is it too late to become a pinstriper?

Go for it. Post up in the weekly Art Thread. Post up on www.PinheadLounge.com . You will receive criticism and also tips/tricks/praise. It is a fun art form. I play around with it, but have no where to really practice currently. Once we get our new house, I will be in the garage wrenchin and striping!

 

There was an old gent that looked 80+, he used to go to Fremont Drags, saw him at car shows...he was still around in the 1970s. He was a car striper, but shook so bad he looked like he was freezing.
We saw him pick up a brush at an outdoor show, I was afraid to look...He laid down some beautiful lines on a chopped Carsoned '46 Merc, the car was maroon.
I watched with awe...It was like the shaking was part of the 'act'...
Man was gifted, never got his name...

 

just do it! my grandfather went skiing for the first time at age 71... but then again the village in Italy he was from had to shoot some people to start a cemetery.

 

50? Too Old? No!!!! Go for it! I procrastinated and made excuses for years, I finally gave it a try about 4 years ago at age 41 and have been hooked since! Hook up with some other stripers in your area, hang out, have fun and practice, practice, practice! Now, get after it, man!

 

I started in earnest last year at 47. I'm no pro, nor am I what I would call "porficient", but I have a great time practicing and learning from those better than I am.

Do it, have fun, and DON'T get frustrated. It takes a WHILE to get the hang of it!

 

might as well, my grandpa was 50 ...40 years ago.

 

A minor shake isn't a problem, if you hold the brush correctly,
because you are resting your hand on the surface when painting.

 

Remember this

 

You'll never be any younger than you are right now.

By the way nobody's hand is steady enough to pinstripe. That is why striping brushes have such long bristles, to absorb shakes and vibration. Go ahead and try to pinstripe with an ordinary paint brush. It's impossible. The steadiest guy in the world could not pull a straight line with a brush 1/4" long.

 

I've been striping for 4 years now and never heard that in my life. Just out of interest who told you that? I may be horribly wrong and stand to be corrected but...................................

 

A short brush, doesn't hold enough paint to do a long line.

 

you're never to old to have fun and that's what it should be first and maybe a dime or 2 later, just had some of my stripes show up in Hot Rod today , 32 5wd page 22 that is some of the fun of seeing your work in ink....been doing it longer than you have been around if you are only 50....good luck..

 

Youth isn't all it's cracked up to be...kids always seem to do things for all the wrong reasons. By the time you're 50 you do things because they make sense for you and not because your buddies or the girl next door are going to think that you are cool. All the great pinstipers are over 50 so give it a shot!

 

Go ahead and try to lay a nice stripe with a short brush, it is just easier to get a good line with a long bristle brush.

By the same logic when taping a car with masking tape, or masking a line, it is easy to get a straight smooth line if you hold the tape in one hand and press the tape down with the other, with 2 feet or more of tape in between. Try to do a straight line with only a couple of inches of tape and it is a lot harder.

What I am driving at is this. It is not absolutely necessary to be a 19 year old, professional athlete or magician to do pin striping. If your hand is not dead steady you can steady it against the car, or with your other hand, and still make nice lines.

The hard part is learning the skill and having the confidence to do it.

DC West said it best you are never to old to have fun so why not give it a whirl. What have you got to lose.

 

There used to be a pinstriper around here who did beautiful work,....I saw some of it again not a month ago,.....he had the shakes like you wouldn't believe.

 

I'll second that.My aunt(who just passed away in January at the age of 97)was taking flying lessons when she was 80 years old.She DEFINITELY knew how to have fun.

I know of several people who have taken up the brush after the age of 50(one of them was 72) and have more fun than is actually legal.

Some people come naturally to it and others have to struggle a bit but it ain't rocket science;just learning what to do and what not to do.Finding someone in your area to mentor you a bit is probably the way to go or if not then watching other stripers at work at a show is good. Haven't watched any of the instructional videos so I can't make a judgement on them. I always recommended John Hannukaine's book on striping as the best I had read.Haven't had a chance to read Alan Johnson's but I understand it is excellent as well.

I started fooling around with striping when I was 11 and did my first car at 13. Always considered it a profitable hobby rather than a business(I just didn't like working a 9 to 5 job) although for most of my life it was my second full time job. At nearly 68 I still stripe every day and even get paid for it most of the time when we're not doing charity jams. Even now I still am learning and it is still fun.

