cutting mylar stencils

[marvkaye 1]

I have some 7mil mylar without adhesive that I purchased from which I'm planning on cutting freehand paint masks.  I have a couple questions I'm hoping some of you with experience along these lines might answer for me.  First of all, would applying application tape to the bottom of the mylar be suitable for holding things together during the cutting process?  I'd like to put a base on the mylar not only to hold any islands in place during the cutting process until I'm ready to weed, and for keeping the cutter away from the cutting strip as well... may as well protect it if I can.  Next, I've been cutting 3mil low-tack Oramask with the standard 45 degree knife that came with my MH721 and it has performed really well with that material.  Would it be appropriate to use that same knife for cutting the mylar (which is over twice as thick and considerably denser) or should I be thinking about getting some 60 degree blades specifically for this material?  Finally, will I have to slow down the cutting speed and increase the downforce substantially, or will I be doing one or the other but not both... as a newbie I kind of understand that the two are related, but I've not seen any guidelines out there to make getting the settings right less of a hit-or-miss proposition.  Any help any of you can offer would be greatly appreciated.