Pin Striping Brushes

Pin Striping Brushes -

When you get a new brush.. Most of the time, they will need a little trim. Many a brush has been ruined by doing this. So go easy, that’s the key. When you first get your new brush. I’m talking Macks here, the Xcalibers do not need to be trimmed.
It will probably look as if it’s had a bad hair day. First thing is to pallet it up in some brush preservative Doing this will get the brush into the same shape as it would be if you loading it up with paint.. Don’t use paint for this as it’s just going to make a mess and you’ll end up with paint all over your fingers. Now gently pull the brush between your thumb and index finger. Lay it down on a book or magazine with the flat side of the ferrule down. Ensure the hairs are all straight and inline. If you have, any stragglers here trim those off. However, don’t trim the tip Not yet. Look at the very end of the tip, and you’re likely to see a few ragged hairs. These are the hairs you want to get rid of. But NO MORE THAN A ,32nd of an inch. Or you will ruin it. Sometimes you only need to trim just two or three hairs. Grab a new xacto blade or a single edge razor blade and rock the blade directly across those few stragglers on the very tip at a ninety-degree angle. Now wash out the brush and pallet it up with paint, and try a few lines. You may need to trim a little more off or it might be ready to go. At one time, even today some stripers will cut some hair out of the belly. They did this if they wanted to use a striping brush to do scroll work but now there are dedicated scroll brushes available, you don’t really need to do this. Once you get that brush dialed in, it will pull lines like you won’t believe.

At one time, pin striping was thought to be by many a black art. As a young boy, I was told that the paint and brushes were specially made. Nobody was willing to divulge anything on this art form. Labels were torn off the cans of paint, names of the brush companies scraped off the handles of the brushes. Yet, line art has been around for thousands of years, and archeologists have found such on cave walls from that time period. Henry Ford had employees in that’s all they did. When you bought a car it usually had some form of striping on it. The last car off the assembly line that came with any pin striping on it was a 1939 Plymouth. From there, it went to the vinyl striping tape, which is still with use today. However, for a custom vehicle, or a show vehicle that vinyl just won’t do it for you. Well now striping is back. There are literally hundreds of people trying to master this art form. I have news for you; it’s not a black art after all. There are books, videos, and even seminars you can attend that will teach you. Or at the very least they will get you on your way. It’s not rocket science, but it will take practice, and lots of it. There are so many different brushes available that it can and does get very confusing for the beginner. What do I buy red or brown squirrel, Kazan, synthetic. Well put all that out of your mind. As far as I’m concerned for the very beginner, you cannot go wrong with starting out with a Kafka brush. In a size # three. These are unlike the traditional striping brush in that it has a round ferrule. So right from the get go you don’t need to learn how to roll the brush in making a turn.
Another nice thing about the Kafka. Is they don’t need any trimming. Use them just as they come out of the package.. I started with a Mack, and it can be frustrating. Especially in getting that thing to turn a corner. Palleting your brush is another area the can get to a beginner. The best way to explain this, to pallet the brush in the paint, to the consistency of maple syrup. I hear of all sorts of solvents people use to thin their paint. It may work, for laying down your lines, but you don’t know what the long-term effect it will have down the road. Such as fading and, delamination. Stay with the recommend type for the paint your using. For a time many stripers were using mineral spirits, to thin one shot, which happens to be the mainstay of the striping and lettering world. However, since they have taken the lead out of the paint. Some are having issues with the paint, such as delamination, fading or not having the opacity that it once had. Nevertheless, in some cases this is due to not the paint but to not using the correct thinner. Therefore, my advice is to stay with what the manufactures recommends for their brand of paint. There are also additives you can add to your paint. That will enhance the flow and gloss. One is smoothie, the other is called smooth stroke. The latter is compatible with the enamels and uro type striping paints,
Moreover, is compatible with clear coats. Smoothie, well that’s been around for years. However, it does have some issues associated with it. Especially, if you want to clear coat. Can you say fisheye? Using it is fine if no clear coat is planned. It will allow you to use different striping colors, on top of one another in a short period of time.. Which is definitely a plus in multi colored designs? Therefore, it does have practical use. Just keep your brush that’s had smoothie in it for just that use.



Cleaning your brush is straight forward, but again everyone seems to have his or her own way, and it’s usually the best way. I just give it a rinse in three baths in mineral spirits. Just ensure you get the paint out of the ferrule area. The next step is important, and that’s to oil your brush with brush preservative. This will condition the hairs, and will prevent any paint drying left in the brush during the cleaning. Some will use motor oil and who knows what. The motor oil trick may have been fine thirty years ago. However, who knows what additives are in the modern day oil. and what effect it will have on the hairs of the brush. So there is now way
I’m putting a twenty-dollar brush in anything other than brush preservative. Why take a chance on ruining it or contaminating your next project.