(Part 3) Top products from r/stencils

my tek:

1. Belton Molotow Premium. By far my fav paint for stencils. Low pressure, super fine pigments, dries fast, mad coverage, 4-steel peas for superb mixing, dope screamer colors, interchangeable caps, can't say enough good things about this paint. It never fails -- you can spray it drunk. Belton Color Chart, pdf
   
   
2. You shouldn't need thin layers if you are using good low-pressure high-pigment paint. I only use multiple passes when i'm using watered-down Krylons, which luckily isn't often.
   
   
3. Matt for indoors, almost always. Gloss paint glares when lit by multi-point lighting such as indoors. Plus matt dries faster.
   
   
4. Open window + respirator with OV cans and PF slippers when spraying. Get a cheap ghetto booth for overspray
   
   
5. Like many others here, I don't bother. My canvases don't get a lot of abuse
   
   
6. Not familiar with stencil brushes, but with good tack adhesive and good paint, you should be able to get supercrisp edges every time.
   
   The biggest tip I can give you is get good low-pressure paint. I'm partial to Beltons, but had good luck with Mtn94's as well. You'll be surprised how much difference it makes.

I feel your pain. I tried using this but I find it hard to cut even a simple curve with that stuff. Have to take it super slow and practice a ton. I'll be ordering a cutting mat soon and giving it another go. Good luck to you!

I use acetate, harry. It'll run through any printer (as long as you buy the correct ink / laser type for your needs) and can be found online where it might also be known as 'OHP sheets' or 'transparencies'.

I specifically use http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000SHSER6/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00 and if you're not based in the UK, I'm sure you can find an equivalent.

I use 3M repositionable spray adhesive, the 400ml blue cans. Great tack, leaves no residue (and if it does, just use masking tape to lift it off your painted surface) and once it's on the stencil it'll last for a while.

If you're really scrimping, you can reactivate the adhesive on a used stencil by warming it up with a hair dryer. In cold weather (like an unheated studio, hah), it can sometimes be a good idea to warm your painting surface up with a hair dryer as glue doesn't work so well when it's cold.

Awesome thanks for the advice. Is this what you were speaking of?

http://www.amazon.com/Grafix-Clear-0-005-Dura-Lar-40-Inch/dp/B0015LWRZY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1405868191&sr=8-4&keywords=mylar+.005+clear

These and these are my go-to's. I can get 20-30 sprays out of each of these before the paint cakes up too chick to cut out. They're worth the money and 278% better than Acetate. That's a true statistic that I did not just make up off the top of my head.

For smaller multilayer stencils, Inkjet Transparencies or Laser Transparencies work quite well. You can print the stencils directly onto them, layer alignment is easy because they're see-through, and they're quite durable for multiple uses.

I used cardboard as a medium for quite some time, while its cheap and easy to come by it doesn't absorb the way cool kids like it too. The longer you wait between layers the better. Cotton based shit is tops when you cant be bothered to wait for the layer to dry. Low pressure paint cans such as montana gold make the whole process way more enjoyable but the adhesive you are looking for is Elmers craft bond The cap is the same as rustoleum brand cans, its compact and wont concrete your stencil to the wall

Best bang for your buck is to just buy a roll of Duralar. That way you won't be confined to a letter-sized stencil and it's cheaper than buying by the sheet. I would also recommend getting a stencil cutter. It won't be as precise as an xacto because it basically melts the plastic and your line will be slightly wider than a normal cut, but it speeds up your cutting time tremendously and you don't have to change blades on it.
Check your local hobby/craft shops for these. You can sometimes find duralar rolls for cheaper than amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-133140-1001-Fingertip-Swivel-Knife/dp/B001IDYT6Y like this?

I agree with mr.godonut here. Also using a cutting mat has helped me.

Maybe I am late to the party but I dont see anywhere on this link where it says it does not ship to Europe. In fact it does say shipping is available for other countries. I live in Central Mexico and am about to order some of this. I will let you know how it goes.

That's narrow!

I did some stencils a while ago where the radius were 5-10 mm and I used the X-ACTO #4 Stencil Knife Set (X5204) on heavy bond paper. It took me a while, not easy, but at the end it came out OK.

I have to re-do it soon and I am dreading it.