applying slip for stencil decoration

[^5 clay]

I am using a thin plastic stencil pattern with slip on a bone dry piece and the pattern always bleeds, any tip on how to avoid that? 

[liambesaw]

3 minutes ago, ^5 clay said:

I am using a thin plastic stencil pattern with slip on a bone dry piece and the pattern always bleeds, any tip on how to avoid that? 

You can trace the stencil onto a piece of paper.  Wet paper sticks way better than plastic.

[^5 clay]

Thanks but doesn't the paper tear when removed? How about a masking technique, any ideas?

[liambesaw]

2 minutes ago, ^5 clay said:

Thanks but doesn't the paper tear when removed? How about a masking technique, any ideas?

Yes, it's single use.  People who use this technique generally use a cricut or silhoutte cutter to "print" the cut pieces of paper.  It's the best way to achieve the perfect lines you are looking for though.  

[^5 clay]

5 minutes ago, liambesaw said:

Yes, it's single use.  People who use this technique generally use a cricut or silhoutte cutter to "print" the cut pieces of paper.  It's the best way to achieve the perfect lines you are looking for though.  

By silhouette cutter you mean an exacto knife?

 

[liambesaw]

7 minutes ago, ^5 clay said:

By silhouette cutter you mean an exacto knife?

 

It's a cutting plotter similar to this: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricut

[^5 clay]

3 minutes ago, liambesaw said:

It's a cutting plotter similar to this: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricut

Thank you I will experiment

[Min]

 

I use wet paper on quite dry leatherhard but not bone dry clay. This pot was done with strips of copy paper, wetted then stuck to the pot and then sponged (or ribbed) over the paper to get it really stuck down. These are underglazes not slips but it's the same idea. I do occasionally get a bleed but it's easy to remove with a sharp tool once the underglaze is dry. 

[Callie Beller Diesel]

If you want to use something like a stiffer plastic stencil that you can get at big box stores for craft painting, you can lay the stencil over a piece of newsprint and lay the slip down over it. After you lift the stencil, let the slip set up for a few minutes until the shine is off it, and then apply it to the pot. It makes the image a bit more crisp.

I would work with a leather hard pot, not a bone dry one. You'll have shrinkage and chipping issues later. 

[oldlady]

look at the work of Kim Kirchman for photos of how she does what callie talks about above.  try entering her name at the top of the forum to see some photos.  they are simply colors on newsprint paper, dampened and rubbed into leatherhard clay.

[Callie Beller Diesel]

Mmm, kind of. Kim does it in a more painterly style, I’m after raised pattern. Here’s a test tile I was mucking around with last soda fire. The stencil I used on the paper is next to the pot. The slip was a flashing slip I applied to the bare clay body. 

[Rae Reich]

18 hours ago, ^5 clay said:

I am using a thin plastic stencil pattern with slip on a bone dry piece and the pattern always bleeds, any tip on how to avoid that? 

Try dampening the area of the pot by sponge or mister before laying on your stencil. The dry clay is sucking the slip under the stencil edges. The slip might work better if it's a little thicker. 

[neilestrick]

I just ordered a Cricut cutter this weekend for this very purpose!

Plastic stencils are not ideal because they do not bend and stretch to conform to the shape of the rounded pot. Paper is much better, although even that has its limits. Working with smaller pieces makes it easier to get good adhesion, and the more cylindrical the pot the better. Sponging down the paper helps it to flatten out and adhere well, plus makes a thin layer of slip that seals the edges. This is also how you get clean lines when using masking tape when painting walls. Say you want to paint stripes on your walls. You paint the first color, apply the tape, then paint another thin coat of the first color along the edges of the tape. That seals the edge, and any bleed through won't show when the tape is pulled because you've used the same color. Then you paint the second color.

[^5 clay]

The circut machine is expensive, is there one  just for paper cutting maybe cheaper?

[Callie Beller Diesel]

I did see one guy cut out a stencil he used extensively out of a 2” stack of tightly clamped newspaper with a coping saw...

Cricuts come in varying levels of capabilities. They’re used by scrapbookers pretty extensively. 

[Rae Reich]

If you just want a dozen or so for a project, you might as well cut them by hand. For bigger quantities, you might post a request for someone with a cutter to run the job(s) for a fee. Look at stores that sell scrapbooking supplies, ask about online communities or post an inquiry at the store, if allowed. More extensive use of stencilling for your production could make the investment in a machine of your own pay off. Also check on the availability of used cutters as scrapbookers upgrade. 

[liambesaw]

Here's a good seminar on using paper stencils: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPIa-G5E2PE

[neilestrick]

13 hours ago, ^5 clay said:

The circut machine is expensive, is there one  just for paper cutting maybe cheaper?

There are lots of different cutting machines out there, but for the digital cutters, where you can create your own designs on the computer and then cut them out, you're going to spend at least $150. And that's for an older model. There are manual die cutting machines that are cheaper, but they use dies (what they call cartridges) that you have to buy, so you're not creating your own designs.

[liambesaw]

There are tons of cricuts and silhouttes on Craigslist and OfferUp for under 50 bucks here.

[GEP]

You could try making your stencils out of Tyvek instead of paper. Go to the office supply store and buy some Tyvek envelopes. It behaves like paper against a pot, and it doesn’t wrinkle when it gets wet. You can invest some time cutting out your stencil, knowing the Tyvek will basically last forever. 

[^5 clay]

42 minutes ago, GEP said:

You could try making your stencils out of Tyvek instead of paper. Go to the office supply store and buy some Tyvek envelopes. It behaves like paper against a pot, and it doesn’t wrinkle when it gets wet. You can invest some time cutting out your stencil, knowing the Tyvek will basically last forever. 

Thanks that's a great suggestion I will definitely try it. It allows multiple use too

[Roberta12]

51 minutes ago, ^5 clay said:

Thanks that's a great suggestion I will definitely try it. It allows multiple use too

I have done that as well, just get some sort of mat under the Tyvek and an exacto knife and make your own stencils.  Tyvek works great on slabs, paper works better on dry leather hard pots, (dip the paper in water, sponge or rib it on the pot, apply underglaze, let dry a bit, then peel the paper off. ) You can also cut your own stencils out of paper, using an exacto knife, a couple of thicknesses of paper and a mat.

[Rae Reich]

Tyvek priority mail envelopes are free at your post office or online at usps.com. Tyvek is also used to wrap houses underneath the siding and is sold in proportionately sized rolls at home centers.

[^5 clay]

6 minutes ago, Rae Reich said:

Tyvek priority mail envelopes are free at your post office or online at usps.com. Tyvek is also used to wrap houses underneath the siding and is sold in proportionately sized rolls at home centers.

I was thinking the same thing, thanks Rae

 

[Rae Reich]

Scraps might be available at construction sites.