Pinstriping

[nthang]

It appears that there has never been a thread on pinstriping. Anyone care to discuss the methods and materials of pinstriping? Thanks
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[nthang]

Nobody? I want to know if you guys in the biz use the little rolls of pinstriping tape. Do you just roll that stuff out, pull the release paper (I assume that it has an adhesive on it), stick it and clear over it???

Come to think of it, painting a pinstripe with an airbrush or paint brush would be a nightmare. I guess it can be done with a template, tho. What's the deal?
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[E-boyz67]

3M makes a kit called the striper. Its a kit with different stencils sizes. How it works is that you tape it on the car then use a brush to paint the color you want and let dry then peel the tape and your done. But you are linited to only straight lines and mild curves.
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[Naked]

Finesse pinstriping makes something similar and works great, but you are limited to basiclly factory style pinstripes. http://www.finessepinstriping.com/ Check out www.airbrushaction.com or http://www.autoartmagazine.com/ these are good magazines for striping, graphics and vinyl. Also check out Craig Frasers site www.gotpaint.com I have taken a few of this guys classes.
I wouldnt recommend using the Beugelar roller striper you have very little control of you material from what I understand, but check it out anyway. http://www.beugler.com/beta.html

[Big Jim]

I'm not a pin stripper in any sense but I know the really good stuff is all done freehand with enamel and a special brush. My late cousin was a master at the process. Once its pinstripped, you usually apply a couple of coats of clear and wetsand over the stripes to level out the clear, apply a couple more coats of clear and finish as usual. That gives beautiful stripes and a dead smooth clear.
I wish my hands were steady enough to attempt it but that's not to be for me.

[chipmcluk]

Damn straight its done freehand!I've been striping for a couple of years now, learned from my dad whos been doing it for about thirty years. Takes a lot of time and patience and there isn't too much room for mistakes, you use a brush called a sword, or a striper.Tiny little brush but once you get the hang of it, its sweet! Von Dutch was probablythe best of all time.

[Monsterbeetle]

I've been striping for some time now and all I can say is practice practice practice! I favor the usual tools of the trade. Mack makes a good array of brushes. The Mack OO size sword striper brush seems to work ok for general striping in my case. One Shot is a nice sign painters enamel that is slow drying (good in case of mistakes!). The internet is full of good resources on the subject. Don't give up, there'll be lots of "oops" along the way but in the end you'll learning a cool art.

[chipmcluk]

Exactly, and don't start off on something important.Get a lot of practice before you decide to throw some stripes on a car or bike.

[nthang]

This is a good thread.....Just got back from a week in Paris. You don't see any American or Japanese cars there. No SUVs. No Pickups. No Harleys or custom bike. They do have a bunch of those bug looking "el cheapo" Citroens of the late 70s with the round fenders and kublewagen headlights (Can those be imported?).

What type of paint, better yet, product is best for painting pinstriping? And you can clear right over it with polyurethane?
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[Major Woody]

You don't put clearcoat on top of vinyl striping. Vinyl striping is for Hyundais.

If you do a search for pinstriping kits, you can get an idea of what equipment and paints are required.

[nthang]

The question is:

1. What type or brand name of paint is used for pinstriping?....."enamel" has been used in this thread already, but what does that mean specifically? It is assumed that the pinstriping paint can be cleared with standard polyurethane clears. Never mind further discussion of "vinyl" pinstriping......this thread is officially about "freehand". Thanks.
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[Big Jim]

"One Shot" is one of the most popular brands.

Laugh if you want but I'm getting ready to clear over a set of vinyl flames.

[Copper Jewel]

We had a gentleman who has been doing pin striping for many years do "Copper Jewel." It was amazing to watch him work. We left the design and color choice up to him. He even free handed "Old Speed" on the passenger front fender, looks great. If you have access to March 2002 Hot VW's & VW Trends you can see his work in some of the pics. He used "One Shot" and it is 4 years old now and looks good as new. Even though the car is not outside on a daily basis may be the reason some will say!!! We liked his work so much we had him paint flames on the Cyber Green New Beetle we had at that time.
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" Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt"

www.volksfolks.org

"Copper Jewel" may be gone from my garage, but will always be in my heart.

[Obsessed]

the Beugler works pretty good. it is another tool for pin striping. like any tool, you must master it before your work looks good. it dosent work too well on real tight curves, but it works great for laying down long lines. for detail and intricate designs, a brush works best. I prefer Mack brushes, but there are many out there. like anything, choose the right tool for the job. if you are just laying stripes, you can lay them out in tape and paint and remove the tape. like monsterbeetle said, practice practice practice, that is the key to mastering the tool.
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[nthang]

I bought a Mack 00 brush and have been playing with it. I think that I will need to practice, practice, practice before I don't suck at pinstriping. Masking tape appears to be a way to lay down straight lines.

The little brush is made of squirrel hair. You gotta like that part
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[Big Jim]

If you haven't already discovered it, you can buy special tape for pinstriping. It is already scored so you lay down one piece of wider tape and peel out the center to get perfectly parallel edges.

[nthang]

Jim, that kind of product is exactly what I'm looking for. Where does one find such products?......I don't recall seeing that at auto paint shops, but....
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[Big Jim]

I think I've seen it at my dealer but here is a link to the 3M catalog that shows a couple. If you ask by part number, you might have better luck.

http://products3.3m.com/catalog/us/en001/auto_mari...utput_html

Here's another for a dealer that seems to have a good selection:

http://www.finessepinstriping.com/striper_order.asp

[oldskool65]

Here are a few stripes I recently did. I have been striping for about 2 years, and I am trying to incorporate it tastefully into my 59 bug. For the fan shroud I used a 00 mack, and for the camera a 000. Its nice to see some striping in here......post some pictures of your work


Camera I did for my cousin

My fan shroud

36 hp oil bath air cleaner

[nthang]

Oldskool, how did you do this striping? Thanks.
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