Caring for Your Stencil
Protect your investment in your stencil by treating it with care. The best way
to store stencils is by stacking them flat. To keep the stencils from snagging
one another, and to reduce handling, make large paper envelopes from clean
newsprint or butcher paper to house them. Use the thinnest paper available.
This will allow you to look through the paper to see the stencils in
silhouette, rather than removing each as you hunt for a particular design.
Keeping the envelopes to a uniform size, even if the stencils are not, will
make it easier to keep the stack neat.
The stencils will be spending quite a bit of their life in water, but take great
care to make sure the stencil is allowed to dry thoroughly as soon as possible
once you have cleaned it. Dampness is the enemy of paper products. Mold and
mildew will set in and break down the fibers. Never pack away a stencil while
it is even the least bit damp.
copyright John Marshall, 1992
