How to hold a Pinstriping Brush ------ for fun and profit

http://www.flyingeyeballs.net/uploads/How_To_Hold_A_Brush.pdf

 

as always Ian,infomative.....you are a ruler

 

......damn Ian........you need to get together with Ray and the two of you put out THE "How-To-Pinstripe" book! There is a market for it..........Thanks........

 

Awesome! Can't wait for the curves lesson!

Stacey

 

SShhhh ! It's a secret.

To make a Striping Brush turn is the one thing that beginners will struggle with.

I start by holding the brush just a fraction higher on the handle,
so my fingers do not contact the flat above the ferrule.
That way it is easier to roll the brush between my fingers.

I've drawn a circle around an 8 oz 1-Shot can,and will follow that line.
Also switched to a Mack Series 20,that I have trimmed so it will turn tighter.
Notice the dramatic difference in the angle of the handle,
and the amount of brush in contact with the panel.


Notice how I've twisted the handle about 90 degrees,
while I've only done about 45 degrees of the circle.
Also notice the handle is leaning to the outside of the circle.




We are now approaching 180 degrees,and my fingers would be close to getting in the paint.


If I was doing this without tryong to take pictures with one hand,I would use the "overhand" method.
I'd make a fist with my left hand,and place that under my right wrist.Now my fingers don't have to touch the panel,and I can do a complete circle of this size.

 

This is very informative stuff, Unk. Thanks.

 

All about the basics isn't it?

Nice tech article.

I think too you've done more for the beginning stripers as well as us useta wuz guys than you realize.
Seems this is one aspect of striping that doesn't get covered in some DIYs.

 

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I think too you've done more for the beginning stripers as well as us useta wuz guys than you realize.


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Thanks Unk, from one of the beginners! That is exactly what I needed to see.

Bill

 

Thanks for the tips Unk! I have been struggling with hand placement and grip for a while, going out to try it out in a few minutes....
Here is a picture of some of my beginning work...(not as good as some, but atleast it is a start..)

 

Awesome tips, one question for you...

If I were to go buy ONE brush and ONE little thing of paint to see it I could actually do with with some practice, what should I get?

 

Great tech article Ian!Ain't it fun striping with one hand and trying to take a picture with the other?

 

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If I were to go buy ONE brush,,,

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My first choice,get a Mack Series 10.
They come in different sizes,I would recomend a 000,which is the smallest.

Available from < www.mackbrush.com > or< www.pinstriper.com >


$10.50 plus shipping from pinstriper.com,I'm sure Mack is around the same.

Paint ? 1-Shot Lettering Enamel.Second choice,Chromatic Lettering Enamel
Not Testors or Rustoleum.
If your very lucky,your local art supply place carries 1-Shot in 4 oz cans.
Otherwise you'll have to spring for an 8 oz can.
Price varies acording to color,Reds and Golds are more money.
Don't buy White,or Silver,to start with.
White dries faster thaa the other colors,Silver is watery ****.
Process Blue is good,or whatever you can get.

You will also need some Mineral Spirits from Home Depot,$5.
And steal a roll of paper towels from your wife.

 

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Ain't it fun striping with one hand and trying to take a picture with the other?

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I've got a cool little German made C-clamp that my camera fits on,
I just clamp it onto something stationary and away I go.

Now I need to figure out the fancy timer on the camera.

 

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And steal a roll of paper towels from your wife.


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or Mom

Thanks man, I will definatly do that

 

..........bttt 'cause it's important!

 

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..........bttt 'cause it's important!

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I'm going to owe you more cookies now.

 

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..........bttt 'cause it's important!

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I'm going to owe you more cookies now.

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.........nope.............a lot of us owe YOU Unk!

 

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......damn Ian........you need to get together with Ray and the two of you put out THE "How-To-Pinstripe" book! There is a market for it

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I'll second that, also buy the book.

The best ***le I could find is Pinstriping Masters, but it really didn't tell me how to stripe, just showcases the work of a bunch of different stripers, signwriters, airbrush &amp; custom painters.

And Unk, if you are wrong, It would explain why my work isn't that good. but then that doesn't explain why everybody else who holds the brush the way you descibe, is so much better than me.

And what's this profit deal? hell, I'm just doing it for fun.

 

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To make a Striping Brush turn is the one thing that beginners will struggle with.

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Yup.

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I start by holding the brush just a fraction higher on the handle,so my fingers do not contact the flat above the ferrule. That way it is easier to roll the brush between my fingers.

