FAQ.

Of course if you have a question you can always use the form to contact me.


Answers.

Why hand punched?

When I bought this stencil machine, the Ideal Stencil Machine № 8, it made me happy: i could write stencils at will. Not ot mention that it's fun to use. See, a laser cutter will never give the feeling of making the stencil, you click the button and it cuts it… no fun, no feeling, no connection. Whats the added value then? Well, first you know that dont do this industrially so that should tell you that Ii like doing this, like and artisan of sorts. Second, well there is no second, just apreciate something thats done by a human hand.

What about shipping?

I ship the stencils via standard mail, It's cheap and it does the trick. On the other hand it takes more time than the pricey solutions. In fact, it could take more than two weeks depending on where you are.

If you have a dire need of that stencil for the upcoming trip, i can make you a quote that will include the charge stencil and the shipping costs via your favorite delivery system. If you already paid, i'll ask you to pay the new shipping cost (minus the 2$ you already paid) as a separate transaction.

About the boards

The only stencil worth using is a stencil cut in oiled stencil board.

Why you ask?

  • First off, treated boards will keep the dies well lubricated, thus providing clean and crispy cuts while extendint the life of the machine;
  • oiled stencil boards are more flexible and you wont end up with a cracked stencil if you bend it against a rounded surface, a street light post for example; and
  • better resistance to ink bleed through. Better resistance means a longer board life, allowing for a high repeatability of marks.

My boards are cut leaving a 1 inch margin around your text. It will leave a nice sprayout around your block of stenciled text. Moreover, this prevents waste.

You don't have many sizes or fonts. Why?

Understand that those mechanical punch made in the days of old will only do one size in one font. So that means i need to have a machine for every size you need. Truly, I'd love to find more machines with various sizes. To be precise i'm looking for an antique machine that does 1 inch characters. I think Ideal made one, i know Marsh has one as well. If you saw one on sale in an antique shop of in a bargain sale feel free to contact me.