3M Exiting Stencil and Filler Markets Effective Immediately

[James Burke]

It was released last Friday (Oct. 15) that 3M is exiting the monument stencil and (stone) filler markets immediately.

For those unaware, monument companies have been struggling for the past year and a half getting stencil supplies.

This will only add to the stress.

I guess this serves as a "heads-up"....I'm curious if there are other (less-profitable) product lines they'll also shed.

JB

 

[White Haus]

Would these be like "mask" films? I remember when we used to do lots of sandblasted cedar signs we used Anchor mask film.

Really thick, rubbery stuff that was a real pain to weed and lift with premask.

 

[James Burke]

Would these be like "mask" films? I remember when we used to do lots of sandblasted cedar signs we used Anchor mask film.

Really thick, rubbery stuff that was a real pain to weed and lift with premask.

Yes, this is the stencil material that is primarily used for monument sandblast engraving, but also for signage as well. They're also discontinuing the "filler", which is essentially a rubber cement used to increase the adhesion of the stencil to the stone's surface.

As supply chain issues worsen, I have a sneaky hunch that those ripples will grow ever wider as companies pare down their product offerings to just their best performers. And that's going to hurt...big time.


JB

 

[Johnny Best]

Better break out the chisels and wooden mallet.

 

[James Burke]

Better break out the chisels and wooden mallet.

Perhaps. But let's think about it a bit further...

3M produces approximately 60,000 different products. A lot of them, no doubt, share common adhesive and polymer/elastomer raw materials. I would hazard a guess that they're funneling their precious resources (labor included here) toward the most profitable products...especially with PPE (N95) being such a hot seller these days.


JB

 

[White Haus]

As supply chain issues worsen, I have a sneaky hunch that those ripples will grow ever wider as companies pare down their product offerings to just their best performers. And that's going to hurt...big time.


JB

Perhaps, but it may encourage smaller companies/manufacturers to pick up the slack and find new opportunities when there is a demand. (Or at least I'd like to think so.....)

 

[James Burke]

Perhaps, but it may encourage smaller companies/manufacturers to pick up the slack and find new opportunities when there is a demand. (Or at least I'd like to think so.....)

Not in this day and age. Raw material inputs are typically the same for all manufacturers of this type of product. It'll be a fight to see who has the strongest supply chain, I suppose.


JB

 

[appropriate1]

So, we need some solutions, not just bad news.

I have been using 3M 1532 Buttercut Sandblast Stencil
for redwood and HDU and found it to be the best of any material I have tried.
Previously used Hartco 425S, which had serious adhesion problems in the garage,
before we even got near the sandblasting stage.

Does anyone have suggestions on a close replacement for 3m products like the 1532?

I cut at max weight on an older Graphtec 48" friction plotter and have no serious issues
up to 8 feet long. We generally apply stencil to prepainted, cured several days, oil sign
enamels over oil primer, sometimes two coats each. With the 3M, we had good adhesion
at all steps and removed with no tearing of the wood grain. The Hartco had such sensitive
shelf life and such adhesion issues that it was nearly impossible to use. Many times, we kept
and stapler in the booth to nail down edges and filled the staple holes later.

Open to suggestions, knowing we are a limited market here.

 

[James Burke]

So, we need some solutions, not just bad news.

IPG (Intertape Polymer Group) produces Anchor brand stencil. They're in the process of tweaking the final details on the yellow Mylar equivalent (for monument work) that 3M produced.

They have an extensive product line. For wooden signs, you may want to try Anchor 117. It's a high-tack single-liner product that shouldn't tear up the grain when you remove it.

Yes, Hartco is extremely limited on many levels.

JB

 

[Signs of All Kinds LLC]

I'll throw my 2 cents in here. Back when we were a large producer of sancarved slate welcome signs and plaques, we used Hartco sandmask resist. I've also used their vinyl sandblast stencil on wood and HDU. American made, great company to deal with!

SandMask Products | Sandblast Resist | Sandblast Stencils | Hartco, Inc.

hartcoservice.com