Well our local guy with a stencil cutting machine charges half-a-buck a letter!  He does nice work, but a bit steep!  So, I went back to basics.  Contac self-stick shelf paper for the stencil, and Frisket for the lifting film. For the art challenged among you, Frisket is a lightweight, transparent film with a very low tack backing.  Almost all art stores carry it as it is crucial to doing airbrush art.


I do my art on the confuser (for words and numbers, a word processing program is all you need).  Tape the art over the shelf paper on a cutting pad surface or cardboard, and cut out the artwork.  Weed the unwanted parts (remove them from the backing).  Cover the stencil with Frisket material to hold the loose parts in place when you apply the stencil.


From there, you strip the backing paper off the stencil, apply it to your model, then remove the Frisket.  Smooth everything down and spray a coat of clear to prevent seep-under.  Spray your deco color.

Let it dry and then remove the stencil.  Done!   

I had a local sign shop want $60 for my 4 digit AMA number. This was the "corporate minimum".  He did not get my business.

But considering the cost of the vinyl cutter and the vinyl material. $.50 per letter is cheap.  

BTW I now do custom graphics. You are not limited with fonts or style.

The graphics on my "Sea Vixen" are an example.

Larry,
The Vixen needs a lot more detailing. The project has been a test of patience.  See the Classic section.

I do the special graphics and then cut them on my vinyl cutter. These were painted on done using low tack masks