Step Six: Cutting The Star Stencil
We highly recommend putting the classic BridgeWood stars on the end grain sides of each wooden block. Why is this so important?
We have tested making toys with many of our friends and family members. Over and over, we noticed that the most challenging part of making toys was keeping track of which side was dry! It is heartbreaking to spend your love and effort creating a toy only to accidentally glue it to your toy-making surface or have a beautiful image smeared.
So trust us! Paint the stars on the two end grain sides and seal them before painting the other four sides.
Supply List
1
Find The Stars
After your toys are dry and clean, take the stencil sheet that came standard in your Toymaker kit. At the bottom, you will find the stars.
2
Cut Out The Stars
Take a pair of scissors and cut around the square edge of one of the stars.
We recommend not cutting directly on the square edge. Although you can do this, cutting just along the outside of the square will give you a little overlap over the edge of the block. This overlap makes it much easier to pull off the stencil later.
3
Peel Off The Backing Paper
Once you have cut out your square stencil, peel off the backing paper.
You can reduce some of the stickiness of the stencil by pressing the sticky side against a lint-free cotton cloth.
4
Apply The Stencil
Use the edges to line up carefully and center the stencil on the block. The grid lines are slightly bigger than the block to help you center the image. The stencil is not square if you can see any of the edges through the lines. Take it off and reapply again until it is squared.
Some of the star stencils may not have a full square of gridlines. If this is the case, then line up the stencil using two gridlines on the two sides.
Once the image is square, smooth out any bubbles.
Do Not Leave Stencils On The Block
Do not leave the stencils on the block. The sticky side will adhere to the block and lift off tiny splinters of wood, which will get stuck to your stencil and ruin it. If you walk away from the project for more than a few minutes, remove the stencil and place it back onto the backing paper.
If the stencil does pull up tiny splinters, it is an easy fix for the toy. Sand the surface until smooth. You can attempt to wash off the splinters from your stencil but be prepared. You might need to buy another one if they don’t come off cleanly.
Never give a child a toy that has splinters. Either use the blocks as decór or sand off the splinters. It only takes a few moments to redo the image safely.