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I backed the TTCombat Presents - Snappy Stencils Kickstarter and have my goods which look great, but I was wondering if there was anything I could do before I use them to improve their lifespan or usability as I haven't worked with laser cut MDF/HDF before. Any idea if I should use vallejo polyurethane airbrush primer and then seal it with a gloss varnish to make it easier to keep clean should I need to (and also to lock away the smell ; p)? Just a varnish? A wood varnish or primer? Any info would be appreciated.

These are samples of the stencils in question:

I used rustoleum on MDF dice tower, and would not recommend that to you. Took ages to dry, ate some of the mdf, messy as hell.

I'd avoid water based, but that is only speculation as to how it would expand the mdf. I'd say some kind of polyurethane timber floor polish, but that is untested.

Out of interest, what are you going to use them on?

Terrain mainly, specifically the Deadzone terrain which is all large flat pieces like this:

Possibly some of the flatter vehicles sections too like leman russ or chimera sides, certainly not warp prisms and the like. I have the Anarchy stencils for the more troublesome shapes like that as I'm well aware how imprecise these will be for such things if that's what you were wondering hehe. They were pretty damn cheap though and I have a *lot* of deadzone terrain to paint, plus other terrain in general.

Thanks for ruling out the rustoleum at least. A timber product was a guess of mine but yeah, I'd really like some confirmation if possible before I start at it.

Two or three coats of an oil based wood varnish. The oils tend to not mess with the fibers like water based do. Lacquers will work too, as will a solids resin, though those tend to be high build and will possibly cause issues for the corners.

Enamel rattle cans will work, but you want to look for the one with the most warning labels. Low VOC is not a good thing when trying to keep fiber board from turning into mush.

HDF is an odd choice for a durable stencil. Normally I use PETG plastic sheet or silicone for those. Sort of past that point though.

Thanks for the input Sean, I'll nab some clear oil based wood varnish from the old man and give it a go.

Yeah HDF wasn't ideal as such, but it was *really* cheap. It gave me a lot of extra, durable options for adding detail to the large amount of deadzone terrain I have and I'm sure it'll be useful here and there over the years. The other stencils I have from Anarchy models while a much higher quality, won't last as long I don't think, so it'll be good to have both available I think.

Hairspray. Works a treat.

I would not use wood for a stencil that small though thin plastkc sheets are great for it