ink all over the place instead of only where I wanted it to be. (In other words, little or no surrounding blank space can lead to a big mess.)
The following 5 users liked this post by Alice in Md:
Depending on how many words there are, it might be a pain to find the one you are looking for. I imagine the cut areas could get attached to each other, too, depending on how you store them.
I have quite a few stencils that I use only parts. But I leave them whole for more organized storage, 12x12, 6x6, no file for “stencil bits.”
Mary Beth
The following 3 users liked this post by lutheran:
What about strategically cutting them in half, thirds, or quarters? That way, they aren't all completely separated, but maybe more convenient for use/washing/storage? Hard for me to tell without knowing anything else about the stencils themselves (like size/orientation).
Placing the word where I want it would be easier *to me* with it whole, but not if it is 12 x12 or something. I am currently considering using a sharpie to draw a line across a stencil for straight word placement since I stink at it. Which also would lean to keeping it whole.
Be careful how you cut it-could have a sharp edge-been done there done that.
How do you want to store a cut up one? One zip lock to hold them all?
It might destroy resale....or vastly lower asking price.
__________________ Margot
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Thank you to everyone who thought of things that I had not. Now it's confession time...since there is no such thing as Splitcoast Painters, I asked my question here, as I am a decorative painter in addition to being a stamper. Though of course, many of the stencils can be used interchangeably between the two crafts. I'm using a 12 x 12 stencil to stencil on flat wooden eggs that are about 4 inches tall, one word per egg. I did not even think about resale value, or cutting myself on the edges (which is certainly something that I would find a way to do). However, I think I will cut this one apart and store the pieces in a zip top bag. Right now I don't have any dedicated stencil storage, and I have my painting stencils mixed in with my stamping stencils. My goal for the year is to go through my craft room little by little and get it back into shape, or at least get everything off of the floor.
The following 3 users liked this post by stampinstacy2010:
I have a large word stencil that has about 16 words that I can only envision using one at a time. What are some pros/cons to cutting apart my stencil? It will be easier to clean each word one at a time, but I might misplace the word since it will be a smaller piece.
I have done this very thing with some large stencils with various images, as I am OCD about keeping things together by theme. When I do it, I run wide masking tape across the cut edges on both front and back. This prevents the sharp edges and creates the masking needed around the stencil when in use. It also makes the size work for my storage system.
Pros/Cons of cutting apart a word stencil
