making a copy of a decal or sign trick

My son used to paint water towers, and shared a secret for making stencils way up there. It has a practical use with old tractors, signs etc.

If you can blow up a picture to the proper size all the better. Perhaps if you can make or trace the orignal on transparent paper is also great.

The trick to transfer the original to your new location can be done in a somewhat simple manner. I have no idea what the tool is called, but your mom probably had one in her sewing room. For lack of better names, it was kinda like a cowboys spur, with a handle. Maybe a rolling pizza cutter with notches cut in to it so it would poke tiny holes through the material, or in this case paper. The diameter of the spur is probably 1 1/2 inches.

You simply lay your transparent paper with you numbers, sign or what ever on some soft wood, and then trace every object or letter around the outside. This will poke hundreds of small holes in your transparent paper.

Now all you have to do is tape it to whatever, and take a rattle can and lightly spray the stencil you have made.

Once you have done this, it will be easy to paint between the little dotted lines with a brush.

This is not fool proof, just a way to make it simpler. I'm sorry I'm not good at explaining. I wish the good Lord would have made me a little smarter instead of so darn good looking.

It's called a pounce wheel. It's an old technique (Michelangelo used it on the Sistine Chapel ceiling) for transfering outlines. Pounce is the old name for powdered graphite or charcoal that was applied thru the holes made by the pounce wheel.

Hey Northeast Iowa. Nice tutor Job! I understand completely. Thanx

Your welcome, like I said, I wish I was better explaing things.