Rubber Stencil for Sandblasting Granite: What Professionals Actually Recommend
When it comes to monument sandblasting, the type of stone you’re asked to work with will dictate a lot of your decision making process. Granite is one of the toughest stone types out there.
On the good side, it makes for long lasting monuments as it will take decades and centuries of weather erosion for your design to change. On the negative side, it means that it takes a lot of time and effort to get your design engraved on the monument. You’ll need a high quality rubber stencil to help give you professional grade results every time.
Why Stencil Quality Matters
Not all sandblasting stencils are created equally, but before you start shopping around, it’s important to understand why you need a high quality stencil for your granite monument project.
Money
At the end of the day, you are running a business, and your overall goal is to minimize your expenses while increasing your sales. The big cost in memorial and monument creation is the stone. For an average project, you’ll easily spend $2000 on the granite, while the stencil you use will cost under $20, give or take. Granite is an unforgiving canvas for your engraving, and any errors that come from a poor quality stencil, such as edge lifting or image distortion, will force you to have to start all over again, incurring that massive $2000 bill each time. As with any aspect of your sandblasting work, it’s better to pay a little more for the high quality stencil in the short run to make sure you get each project right the first time around.
Time
The other main commodity that you deal in as a monument engraver is time. You’re always looking for that perfect balance between spending enough time on a project that you’ll get the design right and keep your clients happy (and coming back for more work!) and moving fast enough that your costs per project still allow you to turn a profit. A high quality stencil is much easier to pick and weed, and you’ll also save time at the end as the new adhesive formula makes clean up a doddle.
Picking the Right Stencil
When it comes to innovative rubber stencils that are specifically designed to work well on granite, U-Blast has got you covered. We have recently refined our synthetic rubber compound to make it strong enough to handle granite projects while protecting the blades on your cutting machines. We’ve also introduced our new Anti-Shift Mesh™ Surface technology to all of our stencil roll lines. This is a thin structural mesh layer that reduces image movement after cutting. No more worrying whether the perfect design that you cut and weeded will still look perfect when you transfer it to your blank stone; U-Blast has taken care of that problem. You also get access to our authentic and transparent team of sandblasting experts who will help pair you with the right stencil for your granite monument project.
Best Single Liner Stencil
When you’re in the market for a single liner stencil for granite work, we’ll steer you towards our 720 series. This is your go to for polished granite surfaces as the medium level of tack allows you to peel the stencil easily and you’ll find the clean up process hassle free. Don’t be fooled by the lack of strong adhesive; the 720 stencil roll will easily stand up to high pressure and give your granite monument a crisp and clear finish every time.
Best Double Liner Stencil
Sometimes your granite monument project calls for a double liner stencil. This will typically be for more intricate designs or small lettering where you need strength on the inside of the design as well as on the outside. Here, you need to be talking to us about our newly updated 719 series. It’s also a good stencil roll to have around for different projects where you need strength and adhesion, but definitely comes into its own for those more technical and precise granite projects.
Best for Curves
Not every monument is a flat smooth sheet. For those curved projects, we recommend our 732 series. Another single liner stencil roll, this line is designed to give you flexibility around corners and across curves without losing the integrity of the original design. It’s compatible with all types of abrasive media, and comes with one of our highest adhesive ratings meaning that you can blast away without worrying about image shift or edge lifting.
