How to get started pinstriping?

My wife, who has so graciously allowed me to fill the garage with car parts galore, has taken a keen liking to the art of pinstriping. Can anybody give me some suggestions of what I could get her to get her started? I want to surprise her with everything she'll need to start learning.

Thanks guys.

-Scott

 

lets see, Mack 00 brush- I would start with this one and work up to others hell I still use nothing but, 1 shot- you can buy more expensive paint like house of color but why 1 shot is used by professionals and amatures(like me), stabillo pencil- for making grids (I've never done it yet but symitry isn't easy without doing it), Mineral Spirits- for clean up, Brush oil- keep you brush well oiled you don't want any missed paint drying in your brush, Pictures- lots of designs to look at to give her a feel for which way she wants to go, 12 pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon- works for me, 8x10 plexy or lucite panels-easy to find cheap media for practice, also get her a set of whine glasses cheap ones from wally world (if she can learn to stripe on curved glass she can stripe on anything)......there is a thousand other little cool things you can get but start slow practice lots and enjoy everything you do.....post lots of pics on the friday art show........

Your Friendly Nieghbor Hood Jester

 

Yeah Jester pretty much covered everything but instead of PBR I buy whatever is cheap (Blatz case 9.99) or a gallon of cheap red wine. HOK stripin paint tears up brushes and costs alot more buy the one shot in small amounts it lasts a long time

 

To add to what has been said. Get a piece of flat glas to practice on. I used a door off an old TV stand. You can practice and then wipe it down with mineral spirits and start over. Trust me, you won't wnat to keep all your early attempts.

 

Any suggestion on where I should look to buy this stuff? Online, local sign shop?



Thanks.

-S

 

www.dickblick.com is easy they have everything but not always the cheapest other than that I buy everything from my autobody supplier

 

you also can try eastwood for the paint. I like a synthetic brush oil like excaliber. They have a website to buy it from.

 

Try your local sign supply shops for paint, although they might have a minimum order. 1/2 pint or pint containers will be plenty. Get this book for her...it's a great reference...

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/096373363X/qid=1093987397/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/103-8389595-7828613?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

Also, there are a lot of great resources on here...watch the Friday art show and ask them questions when you need to!
Curt

 

Great post. Been thinking about getting started myself. We need a few more women making the rod scene.

 

Wasn't there a tech post a few weeks back (I'm reluctant to do a search & contribute to the slow-ness - seems slow right now)...maybe do a search off-peak...

 

If memory serves, it was UnklIan (spelling might be off). AWESOME tech post with pics. Check it out for sure.

-murph

 

Scott-
Our local Body Shop Supply sells 1-Shot, for around $5 a pint I think. Probably the one in Madison does too.

-Jeff

 

5 BUCKS A PINT! that an awesome deal! the local shop here carries half pints starting at 7 bucks and going all the way up to $15! Stock up before they figure out what the stuff's worth. (even eastwood is about double that price)
RJB

 

you'll also want a flat, hard wall for beating your head against...sometimes that feels better than actually messing with striping. I carry a brick in my sign kit...in case there aren't any walls available when I'm striping on location. Safarinut and Unkl Ian are the HAMB's striping gurus. this is Ray's (Safarinut) board.... Knowledge ...lots of energy and info to be swiped. Good luck to her and keep us posted with pics!

 

What everyone else above said. Try to find this book, "Pinstriping & Vehicle Graphics" by John Hannukaine.

It's a good book for beginners.

Billy

 

their is a website called pinstriper.com. Toney will awnser any questions via email.

 

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Any suggestion on where I should look to buy this stuff? Online, local sign shop?



Thanks.

-S

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you can buy Mack 00 at O'reilly's for about 7 bux, they call them touch up brushes so don't ask for a pinstriping brush other wise you'll get a stupid look.....I get 1 shot from Bearair, alot cheaper than Eastwood and you can also get brushes from them, Xcaliber is a company you can get various brushes from I see that they are carring Virus and Mack brushes too...........

