I’m new to this forum but I ama pinstriper I’ve been at it for a while now but I am looking for any of the old timers pinstriping tips and tricks. I typically stripe with one shot and custom shop enamel. Here is a piece I just did up. Post some of your work I love to see other stripes!
Very nice work with classical lines and colors. One tip you might not know is that to stop your One Shot Paint from getting skin on it from ever time you open the can you can add a few drops of a product called Paint Sav which comes in pint cans. Once you had a few drops to each can of paint you have it will never skin over and it will save you time and paint. Another tip for anyone who loves striping is to check out Auto Art Magazine which is all about pinstriping and has been feature stories that are great. Here is the link https://www.autoartmagazine.com/ Jimbo
One trick I use is to put a cloth type bandaid on my pinky to slide along the surface. Cutting the brush to the right shape is an art in itself..... To do wheels I use a rotating spice rack...... "two beers and the lines come out straight"
One other thing I was wondering is what do you guys typically charge for striping at shows? I always find it hard to price pieces when striping at shows.
Pricing is tough, depends on your level of skill, your local market, and size of the job. Gotta look around and see what other guys in your area are getting, and honestly evaluate your skill level compared to theirs.
"Waddya want"? "How much do you wanna pay"? Take it from there. Negotiate up or down. It all becomes experience and practice anyway.
There's been much talk about 'minimum wage' here in Cali, (mostly San Francisco, in the 'Fast Foods' trade) raising it to $15.00 per hour. I'd contact the Pinstripers' Union, (can't remember the local number...) Seriously, @czuch has the most logical number... I remember Tommy the Greek and his prices. Wish I'd had him do more for me...
I've done a bit of striping, just divider lines on my own stuff, and always found it best to do first thing in the morning before twisting wrenches, mowing the lawn, wife's harping etc..
Pinstripers garage on Facebook has a lot of good info if you can get past some of the drama that seems to creep into any good site after awhile. There are a lot of talented and experienced artist that you can learn from.
I left PG on facebook because of the constant drama, and don't even think of mentioning pricing on there!
I did pin striping at MC shows for 30 years and had a good time traveling the country and meeting some fun people . As for your pricing question , take the cost of your vendor space , hotel room , food , and travel expenses and find a total cost , then divide the number of show days to find your cost per day . That should give you a baseline for what you need to do per day to break even . Breaking even is not the goal , making a profit is so this is where you have to figure out how much actual work you can do per day and adjust your rate accordingly . The reason that I chose MC events over car shows is simple , Bikes are much smaller than cars and generally take less time to do . If you're just starting pin striping chances are that you're probably not that that fast and still make a lot of rookie mistakes so you need to pick your shows carefully . Good luck with your new endeavor . Here's a few pics of some of my work , both cars and bikes .
So I was just wondering what you guys thought this would be able to sell for at a show. I know prices have been asked over and over but I’m trying to get a good baseline for pricing to start from. Once again thanks all
I’ve only been at it a year and I have made the switch to keeping my paint in plastic bottles with a flip cap. I store them upside down in a box I made. They never skim and way easier to squirt out just what you need.
I gave it up after a year of trying. I bought all the quality paint and brushes and watched or read probably 100 plus hours of information. I practiced about 100 or so hours and set it all aside after not being able to pull a consistent line or make a design symmetrical right and left. I'm also hard on myself and striping makes this worse because the flaws are so glaring. Some of the work shown above is about what I was able to get done and I wouldn't post it to "show off". Please understand that this is MY PROBLEM and there is Nothing wrong with putting up your work no matter how well or poorly it is perceived to be. Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk