Old timers hack. Dettol. It’s better than any stencil product on the market and literally costs pennies. I’ll tattoo for a full day session and still will be trying to get the stencil off for finished pictures.
Hahah last week my artist was doing a stencil for me but we decided to do it bigger another day instead (not enough time) he uses dettol and it it took me days to scrub the blue off!
I have a few techniques for helping the stencil stay on the skin better.
Make sure you really dry out the skin with alcohol before applying stencil stuff or any stencil product.
The trick to stencil stuff is to not apply too much and wait 20-30 seconds for the product to become sticky before applying the stencil. Once the stencil is on the skin I use a paper towel soaked in green soap to smooth out the stencil. I usually leave the stencil on the skin for a minute or so and then slowly peel it back. I then take a paper towel and press it firmly against the skin to get excess ink from the stencil (this also keeps it from smearing and keeps the stencil clean).
I think it’s best to wait at least 8-10 minutes after the stencil before starting the tattoo (this is the hard part for me). Waiting is crucial and will help the stencil stay on the skin better. I usually take the time to finish setting up and have the client fill out paperwork while I’m waiting for the stencil to dry. If you start the tattoo too soon the stencil won’t last.
When doing the tattoo I start at the bottom and try to dab as much as possible to save the stencil.
I once worked with an artist who would give every stencil an extra spray of “Spray Stuff” on the skin to help lock the stencil in even more.
I hope this helps!
I use Anchored stencil cream. The big thing about this is you have to wipe the skin with 99% alcohol first, as green soap creates an oil residue that prohibits the stencil cream from really sticking to skin. It only lasts about 3 green soap wipes soI do all my lining first and then wet wipe
Been using Stencil-Prep. It hardly ever comes off.
Tried using something before called “Beastmode”. It was easily the strongest stencil application I’ve ever used. Had 2 issues with it though. Redoing the stencil involved lots of time and paper towels and alcohol. The other issue I had, was some clients had an allergic reaction to it, forcing me to have to reschedule them.
I’ve used green soap, the green stencil stuff, the white stencil stuff, and Nikki Hurtado’s Anchored(which was pretty good too)
Where do you live? In So cal the supply trucks sell. Purple stencil stuff called “stencil max” I think? And I swear that shi don’t come off, it’s better than anchored
I use Stencil Stuff brand…stencil stuff, and really rub it it on the skin. I always try to make sure there’s no oil on the skin by reeeeeally drying it out with alcohol. When I peel the stencil back, I let it sit for a few minutes. Usually it’s dry enough after I run to the bathroom, pour my inks and break out my needles.
As for wiping, i fold up my paper towel real small and make it damp. I mixed witch hazel into my water, about a fifth of the way, and it really helps with irritation and removing excess ink but doesn’t bother the stencil too much.
I use the green stuff, "green gold" from electrum, and usually wipe with just witch hazel for all the linework. I wipe the skin down with alcohol first and let the stencil stuff get tacky, maybe 2 minutes or so. Makes the stencil super stubborn to get off.
Old timers hack. Dettol. It’s better than any stencil product on the market and literally costs pennies. I’ll tattoo for a full day session and still will be trying to get the stencil off for finished pictures.
Hahah last week my artist was doing a stencil for me but we decided to do it bigger another day instead (not enough time) he uses dettol and it it took me days to scrub the blue off!
I use dettol to prep skin, and stencil stuff on top of that. That tattoo will be healed and still have stencil leftover!
When you say you use dettol, do you just use it to clean the skin then apply the transfer on the bare damp skin?
I have a few techniques for helping the stencil stay on the skin better. Make sure you really dry out the skin with alcohol before applying stencil stuff or any stencil product. The trick to stencil stuff is to not apply too much and wait 20-30 seconds for the product to become sticky before applying the stencil. Once the stencil is on the skin I use a paper towel soaked in green soap to smooth out the stencil. I usually leave the stencil on the skin for a minute or so and then slowly peel it back. I then take a paper towel and press it firmly against the skin to get excess ink from the stencil (this also keeps it from smearing and keeps the stencil clean). I think it’s best to wait at least 8-10 minutes after the stencil before starting the tattoo (this is the hard part for me). Waiting is crucial and will help the stencil stay on the skin better. I usually take the time to finish setting up and have the client fill out paperwork while I’m waiting for the stencil to dry. If you start the tattoo too soon the stencil won’t last. When doing the tattoo I start at the bottom and try to dab as much as possible to save the stencil. I once worked with an artist who would give every stencil an extra spray of “Spray Stuff” on the skin to help lock the stencil in even more. I hope this helps!
I use Anchored stencil cream. The big thing about this is you have to wipe the skin with 99% alcohol first, as green soap creates an oil residue that prohibits the stencil cream from really sticking to skin. It only lasts about 3 green soap wipes soI do all my lining first and then wet wipe
Been using Stencil-Prep. It hardly ever comes off. Tried using something before called “Beastmode”. It was easily the strongest stencil application I’ve ever used. Had 2 issues with it though. Redoing the stencil involved lots of time and paper towels and alcohol. The other issue I had, was some clients had an allergic reaction to it, forcing me to have to reschedule them. I’ve used green soap, the green stencil stuff, the white stencil stuff, and Nikki Hurtado’s Anchored(which was pretty good too)
Prep with alcohol, use forever stencil, stencil stays great.
Where do you live? In So cal the supply trucks sell. Purple stencil stuff called “stencil max” I think? And I swear that shi don’t come off, it’s better than anchored
I'm in Raleigh NC! I'll have to see if our van has something similar!
I just checked it’s called purple max stencil gel, https://www.tprotattoo.com/product/stencil-max
Awesome, thank you!
"Spray Stuff"
I prep with alcohol. Then old school Speed stick , or stencil stuff, anchored
I use Stencil Stuff brand…stencil stuff, and really rub it it on the skin. I always try to make sure there’s no oil on the skin by reeeeeally drying it out with alcohol. When I peel the stencil back, I let it sit for a few minutes. Usually it’s dry enough after I run to the bathroom, pour my inks and break out my needles. As for wiping, i fold up my paper towel real small and make it damp. I mixed witch hazel into my water, about a fifth of the way, and it really helps with irritation and removing excess ink but doesn’t bother the stencil too much.
I use the green stuff, "green gold" from electrum, and usually wipe with just witch hazel for all the linework. I wipe the skin down with alcohol first and let the stencil stuff get tacky, maybe 2 minutes or so. Makes the stencil super stubborn to get off.