# how do I design a stencil to wrap around a hollowform properly?



## MarkNotts (Jan 22, 2017)

Hiya and I am new here, I have only been carving for a little while and I have an idea for a carving on a hollowform I have turned on my wood lathe, the problem is the shape!

I can use 3dsmax to make a replica in 3d space to see how the stencil will look, I can use photoshop to make the design but the paper printout to wrap on the real hollowform will never wrap right.

is there a way or a guide that I can use to make the correct paper shape to wrap around the hollowform correctly? once the correct shape is printed the stencil will follow 

thanks.

Mark.


----------



## mrg (Mar 10, 2010)

Make your stencil, print it out. Cut in half at the split of the top and bottom. Apply the top half and then the bottom. This will allow you to add the stencil without it bunching up. If need be you can split in half left and right. Where you cut add a 32 nd to a 16th to width and length for paper creep if needed.


----------



## MarkNotts (Jan 22, 2017)

> Make your stencil, print it out. Cut in half at the split of the top and bottom. Apply the top half and then the bottom. This will allow you to add the stencil without it bunching up. If need be you can split in half left and right. Where you cut add a 32 nd to a 16th to width and length for paper creep if needed.
> 
> - mrg


Thanks buddy and im sorry i omitted an important bit by accident, the stencil i want to design is for the top half wrapping around like say a beer or wine bottle label, it seems simple but nope :/ a lot of messing around with photoshop warp feature and trst prints has me arc warping at 55 to get the outer quarter circumference curve right but it all goes wrong about half way up the curve towards the rim :/ , i have bit the bullet and now dividing circumference segments into 8 but the paper still wants to bunch up


----------



## OSB (Dec 16, 2016)

Your problem is that you are trying to fit flat paper on a compound curve. No matter how small you divide it, it is not going to lay down smooth.

It might be possible to laser etch it with a rotary attachment. You could also print on a conical strip of plastic and vacuum form it to your curve.

If I had to do it, I would probably divide the surface in to a grid along with the template and use that to freehand copy the template on to the wood.


----------



## MarkNotts (Jan 22, 2017)

Thanks OSB i think ill have to divide into eighths, ibe been messing around all afternoon into early evening trying to work out the right scale and curve in photoshop so when printed it matches the curve of the form, i have a very close match

I designed a stencil like a tribal bezier curve design and i liked it, then when bent and shaped in 3dsmax to fit the model it did what i though it would , compress the top of the design and stretch the bottom so a re design was needed :/

Anyways its done and cut up into eigths, ill masking tape the hollowform then 3m spray the stencil sections onto the masking tape, any mismatching before piercing ill just blend it with the power carver i have


----------

