Let's start with the fact that I'm not a pinstriper, but would like to give the art a shot. So I'm asking you dudes for a little advice... For the past few days I've been playing around with model car paint and various craft brushes (because I don't have the good stuff...yet) I figured I'd try it out with the **** I've got laying around to see if I want to invest in some quality supplies. I think my lines are pretty damn clean and all the pieces I've done so far are coming out pretty nice, for what they are. The model car paint is a little blotchy and my brushes are junk...but for what I'm working with, I think I'm on the right track. I found a local source that sells 1 Shot Paint and Mack Brushes, and I'd liek to go buy a few different cans of primary colors and a pair of nice brushes before this weekend. Since I don't want to go to the counter and ask stupid questions, or get talked into buying something I don't need, I've got a few questions that maybe you guys could help me with. I've heard to start with a Mack Series 10, Size #0 Brush...sound good? What is the proper name for the 1 Shot paint needed? What oil do I need for brush storage & care? Any suggestions you guys can add would be great...I don't want to go in and invest a bunch of money if it turns out I **** at striping, so I'm just looking to get 4 or 5 colors, and 1 or 2 brushes to start out with. Thanks in advance...
Look here... http://www.****blick.com/zz010/16a/products.asp?param=0&ig_id=318 they're called One-Shot lettering enamels. G.
I just started 2 nights ago. Anyway I got a series 10 00 brush. some mineral spirits from the paint section at the hardware store for brush cleaning. and from some suggestions on here for now I'm using ****** fluid to oil the brush. The one shot is called lettering enamel I guess it is for sign painting.
Make sure you get the brushes with the blue ferell ( the string around the bristles) not the green ones. Also thinning your paint is the key to good long lines but you will only figure this out with practice.
keep your brushes in ATF. i've heard boiled linseed oil is good for them too. but I'm a cheap ***. I actually like the brushes with the green, but theyre harder to do tight curves with. the blue ones are shorter so you dont have to lift your hand from the work as high to do tight curves. good luck and have fun!
DO NOT USE BOILDED LINSEED OIL to store brushes ! Unless you want to buy new ones.It HAS happened. Linseed Oil is a drying oil,"Boiled" Linseed has extra metalic driers added to make it dry faster. Any oil used for storing brushes can not be a drying oil. Consider 1-Shot Brush Cleaner and Conditioner,Neatsfoot Oil,Mineral Oil,Baby Oil,Motor Oil,ATF,etc. I would recommend a size 000,Mack Series 10.Buy the smallest one you can get. Check the TechOmatic for more.
I have been searching for the tech one of you great stripers did on how to hold the brush and make lines. I **** but trying to play around enough to learn something. Also why the seires 10 - blue - instead of the green. Everyone says the blue but no one says why. Since I am literate on the subject I can ask this dumb questions.
I bought my own little starter kit not too long ago... brush, paint, mineral spirits, peice of gl*** (with taped over the edges) to practice on. I'm now decent at thinning the paint right and pulling straight lines, I can even get stuff close to symmetrical. My problem is that I can't think up designs to paint, they all end up terrible. maybe I'm just un-crative.
Series 10(Blue thread) is made from Grey Squirrell hair. Series 20(Green thread) is made from Brown Squirrell hair. In my experience,Series 10 is more forgiving,and has a better feel to it. The small difference in price is more than worth it.
[ QUOTE ] DO NOT USE BOILDED LINSEED OIL to store brushes ! Unless you want to buy new ones.It HAS happened. Linseed Oil is a drying oil,"Boiled" Linseed has extra metalic driers added to make it dry faster. Any oil used for storing brushes can not be a drying oil. Consider 1-Shot Brush Cleaner and Conditioner,Neatsfoot Oil,Mineral Oil,Baby Oil,Motor Oil,ATF,etc. I would recommend a size 000,Mack Series 10.Buy the smallest one you can get. Check the TechOmatic for more. [/ QUOTE ] yes, listen to him.... i found out the hard way too... you can't use ANY oil that Polymerizes... (does not stay wet) linseed oil is like the worse for it.. Ideally you want Neatsfoot Oil but you have better luck finding a 40 dollar ***** that looks like Sharon Stone than finding Neatsfoot oil which can only be found in some leather shops. (where they make saddles and ****.) I also use ATF but i heard that now-a-days ****** fluid has additives that might harm the brush..... but my brush has held up long enough that replacing it every year is no problem to me. I got a question, you said you found an art store that as the one shot enamel, but do they have the High temperature Reducer? that's my local problem (the store has one shot, but they can't even order me the reducer so i still have to order the **** anyways) I suggest the mack series 10 (not 20 series) size 00.
