Technical My first pinstriping

This is my very first pinstripe try, I know it is not good but until I tried it I didn't know what to ask. Is non detergent motor oil OK to use for oiling the brushes? Let's here what will help or good pinstripe site. I have read a few different ones already, if you know of one let me know.

 

It keeps saying I do not have permission for this page when I try to load a pic.

Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

Got it thanks. Very first time with a brush. Using a mack 20 00 brush.

Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

Looks like your off to a good start.

 

Rock on man - looks good from here

 

I use Vaseline in my brushes and form a nice straight tip before storing.

 

Looks pretty good to Me............

 

Looks good. Practice every chance you get.

 

Thanks for the kind words on the striping, but I disagree with most of you, I don't think it is that good at all. I haven't heard anyone using vaseline, but it's the same as oil. Anyone got tricks on doing arcs?

 

I use a 'cloth " type Band-Aids on my pivot fingers to help smooth out the curves. Your art looks good.
Your lines need to more consistent, watch your intersections for excessive paint. Practice, practice, practice. My son carries his guitar everywhere and practices, even though he has been playing for 10 years. For over 21's : like my mentor Corky, I cannot pull a consistent line unless I have had a couple of beers.

 

I like the Band-Aid idea. Here is another stupid question, how do you get the paint out of the can, without having it down the side? I am using one shot paint. When I am practicing my brush seems to start to harden up, how do I stop this from happening?

 

Not a pinstriper, if your paint is drying thru your line, thin it more. For brush maintenance use baby oil before starting and after clean up,its a thin oil and will prevent the ferrule from absorbing paint, also helps shape the tip. Learned the brush trick working with a high end interior house painter.

 

I am a car builder & pinstriper, and heres the thing. mineral spirits are the best for final cleaning, paint thinner gets down deep, you can use the brush over faster ,using another color. when i first started i striped every day for at least 6 months, after a while you get the feel for the brush, the correct smooth feel of the paint on the surface, dip the brush half way and then pallete the paint again, use mags like Speedway catalog, they work awesome and u can use it over and over, just turn a few pages. i pallete the brush after each stroke to reload it. the green Mack 000 is a great learner brush.

 

I still struggle to do straight lines, i put a ton of pressure on myself, but i can stripe in a crowd now, i attend the Autorama in Sac each year for the fund raiser, got over the fright...lol. we all started just like you, no worries. you can see some of my stuff on my site here.. keep yur brushes in a flat tin, get off ebay or striping store, dont use motor oil, leather working neatsfoot oil, thats the stuff. always tamp dry the brush of mineral spirits before submerging in the oil. there ya go... work on symmatry, lefts and rights that match, i find its the most difficult...peace.... Race

 

the best temp to stripe is about 72, low humidity, hot or too humid and the paint needs to be thinned often by dipping in a little mineral spirits, then adding a little bit more paint to yur pallete ,only enough to get the paint smooth again. and the outdoor light is best, stay out of the sun, a hot paint surface is all bad news.... i think thats about all in a nutshell... HA!!!

 

Stand the brush up, and twist the handle.
http://www.flyingeyeballs.net/uploads/How_To_Hold_A_Brush.pdf

 

I use Neetsfoot Oil to store my brushes.

Any oil that doesn't dry, can be used.

 

Thanks Racedad, and Unkl Ian, good tips, at least I have been holding the brush right. How do you poor the paint out of the can without it running down the side?

 

I use automatic transmission fluid to store my brushes...New Brushes, I wash them out with lacquer thinner the first to clean it up.....and only use mineral spirits from that time on.....take an ice pick and poke 3 or 4 holes around the top of the can where the lid sits down in it....when you pour out of the can, you wipe off the outside and all the rest will drain back inside the can.........I'll post some pictures of my sign box in the next post.......got to go take some pictures of it

 

I use the mixing stick to get the paint out of the can without getting any in the can lid grooves.

I'll dip it in and hold the unwaxed Dixie cup right next to it and wipe the stick across the edge of the cup.

A couple/three dips is all it takes to get enough out for practice and not sit, skinning over and thickening up.

 

Mineral oil works well for me. I knew some old timers that used non detergent engine oil, but, I would be afraid the modern stuff may have something in it we don't know about. I also use a propane torch to dissipate the air in the can before putting the paint up, seems to keep the skinning down.

 

Here's my newest Sign Box....had it around 30 years.....the can I use to put my mineral spirits in is about 3/16 thick with residue from years of use...I've probably had it the longest of anything.......don't remember if it was a beer can or a drink can..............

 

Study this website: http://www.rockyburris.com/t/Pinstriping-Lessons-Lesson1-Learning-How-To-Learn

Print out the drill sheets and place them under glass (use 8"x 10"picture frames like stated and razor blade them clean when the paint dries) There's arcs and esses after you got basic straights down.

Work on paint consistency because it effects line consistency and length big time.

100 line drills! Practice, practice, practice!

DON'T accept mediocrity. There's enough hacks out there diluting the scene as it is.

 

I was thinking there was a series of Roth interviews with Von Dutch, but couldn't find any others now

 

I use a child's spoon to scoop the paint out of a can.A good idea is to take a small awl and carefully punch a couple of holes in the lowest part of the rim.This will allow any paint that gets in there to drain back into the can and the lid seals it off from the air when installed.If a lot of paint gets in there,take a stir stick and wrap a piece of paper towel over it and run it around the rim.It will push the paint into the aforementioned holes and the rest is absorbed by the towel.

 

I am glad to here that there is no magical way to get paint out of a can. I have painted cars for years, just never tried striping. Thanks for the website, now I have something to practice.

 

It looks like the pros are getting you started in the right direction , pay attention . Best advice that I got when starting out was to take you time and strive for perfection . the speed will come in time . Good luck .

 

Phil has it right on the money.When I was starting out I would try and analyze why my lines weren't consistent or the turns that I pulled were,"feathering" out. Whether I wasn't holding the brush at the correct angle or the paint was too thick or thin or whatever I would find the problem and then make the necessary corrections.I took me over twenty years to realize that my designs would be much easier to balance if I started on the right side first(I'm left-handed).Some things just take a little longer than others.

 

And I'm right handed and try to always start on the left side of a pattern........for some reason I like to start on the driver side of a car at the rear also...always pull toward your body.

 

Thanks everyone, great info. I have been meening to try this for at least 5 years. Just think, if I started when I wanted to I would be that much further ahead. The main thing I am hearing is practice, practice, practice. I find that I am my biggest critic by far so I will show progress when I get better.