syrene for stencils?

[knight_toolworks]

I have been doing these stencils for a artist. He builds up the paint to make the letters thicker. we have been using 1mil about .03 sintra. we have had problems with the little tabs on letters breaking so we had to make them a bit larger. ok solved the problem and now everyone is out of the stuff. I can get styrene right now but would it hold up as well?

[brian]

I've just cut a stencil using .03 styrene.
It seems like a fairly durable material.
It has yet to stand the test of time but i'm betting it would hold up.

Brian

[steve_g]

Seems to me that everything but water attacks styrene.

Steve

[widgetworks_unlimited]

Sintra and styrene both "snap" if you bend narrow pieces too sharp. I think the styrene would be a fine choice if you're not doing small/narrow parts (< 1/2").

I'd recommend polycarbonate if stencil life is more important than material cost.

You may like PETG the best - this is a tough clear plastic that is almost as impact/tear resistant as polycarbonate, but costs significantly less.

All of these thin materials cut great with our pressure foot attachment. In fact, that's why we developed the pressure foot to begin with - because we sell styrene, polycarbonate, and PETG plastic sheets to go with our hobby vacuum formers.

[knight_toolworks]

cost is a big issue my customer is a starving artist (G) Plus each one tends to take a hour to cut so they add up in cost. These are used on canvas and he applies the paint with a spatula. not your typical stencil. so thats why they need to be thin or the paint is too thick.

[chiloquinruss]

Steve - I've received sentra from Midwest Sign Supply in Portland.

http://www.midwestsign.com/locations/OR/oregon.asp

Russ

[2talltary]

styrene is a great material that you can pretty much do anything with. it should hold up just get a little bigger thickness. great place to get a lot of styrene fast is http://www.iplasticsupply.com/materials/high-impact-styrene-his-sheet. they have black and white and lots in stock. try them.