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Yup, doin that too, but still I'm struggling.

If I may be so bold, I think the one thing you've missed so far is..... Practice, seems the more I do that, the more better my work looks.

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We are now approaching 180 degrees,and my fingers would be close to getting in the paint.

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Yeah, so why should you be different to the rest of us?


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I'd make a fist with my left hand,and place that under my right wrist.Now my fingers don't have to touch the panel,and I can do a complete circle of this size.

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I discovered early that there's got to be some kind of 'black art' even in this method, since even tho I know using my left hand as a steady or support, sometimes it still forgets what it's doing and lets my brush hand paint in the rong place.

Hey Ian, you too Safari and the other expert 'pinheads' here, please keep this thread going, there's so much to learn and so little time.

 

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Here is a picture of some of my beginning work...(not as good as some, but atleast it is a start..)

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Looks pretty damn good to me.

One thing I've learned is not to be too critical of your own work as the viewer will generally be looking at it from a complete different perspective to your own.

For example, I'm still being hard on myself because I can'tt produce perfect symetry. However, to make me feel better I just look closely at some of the pro's work in the Pinstriping Masters book to help me understand that this is done by hand art and even the best of the best, don't pull the perfect line or produce perfect symetry.

The only thing I can be sure of is if you keep practising and you'll amaze your self and others with how good you really are.

 

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If I were to go buy ONE brush and ONE little thing of paint to see it I could actually do with with some practice, what should I get?

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I'd go with Unkle's advice but don't worry if you have to get a different brush because of what's available locally, after just a little practice you'll be hooked and chasing more brushes and more different paint colours.

Something else I've learned that maybe Unk or Safari can confirm. Each brush is different, even when they are the same make and model. I have a series 20 size 00 that I just love to use for long curves and straight lines yet my other same brush feels better for the tighter curves as Unk just demonstrated.

And for the really fine lines, I prefer the more expensive brush I picked up but can't remember it's name. Has a more expensive looking handle and small br*** ferule holding the hairs instead of the rope thingy like the series 10 and 20 brushes. The brush portion looks a lot different too, but it handles really nice and pulls a really straight line too.

 

stop giving away all of the trade secrets ........i wish this stuff was around when i first started,it would have knocked years off of my learning....hell,i'm still learning

 

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stop giving away all of the trade secrets ........i wish this stuff was around when i first started,it would have knocked years off of my learning....hell,i'm still learning

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.......hey! Ian's looking out for old farts like me that don't have that much time left............

 

Thanks for these brush tech threads Ian. This one definitely gets saved as a favorite.

I'm less than a beginner because I didn't know where to begin. Now you got me geeked. I think this wannabe is going to buy a couple brushes and some 1-Shot. There's so many flat spots around here that need striping.....

 

You'r probably not too far from the Mack Brush World Headquarters
You could save on shipping.
Safariknut is probably close enough to know where to get 1-Shot.
If your going to be in Detroit,I know **** Blick carried 1-Shot in the 4 oz cans,great for traveling.

There will be a Pinhead Panel Jam coming up in scenic Canton Mich the first part of January,
and we should be back at Autorama with the charity auction and panel jam.

 

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... but don't worry if you have to get a different brush because of what's available locally...

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If you got a Mack Series 20,you'll probably manage.
They like to be a little wetter,to work properly.

If you found a Grumbacher,or similar,they are great for straight lines,but don't want to turn.

 

Hey!

Great post!!!

Can Ryan or someone please put this is the tech-o-matic!!!

Danny

 

Unkl, Great post! This will definately help further the future of "da Art".

Today is the best of times to learn the craft and this board is leading the way. I can't believe in 1972 when I picked up my first Mack double naught zero, there was no one to ask for help, just desire and p***ion.

I'm very happy that's not the case today. Bravo!

Joel

 

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You'r probably not too far from the Mack Brush World Headquarters
You could save on shipping.
Safariknut is probably close enough to know where to get 1-Shot.


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Painters Supply and Equipment Co carries 1-Shot(or can get it from one of their other stores).They have stores all over Canada,Michigan,and Ohio.Go to www.painterssuply.com and click on their store locator.There is one in Benton Harbor if that is close to you.
Ray

 

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You'r probably not too far from the Mack Brush World Headquarters

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Yup, in fact yesterday I rode my scoot right past it. I didn't know it was there til today tho.

There's a real good art supply store in Kalamazoo that has 1-shot and Mack brushes. I'm going to pay them a visit this week.....like I need one more thing to be obsessed with