Rub-on stencils

[DrPR]

This is an alternative to decals and rub on letters, etc.

I needed a set of silver Railraod Gothic Condensed letters for a model railroad project, and no one made them in decals or rub-ons. However, I did find black rub-on letters. I sprayed silver paint on the area and let it dry overnight. Then I carefully positioned the black rub-on letters. After that I sprayed black over the letters, and on the rest of the piece. After the paint had dried thoroughly I used masking tape to lift off the rub-on letters. I had perfect silver letters. Furthermore, there was no "decal surround" or "rub-on edge" - the painted letters had no visible thickness and are far more durable than decals or rub-ons.

I have carried this another step. Anything you can print onto thin adhesive-backed paper or plastic can be a stencil. Just carefully cut the pieces from the sheet and press them in place over a pre-painted base color area. Then spray on the surrounding color. When the paint dries lift off the stencils.

If you have bleeding problems with paint running under the stencil edges (or masking tape), just use a trick posted on the forum a few days ago - spray a light coat of the base color around the edges of the stencil. This way, if it does bleed it will be the correct color, and the bleed will be sealed. Then, after the paint is dry spray on the surrounding color.

You may see a slight raised edge around the stenciled area after the stencil is peeled off if you applied a heavy surrounding coat of paint. Carefully scrape this with the tip of a hobby knife to remove the lip.