 

someone post unklians tech on how to hold a brush for fun and profit. im too lazy.

i also recmmend buying the SMALLEST cans of 1shot (1/4 pint) then takeing some self tapping sheet metal screws and screwing them into the top of the can and use that to dispense the paint, less mess, less air, and your paint will last longer rather than skin over.

i NEVER even open the tops of my cans, just do the sheet metal screw in the top. and "click a few blobs" out on my pallet and work from there, rather than filling up a cup, etc, etc

 

Here's some reading material (with pikchurs for morons like me! )

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=465667&page=&view=&sb=5&o=&fpart=1&vc=1

 

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someone post unklians tech on how to hold a brush for fun and profit. im too lazy.

i also recmmend buying the SMALLEST cans of 1shot (1/4 pint) then takeing some self tapping sheet metal screws and screwing them into the top of the can and use that to dispense the paint, less mess, less air, and your paint will last longer rather than skin over.

i NEVER even open the tops of my cans, just do the sheet metal screw in the top. and "click a few blobs" out on my pallet and work from there, rather than filling up a cup, etc, etc

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Damned good idea Rob, I can't get my cans to seal back up very well and I always have two or three striping jobs of paint dried in a film over the top.....by the way did you get you package yet?

 

check this link also. seems this topic comes up very often

neal0o

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB1&Number=431907&PHPSESSID=&fpart=1#Post431907

 

I want to start meesing around also. I found a mack 000 on ebay for for 8.99 and 1 shot 1/2 pint from eastwood for about 7.99. Might not be the cheapest but this way I could use my paypal money. While I'm on here- I will probably get my brush any day now and want to see what kind of horror I can do to a piece of glass. However, I don't know what to clean the brush with (lacquer thinner, mineral spirits???). Preferrably something I can get local, hopefully so I don't have to wait another week for something to be shipped.
Thanks

 

Sorry I just went back and read jester's post. He said mineral spirits for cleanup, but what's brush oil?

 

Buggered if I know what brush oil is, haven't been able to find any here.

So, I've been using baby oil, seems to work great and my brushes smell real nice too.

As a newcomer I just paint lines on anything. A word of warning here, is that this artform is totally addictive. And you'll probably find yourself in trouble por painting lines on stuff that your partner or others never wanted lines painted on. They'll learn to live with that.

If there's a seccret, it's practice and concentrate. I find when I rush is when i do the really shitty stuff.

I have a book title 'Pinstriping Masters' which I found helpful, but not as helpful as the old hands here.

I also learned that not all brushes are created equal. The Mack stripers with the blue thread I find easier to pull straight lines and for good control. The bleu ones are a little more difficult to use but still easy and the really pretty brushes with the brass ferrule and fine point are really tough but with practice they do the best long straight lines.

I think one of the other secrets is same as for most stuff, don't be a cheapskate and scrimp on quality equipment. Buy the best brushes and the best paint, which will likely also be the most expensive. One Shot down here costs a bomb, but I can't find anything that works better for me.

Another rule, I've adopted is don;t try to be a perfectionist cos even the best in the busisness don't haave perfect symetry or pull the perfecly consistent line. Let's face it, this is art done by hand so it should reflect that.

Next rule, try different styles and stuff, don't just copy what others have done, create your own style. I usualy start by looking at some one else's stuff that I reall like, then try and duplicate my favourite bit and as I work just let my head tell me where the next line should be and what it should look like.

Yeah, I get some really weird stuff that way, but strangeley a lot of folks like it, including me.

Most important rule, don't let it consume you, cos it will try, just enjoy and have fun with it.

 

Good info carps. Thanks.