So go for it!

 

I'm blown away by all the positive feedback. It is amazing how inspiring your thoughts and experiences are. I'm not sure what will really come of my efforts,
but this thread is going to hang on my shop wall as a reminder of all the wonderful people out there and I will read it often.

Thank You!!

 

Better start today, cause tomorrow you'll be a day older.

 

How about the Kafka kit - looks helpful....

 

I noticed that you're from Massachusetts;I grew up there in the 50's. There are a lot of great stripers from Mass.Are you in the Boston area or western MA? There used to be an annual panel jam called Mass Mayhem that was hosted at different shops.Not sure if they still hold it but those are a great help in getting started.Check on the Pinhead Lounge and there is contact info for most of the stripers on there. A couple that come to mind are Jessie Accaccia ;Bruce Cambriello, and Don Fearon. I think Jessie is in Wilmington;Bruce is in either Revere or New Hampshire,and Don is in Dracut. Any one of them should be able to tell you whether it is still happening.
If you decide to contact them tell them I said hello (Ray Smith).
I will be in the Boston area this week but am a bit pressed for time.

 

In a book called Outliers, The Story of Success, author Malcolm Gladwell states, based upon his research, that to master something (whether it's sports, a musical instrument, etc) takes 10,000 hours, or 20 hours a week for ten years.

That's to become a master at something. One could be good with less hours of course. It all depends upon how much you're willing to work at it.

You can read a synopsis of the book here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outliers_(book)

I once traded a 40 Ford front suspension for a pinstriping lesson from a striper who had been doing it for over 50 years. With his supervision, I practiced for a couple of hours and said, "Thanks for the lesson." He said, "Oh, we're not done yet." And he made me practice for several more hours (I think it was six hours total that day).

You're fifty now, you have plenty of time to become quite good and I encourage you to go for it. Columbus took a chance; now it's your turn!

 

just do it!

 

What Rusty O'toole said is 100% correct. The brushes are long for two reasons. To create a straighter,or more controlled line and to hold the paint in a greater volume so you can pull a long line.

After full time courses and an adult apprenticeship, I took it up later in my working life. I have regular customers and I have made a good living striping and lettering in a small population. Check out my album. It aint the best work in the world, but it creates an good income!

Hell, I haven't finished yet, at 47, Im going to buy out this Neon sign business and I'm learning how to blow Neon signs as well now.

Me being an old timey sort of dude, I'm ignoring hi tech digital stuff and concentrating on paint and neon only. There is a market for old time sign skills.Work will come to you over time.

The technology in the sign industry has gone nuts since you were 19, but paint and brushes are still paint and brushes. If your enthusiasm for it is still there,GO, GO, GO for it!>>>>>>>>>

Colour choice is important aswell as good design skills. I hope you have those two skills. If not,take a course and learn them. Sometimes, it's not just the quality of the work, it's the layout and colours chosen that sometimes makes a piece stand out.

P.S. I know a of a guy over 90 years old that still supplements his old age government income by bashing out a few enamel signs every week or so in his garage in the retirement village that he resides in. It's a great 'quiet' craft that you can go on doing forever , just like him.

P.S.S. Thats how we spell colour in this country.

Again, go for it!

 

Charlie Decker is from CT....His stuff is mind-blowing!

Alan Johnson is in NJ.....not sure if he's north or south!

 

Do it. I picked it up again at 50 and it only requires practice. I started back striping everything of mine - welding helmet, welder, old bicycles, bird feeders, etc. At 53, I have more trouble with eye strain than I do with shakes though.

 

AJ is in north NJ.

And, yes, Charlie does some nice work.

 

I'm sitting here looking over this thread and thinking what a great group of individuals are out there. I am so glad I posted. Getting ready to place an order for a brush and can of paint, any suggestions. I already purchased Alan Johnsons book.

 

Do it man , one of the worst things is to look back and say " What If "?

 

000 Mack Series 10 (aka Blue thread)

Most people start with 1-Shot.
Easy enough to get, and priced reasonable.

Don't buy Silver, Metalic, Pearlescent, or Florescent,
colors to start with.

If you like Yellow, avoid Primrose Yellow, it doesn't cover very well.
Same with their Sublime Green.