i havent used 1-shot reducer since i found out that mineral spirits came in oderless 2$ gallon jugs. i setup a 3 jar system........2 jars have mineral spirits and 1 has some brush cleaner conditioner...with a coiled spring thing cleaner whoowhoo at the bottom (art store 2$ item) every day i swap and rotate the 2 mineral spirits jars. the jar i use for thinning and the "first" cleaning....i dump every day but its really the old jar that i used for "second" cleaning before the brush cleaner from the day before. works out good for me... i also know guy that has been pinstriping for a while now....awesome stuff, and when i told him about the mack blues....he didnt know about em' used em and said "DAMN IM HOOKED"
[ QUOTE ] Series 10(Blue thread) is made from Grey Squirrell hair. Series 20(Green thread) is made from Brown Squirrell hair. In my experience,Series 10 is more forgiving,and has a better feel to it. The small difference in price is more than worth it. [/ QUOTE ] God knows I need anything more forgiving as I take on this challenge! THANKS!!
storing your brush in lin seed oil will make your brush harder than your pecker on prom night, just to let you know what will happen, I use non detergent motor oil (no synthetic) to keep my brushes workable.....the reason you do this is so that any paint left in the brush (hidden) won't dry and destroy the brush. I use mineral spirits for thinning and clean up. Get yourself a piece of gl*** to practice on two good reasons why 1. you can put the gl*** on top of a design you like and try out some lines 2. you can s**** it off and reuse it once the paint dries. Get yourself a cheap set of brandy gl***es at walmart for about 6 bux and practice on these as well....if you can strip on a curved gl*** surface you can paint anything...plus they make interesting gifts to friend and family. Every line you pull will be better than the last so pull'm every day. Good luck and remember to have fun with it. Jester
[ QUOTE ] Ideally you want Neatsfoot Oil but you have better luck finding a 40 dollar ***** that looks like Sharon Stone than finding Neatsfoot oil which can only be found in some leather shops. (where they make saddles and ****.) I also use ATF but i heard that now-a-days ****** fluid has additives that might harm the brush..... but my brush has held up long enough that replacing it every year is no problem to me. I got a question, you said you found an art store that as the one shot enamel, but do they have the High temperature Reducer? that's my local problem (the store has one shot, but they can't even order me the reducer so i still have to order the **** anyways) I suggest the mack series 10 (not 20 series) size 00. [/ QUOTE ] I found Neatsfoot oil in the horse tack & supplies area at Petsmart. Try your local feed & tack store if you have any around. Auto body supply stores tend to work better for getting 1-shot and the thinners than art supply stores, at least out here. Or sign supply shops. I also throw in my recommendation for the Mack series 10 brushes... they have a much nicer feel to them.
Jeremy, You are going to find a world of difference once you get the real stuff to work with. Compared to other paints I Shot flows like melted ****er. Good luck, It just takes a lot of practice. Can't add much else to what has been said. George
Steel............ thanx for the tip on where to find neatsfoot oil. i'll try the petsmart thing. And Caffeine, that's cool that you can thin with mineral spirit... i've been using naptha. (no smoking!) I have used alot of your advice since i started just a few months ago and i'm glad you share all your knowledge. that's really cool of you!! I especially like to do your trick of using a machine screw on the lid of the one shot cans and it's kept my paint fresh... and no mess.
Thanks for all the advice guys....everything helps. I went to the local paint store that I was told carried One Shot...but they quit selling it 3 months ago...***holes. I called every store in town and nobody has even heard of 1 Shot , and only a few places have Mack brushes. Bummer. I guess I'll order some supplies off the internet...any suggestions on who to order through? As, Flexicoker mentioned having problems with creativity...I've somehow got a knack for just letting the brush go all over the place and have come up with some pretty decent looking stuff. I've been mostly doing small pieces about 4"x4" or so. But, last night I went for a long thin design, the first one I've attempted, it's about 3" wide and about 12" long...and it's by far the best one I've done. I can't wait to get the good stuff and slather everything I can in stripes.
Advice? Don't eat at Wendy's...... When p***ing through Houston, (or even if you want to mail order) try Texas Art Supply.....good selection of 1 Shot,brushes,etc.....
I checked out Eastwood, I guess I'll end up ordering from them. 2 Mack brushes, 1 qt. of Reducer and four 1/2 pt. cans of various Paint colors comes out to $71 and change. Oh well. Oh yeah, here's a few pics of my ****py striping... (keep in mind that I've only been doing it for about 2-3 days, freehand, no guides, books, videos, and this is "Testors" Gloss Enamel Model Car Paint, and some ****py art brush that my mom had laying around, hahaha) If it ****s, please tell me so I don't waste 70+ bucks on something I shouldn't pursue... 1st attempt... & mixed colors 2nd attempt 3rd...long & skinny
Advice? You haveta learn to walk before you run.Keep it simple. Everybody wants to dive in and do all these cool things they've seen, but it's better if you just practice basicc designs...it'll help you see what you're doing right and/or wrong. Make sense? My $.02
[ QUOTE ] Thanks for all the advice guys....everything helps. I went to the local paint store that I was told carried One Shot...but they quit selling it 3 months ago...***holes. I called every store in town and nobody has even heard of 1 Shot , and only a few places have Mack brushes. Bummer. I guess I'll order some supplies off the internet...any suggestions on who to order through? As, Flexicoker mentioned having problems with creativity...I've somehow got a knack for just letting the brush go all over the place and have come up with some pretty decent looking stuff. I've been mostly doing small pieces about 4"x4" or so. But, last night I went for a long thin design, the first one I've attempted, it's about 3" wide and about 12" long...and it's by far the best one I've done. I can't wait to get the good stuff and slather everything I can in stripes. [/ QUOTE ] you have a few stores in texas that stock mack pinstriping brushes? that's freaking awesome.. you should be over-joyed. i thought only california would have that. are any of the shops a chain so i can try in florida?
You know what J.J.? I LIKE your designs...they have something to them that stands out....they sure as hell are better than some of the "Look what I can do with my Spirograph,Mommy!" hair-clog-down-the-drain pinstriping that some try to p*** off....the different use of materials has given you some cool effects....almost like a screening crawl/bleed effect....DO dive in, there are no rulebooks...only proper care of equipment......I think you have your own take on things...don't knock yourself......I hope you keep at it.
If you're interested in doing any longer lines, check out a Handover brush. www.lazerlines.com under other brushes. The thing really works well for the long stuff and has a cool feel in the hand. I don't know much. I'm just starting out too. But that brush...uber-good striper friend reccomended it and the thing rules.
also check out pinheadlounge ( http://www.pinheadlounge.com ) to view some other people's art and see what makes a design work and what doesn't. this topic has been flogged on the pistriperspage yahoo group and reading some back articles on there will really help. Hope you enjoy it. it's a steep learning curve, but practice really helps. and yeah I support the series 10 bandwagon. they're much nicer brushes in all respects ( I learned on 20's ). http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/pinstriperspage/ have fun! -Richard
a hint.... the brushes that automotive paint stores sell are touch up brushes. they are not good for striping, but they are cheap. also if you are worried about cost, buy black paint to practice with. practice is the key, as was stated in an earlier post learn to walk, before you try to run.
If anyone really wants to find neatsfoot oil locally, try a shoe store...one that sells shoes like Redwing, etc. I've also found it at large supermarkets where they sell shoe polish. Good luck!
The Jalopy Journal