 

OK, if I learnt to stripe then any one can!. Secondly I believe when you are learing and practising to begin with you should strive to get things as close to symmetrical perfection as you can. This is part of the disipline I used when I was teaching myself. Be super critical of your work when you are learning. When you have grasped the basics and become happy with your abilities then you can get away without total symetrical perfection.
When you are teaching your self, don't be afraid to rub things out and start again, this is true of even the experienced stripers. If things aren't working out, walk away from what you are practising and come back later. I found when I was just starting out I had to be in the mood to stripe. Nowadays after amny years I can now produce stuff at will.
Last but least is view the Friday art posts for inspiration an tips. Oh nearly forgot, be passionate about your striping. Don't be half hearted about it, it may not be fine art as such; but it is important!!!!! Geoff aka Whodaky

 

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OK, if I learnt to stripe then any one can!.

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So how come your stuff is the hardest in the world to duplicate?

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Secondly I believe when you are learing and practising to begin with you should strive to get things as close to symmetrical perfection as you can. This is part of the disipline I used when I was teaching myself. Be super critical of your work when you are learning.

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Sounds like what's happening to me. Point I was getting at above, is it's too easy to beat up on yourself for not being perfect. That can lead to frustration which can lead to giving up.


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When you are teaching your self, don't be afraid to rub things out and start again, this is true of even the experienced stripers. If things aren't working out, walk away from what you are practising and come back later.

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That's the second best advice you ever gave me. Since I started rubbing out, I've actually done some stuff even I'm really happy with. Another thing I learned here, is when doing two colours, if you can, leave the first colour to dry, then, if you have to rub out any of the second colour where it overlaps the first colour, you won't be rubbing out all your previous hard work.

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I found when I was just starting out I had to be in the mood to stripe.

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Hey Geoff, that's interesting, coz I find most nights after a day at the salt mines I'm more in the mood to do some striping than to watch TV or work on the car. Most of it gets rubbed out or goes in the bin, coz I tend to rush it rather than focus on what I'm trying to do. My biggest 'problem' is it usually takes a few lines for me to get in the groove, before the lines start moving and twisting the way I want them to. Dunno why, but even when I practice on the pallette, I still have to rub the first couple of lines off the 'real' work before I settle in and get comfortable. Kinda starts out frustrating and ends up making me feel good after the lines start to flow the right way. Does anybody else out ther suffer this problem?

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be passionate about your striping. Don't be half hearted about it, it may not be fine art as such; but it is important!!!!! Geoff aka Whodaky

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I think that's the best bit of advice I ever got from anybody.

Best compliment I've had so far came from my kid, a fine arts and fashion design student at Melbourne Uni. Don't think she realised why I always seem to have paint on my fingers, guess she figured I was painting car parts. Anyhow on seeing one of the panels I've done she asked her mother who did it. Was most impressed it was me and even said that it would look good printed on a skirt or similar.
Kinda kool bein able to impress your kid like that, thanx man, it's all your fault I started this and that crappy old tin panel as you called it, hangs over my bench to inspire and taunt me.

 

This has been an awesome thread, as well as the others I've saved as favorites. Hats off to ruttencutter for posting the question I wanted to ask, I've been toying with the idea of giving pinstriping a try too... this has been a good incentive to do so.

I can see symmetry is going to be one of my bigger challenges. I do a lot of really weird design sketches that tend to either be reflective or end up looking like mandalas... but it is difficult to get them to be as symmetrical as I would want them.

 

This is my first post here...so if I do it wrong let me know.. Wow what a super thread. It's been many years since I ran a line. This has got me taking up the brush again. Now all I need is a great deal of pratice ....and rembering where my fingers are. The how to photos are super what a great set off illustrations.
Hopefully I will be able to pick it back up...and do some work on them wife's PT. Got to start somewhere right?

 

I posted this question on a diffeernt message but got no answer. CAn everyone let me know their opinions on the brush oil thing. Some say dish soap, tranny fluid, motor oil, veggie oil. Veggie or motor oil would be the best since I have those readily available. Do these oils mess up the paint characteristics if you don't clean them completely out before you start striping?
ThanksChris