Stenciling

[Rick]

Does anyone have any information as to where I can send my jacket, knickers, and lame for name stenciling?

Thanks!

[rjccj]

Any sporting goods store that does uniforms for kids baseball teams or anything would be able to do the jacket and knickers, not sure if you'd have to do anything special for the lame though.

[sabreuse]

Whatever you do to the lame has to conduct elctricity. I know for sure that Triplette will do it for you for about $20, plus the cost of shipping your stuff both ways. You can call them for details. The other equipment companies probably will too. Otherwise, there USUALLY (not always) is a vendor at the NACs and Summer Nationals that will do it for you.

[neevel]

Marx Enterprises does stenciling at most NACs-- they also take uniforms by mail (I don't have their address, though). The Fencing Post, Triplette, Blue Gauntlet all do stenciling. The price for all of them is about $20.

You can also do it yourself with stencils you buy or make on your own. Indelible markers generally won't interfere with the conductivity of a stainless lame (at worst some ultra-fine sanpaper will clean the metal strands), but fabric dye pens (that's fabric _dye_ NOT fabric _paint_) will be the best choice. Crafts or fabric stores will have fabric dye pens, stencils, and most other materials needed. Perhaps the cleanest looking DIY stencil is to get some adhesive backed vinyl or contact paper, score out the letters with an Xacto knife (you can use a page from a printer as a guide for cutting), stick it to the lame and then peel off the cut lettering. This is basically what the professionals do, but they use a computer design cutter to cut the lettering. Then just color over the stencil with the fabric dye pen.

If you want to do a jacket or knickers (i.e., conductivity isn't a concern) fabric paints, iron-on lettering, or silk-screening will work (a marker or dye pen is easier, though).

Keep in mind that the the rule specifies block lettering 10 cm high and blue. While nobody's going to be anal about them being a few mm off in height or not the exact shade of blue stipulated, it does mean that magenta lettering in some ornate font isn't kosher.

-Dave Neevel