History of Car Pinstriping

Custom pinstripes started appearing on automobiles in the mid-1950s. Although pinstriping had been on cars long before that, the last American automobile to appear with auto pinstriping had been made by General Motors in the late 30's. For those individuals with muscle or sports cars, customizing their ride is an important part of owning and showcasing the vehicle, and pinstriping is a final touch.

Did you know pinstriping has a long history? Even before the invention of automobiles, pinstriping was used as a decorative decoration for horse and buggy carriages.

Mechanical pin striping is the best way to stripe larger vehicles- trucks, vans, or station wagons. The benefit is it lays down stripes of constant width, letting you focus attention on getting the stripe oriented properly along your working surface. You can set up your stripe lines using magnetic pinstriping strips with middle grooves designed to be paint templates. They hold fast to steel surfaces, and can also work as guidea for your hand.

Pinstripes are often painted in colors: that sets off the body color, and another, narrow line, in a color contrasted with the stripe to make it stand out.

Freehand pinstriping is the most difficult process, requiring the most practice to master, but permits unrestricted creativity. The simplest plan for a freehand striping beginner is to lay a strip of masking tape down about a quarter inch from where you require the completed line to be, and then use this tape as visual guiding for your stripes. Whatever you do, don't use regular masking tape, or your pinstriping paint will bleed under the edge. Get some auto body masking tape from an auto supply store.

Striping with stencil tape is also popular. There's several types of stencil tape that are suitable for auto pinstriping applications. Stencil tape striping makes use of brushes, and a specialized pinstriping brush is an essential ingredient in a successful project. Stencil tape lets you apply different color stripes without needing the other stripes to dry.

No matter what process you use, pinstriping is of the finest ways to make your vehicle unique. like anything else worth doing right, practice makes priceless results but having the best equipment you can get your hands on helps .