striping

H

harryc

Senior Member
Striping tape , masking tape or the real thing ? This is no show and never will be -------Thoughts ?
 
How about a combination of the three. My brother in law painted the moulding along the top of the doors (on a Phaeton) the colour he was going to use for the pin stripe. Then, he put on pin striping tape and sprayed the relief colour, then removed the tape. He was left with a nice, uniform width pin stripe. On one of my cars (The nicest one) I have used the pin striping tape. On my first ever restoration, I hand painted them. All turned out well but I think I'd just use the tape in future.
 
If you want to try and do it free hand, you can put a wide piece of masking tape in the area that you want to put the pin stripe and practice on that. I thought that I would never be good enough. I bought the pin striping tape that has three sections. After putting the tape down, you can pull up the center section that leaves a clear area for the paint to go. Different widths are available. At the ends I pulled up on the brush (I used a pin striping brush) so that the ends looked like the pin strip was done free hand. After the paint is dry, you pull up the other two parts of the masking tape. The pin striping paint comes off easily with acetone, so if you make a mistake you can erase it.
 
nkaminar said:
If you want to try and do it free hand, you can put a wide piece of masking tape in the area that you want to put the pin stripe and practice on that. I thought that I would never be good enough. I bought the pin striping tape that has three sections. After putting the tape down, you can pull up the center section that leaves a clear area for the paint to go. Different widths are available. At the ends I pulled up on the brush (I used a pin striping brush) so that the ends looked like the pin strip was done free hand. After the paint is dry, you pull up the other two parts of the masking tape. The pin striping paint comes off easily with acetone, so if you make a mistake you can erase it.
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I've used that three-part tape many times with great success, but it works best for straight lines. Several places on the Model A the pinstriping curves (e.g., between the top and the section behind the rear windows, or on the inside of the gas tank on deluxe models) and that three-part tape doesn't do corners that sharp very well.
 
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old31 said:
NK where did you purchase the tape with the 3 sections?
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Any good auto paint supply place should have it. The pinstripes were nominally 1/8", but the Paint and Finish Guide notes that in practice they were more like 3/32". You could lay out your pinstriping using this thin masking tape that I found on Amazon, mask right up to the edge of that tape, then remove the original layer and paint. You may get a slight raised edge where the masking tape was, so you may need to do a slight rubout of the pinstripe.

I actually prefer the slight width imperfections that go with a true hand pinstripe job. We have a couple of local folks in the SF Bay Area that do pinstriping, we're lucky.
 
I lay the line down using the correct width fine line tape. I then lay masking tapes on both sides of the line. I pull the line tape and then insure the masking is down properly. I sometimes have to lightly scuff if the top coat is too far past application of the stripe. A person may have to replace the masking tape if it gets damaged. I spray the paint with a Paasche air brush but it needs a little more masking for that. A person can brush it and still use masking but in all cases, the masking has to be removed before the paint solidifies to let the stripe edges round back out.

Using the stripers brushes and paint is an art that I used to be able to do but my old hands aren't as steady as they once were. Striping goes fairly fast and a person doesn't have to mask so it's still the best way to make it look right. Find a local painter with a steady hand if you can't manage to do precision lines for yourself.
 
I used a self employed professional who works on high end dealership and autobody repair cars requiring striping. I gave him my painted gas tank to do the striping on the inside before assembling the painted body. After I completed assembling the body he came to my house and did all the required exterior areas. This sounds like it would be expensive but it wasn't and he did a super job all free-hand. I would never attempt to do striping on a newly painted body.
 
CT Jack said:
I used a self employed professional who works on high end dealership and autobody repair cars requiring striping. I gave him my painted gas tank to do the striping on the inside before assembling the painted body. After I completed assembling the body he came to my house and did all the required exterior areas. This sounds like it would be expensive but it wasn't and he did a super job all free-hand. I would never attempt to do striping on a newly painted body.
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The risks are not so great as you might imagine. If the car is painted with a 2 part pain and an acrylic lacquer used for the pinstripe, any errors or mishaps can be easily removed with a wipe of acrylic thinners which will not affect the 2 part paint. I counted on that fact when I did mine. I think the knowledge of that gave me the confidence to give it a go.
 
High school shop class on sign painting. The teacher would demonstrate and was almost silent. He laid down perfectly straight or arced lines of any width. We went through rolls of brown butcher paper for a week or two just doing single straight lines on the adjustable tables. Keeping them both straight and unvarying width was the challenge. Revelation to me was to hold fingers, hand, and wrist still and move from the shoulder. Always bring the brush towards you, never side to side. I felt pretty satisfied.
Then he said “lines on a horizontal surface are a good start. Now tip your table to vertical. You can’t lay a building or a car on its side!”
If I tried it today, 60 years later, I’d use the 3-part tape.
 
I had the same dilemma on my car. I wasn't in any kind of hurry and left it unpainted until I ended up going to several large car shows (GoodGuys in Columbus OH for one) and found a pinstriping guy who was more than reasonable, even came to my location and did an excellent job.
 
I asked the same question about 6 months ago here. I just dont like the tape..........


I will give it a shot myself in the spring or do what 28 Mik did- pay someone.
 
Order a copy of Herb Martinez's Guide to Pinstriping (amazon). It even has a good example of striping on a roadster.
 
Ronn, As I mentioned above, you can practice on your car by putting masking take down where you want to put the pin stripe. I had a collection of masking tape with pin stripes on them before I gave up.
 
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I would recommend the three part tape. Also use the proper paint (One Shot). It cleans off easily for a second try. Your only complaint with the tape is that the finished job looks too perfect! It is OK for something on my car to look perfect! Before you start cleaning with the car with rubbing alcohol. Apply the tape, remove the middle section, lightly sand with 600 paper, apply paint to the middle section of the striping tape with a striping brush (two coats), wait 10 minutes for the paint to setup some. Then slowly pull the tape off with a hand position that is close to the car (not perpendicular to the car). If there are any defects, use a clean rag with a sight amount of thinner wrapped around your forefinger and a long finger nail next to the stripe. Then step back and admire your handiwork! Good luck, Ed
 
I read that NK. Im looking forward to giving it a shot. Time ran out this fall.


Had to reroof the garage and just finishing that up now.
 
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