Pinstriping...opinions needed please

I painted graphics on my car this past spring and since it was my first one, I didn't wanna bite off more than I could chew so I opted not to pinstripe it.

Now, the more I look at it, I want to try it. My question is this...would it be lame to pinstripe it, yet not clear over it?

My other thing is, I layed 3 thick coats of clear over it and wet sanded all of the tape edges smooth as a babies ass. If I pinstripe it, will it "detract" from the effort of all the sanding.

If I stripe it I plan to do the "jagged" swooshes so I don't have to worry so much about having a steady hand.

http://www.satanclauz.com/~ynot/fina..._rear_side.jpg

http://www.satanclauz.com/~ynot/fina...ke_closeup.jpg

I appreciate everyones opinion...thanks!

I had one of those, It never looked like hand pinstriping.......gave it away. I now pay to have it done by hand. Had my Rolls Royce striped(2 strips dn th sides) for $ 60 & he comes rite to my house.

Sometimes doing it rite can be cheaper. I found this stripper when the dealersuip had my Lincoln pinstriped.
Don

YNOT, as usual, it comes down to what your objectives are.

Traditionally, pinstripes are on top of the main color coat. The idea of burying them under clear so there's no "hard edge" is a fairly recent trend. Part of that "gotta top the last guy's deal" thing.

YNOT, Good job on paint she looks damn good. Go for it!!! The highlights would bring it to life BIG TIME IMO. If your not sure go and get some tape pinstripe and do that first to insure you like the look and or color. If you like it paint it.If not pull it off.
For the Hard edge. It wouldnt have the REAL pinstripe feel without it IMO.

How permanent is this One Shot? If I use a high pressure washer will it take it right off? What about waxing...if I wax over it will it come off?

Sorry for all of the questions, I'm a newbie at painting/striping.

One Shot has long been a pin striper's, and sign painter's, favorite. The preferred attribute is that it flows nicely, allowing the pinhead to "draw" a nice, smooth line. It is quite durable when dried. While fresh, it is easily wiped off with a mild solvent. Once dried through it can be removed with most urethane and acrylic enamel reducers without damaging the base finish (although there is probably someone out there who could work hard enough to do that too). Also, excessive buffing will wear it away.

Most cars you see with painted pinstripes are very likely done with One Shot.

I prefer to bury my pinstripe under the clear, for the simple fact that there is always that one asshole who HAS to pick at it with his/her fingernail!:mad:

I prefer not to use One Shot on any of my hand striped jobs, simply because it has a tendency to flake off in time, because of this it is not a good idea to clear over it either... I would recommend House of Kolor pinstripe paints over One Shot... With HoK paints you can leave them on top of the clear or clear over them as long as you do it within a few hours of laying the stripes down... HoK also uses a hardner which helps keep it on your car rather than flaking off like One Shot does... HoK and One Shot are both very fluid and made to use with a striping brush...

I buried the stripes on my roadster, it took about 9 coats of clear then sanding about 5 of them off to bury the hand painted stripes so that it was totally smooth, remember that hand brushed graphics will be much thicker that layers of paint that have been sprayed on!!!

Here is a link to a site where all the pinstriper guys hang out, I have learned a ton from reading and asking questions on their message board... You can also buy all the striping supplies you need from them... Don't forget to check out their FAQ section for a few tips as well...

http://www.pinstriper.com

Hope this gets you started in the right direction...

Dave Brisco

The pinstriper.com website is SO COOL!!!

I had no idea there were so many young people learning this stuff...kinda sad really...I thought I would be the youngest....

My pinstripper puts hardner in the pin stripe paint & it goes on so thin that you can not feel the transition from the stripe to the paint......Don

Is there any where I can look(on the web) to get ideas on pinstripes or paint design that's a few days down the road but I would like to get some ideas.

Thanks Streets

Hartside

i'd go with the stripin too...guaranteed to make even my 'rents k cart look kewl...ok so maybe i'm pushing it with that one...
One shot is the industry standard, but by no means the only good paint... check out ya local sign painters and ask them fer advice..maybe check out what the overall finish of the brand they use is like...
the key to not gettin frickin hudge ridges on it is the mix.... i mix usin my brushes...dip brush into paint n transfer paint into a paper cup, repat this but 3 times using solvent... if its a lil warm weather-wise maybe use a coupla drops of linseed oil also... main thing to remember is that the paint starts settign into the brushes fibres within minutes, if not seconds.... you gotta focus, look at where y'all er headed, mix the paint, take a deep breath, hold it n get that stripe layed.
mix tghe paint too thick n y'all will get drag marks in the finish....too thin and it will be semi transparent er patchy....
get y'self a book on striping...theres hella books out there...kewl to have and even kewler if y'all can learn a new skill from em...

with regard to those Beuler er Beugler roller things... those suck... i have seen decent results i must admit..but... you can always tell the difference...
Email and i'll send ya some pinstripin booklets i picked up from Roth hella time back... may give ya an insight...

Also..if ya want.. i have a guy in the Uk who supplies me with paint called 'Surfacer' that he uses to basecoat the Land Rovers at the Land Rover Plant...It is solvent based...has a phenomenal coverage...But it is pretty thin.. so y'all know if ya stripe too heavy as it would run/sag like a mutha....altho...the surfacer has a FLAT finish... so its perfect if you wanna lacquer the vehicle..
I can put ya in contact with him... its available in pretty much most colors... and he will supply ya with a litre er so..free.. jus pay the shippin thru paypal...if i can sort some pix out i'll show ya examples of both the one shot and the surfacer stuff....