Vehicle pinstriping7/7/2023 Using special-grade sign paint and matching the thinners more carefully helped a bit, but many experts say that 10 percent of the jobs were still flawed, often because the magnetic tape used to lay out the stripe would shift position or wasn’t usable on areas with a lot of plastic filler or on Corvette fiberglass panels.įor the most part, manufacturers of roller striping equipment have started marketing it to do-it-yourselfers since vinyl pinstriping has gained in popularity. Also, flaking off of the stripe edges after the mask-over was pulled often showed disappointing results. The big trouble with this striping system, say some, was that just as painters had mastered the use of the tool, problems with thinner migration and weep-out (separation of the solvents from the paint) would occur. Most specialists used masking tape or guide rods, which come in the kits, to keep lines straight. The best stripers using this technique could almost eyeball the placement of body stripes, but it still took a lot of finesse to get the stripe to lay down over the flared edges on a contoured panel. With this tool, laying out the pattern was sometimes the hardest part of the operation. Not so long ago, a technique using a roller device containing properly thinned, special sign-type paint was used to paint stripes. This means they exhibit no show-through tendencies, so you shouldn’t have to go back over a stripe with a second paint application. One final note on this striping system: The kit suppliers have more than 20 different colors available that are all ultra-opaque. Peel off the stencil using the same techniques you’ve learned to remove traditional masking tapes. Bleed-through around edges is a very rare occurrence.ģ. Apply the stencil tape, following body contour lines or lines created by custom metal work to blend with graphics already in use.Ģ. Three steps make up the remainder of the stencil-taping routine:ġ. If the surface suffers from oxidation, light sanding can remove the troublesome film. The exception to this opinion includes those instances when the condition of the topcoat warrants a light touch with 600-grit or higher sandpaper. What about sanding the area? The majority of users will say not to sand. One striper I know also uses a new eraser to go over the area to be painted before he cleans it. How do you actually use a stencil-striping system?įirst, clean the area with a grease, silicone wax and dirt remover to ensure adhesion of the striping tape. Camel-hair brushes are the best way to apply such paint and, to keep those brushes soft and workable, brush oils are included in the various kits. On the right metallic finish, the right mix of paint will create a high-resolution contrast that seems almost 3-D. The paint included in these kits is a gloss enamel and is selected for its intermixing compatibility with popular finishes, as well as its color-matching capability. No distortion occurs while bending, which makes it easy to get around corners and traverse high contours where body lines flow at conflicting angles. Aside from getting the most popular thickness and match-line spacing, you’ll enjoy the elasticity of the stencil tape. And in just a few steps, you can perform easy fixes on striping that needs replaced after a panel is re-painted.Īlso included in most stencil-tape starter kits are half a dozen different rolls of striping stencil tape. Having replaced pinstriping using a starter kit like the one described, I can verify that it’s easy to get a quality job right away. Simply purchase a starter kit - complete with stencil tape, slim-line graphic tape and about half a dozen special paint colors. This alternative to air-brush and free-hand design is an easy way to get started. (If your shop has such a commercial-art type, count your blessings.) Junior college and vocational art programs tied to many community colleges can sometimes take an automotive paint technician and teach him the fine points of air-brush technique, but gaining the expertise necessary to free-hand work takes a lot of practice, time and dedication.įor those of you with “less than Picasso” art skills, one way to break into real-world application is by using vinyl-stencil paint-on stripes. Today, air-brush guys with the talent that custom painters had years ago are tough to come by. And why not? It’s a simple and inexpensive way for vehicle owners to accessorize and set their glamour finish apart from the next guy’s.īut just how does pinstriping accent your shop’s bottom line? Becoming proficient with any or all of the pinstriping techniques out there can spell profits almost immediately with very little investment. And even with today’s high-tech colors and wacky finishes, pinstriping remains a constant element. New, exotic, deep-sheen pearls as well as other “glamour” finish systems are dazzling today’s consumers.
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