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Old 01-09-2020, 07:32 PM   #1
rbertan
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Default Painting Accent Stripes

After having spent a lot of time using fine line masking tape to tape off the accent color lines (areas) on my 1931 Deluxe Roadster restoration, and then using newspaper to mask off the non painted areas, and then spraying the accent color, and then UNmasking the body.......I got to wondering "How was this painting done originally at the factory?"....they couldn't possibly have spent THAT amount of time on each car??? I doubt they could have used a brush? And in addition, then the pin striping had to be added!!...But I don't know....anyone know the answer to this "mystery"??? Thanks.
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Old 01-09-2020, 07:50 PM   #2
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Default Re: Painting Accent Stripes

No idea how they did it but like you lots of masking and unmasking. I’ve probably spent 30 hrs or more just masking and painting. Still have pin stripe to do!
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Old 01-09-2020, 09:48 PM   #3
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Default Re: Painting Accent Stripes

Pin striping was done in the factory by hand. It was done by using a special brush which held a lot of paint. It is still done that way today. The paint used is called One Shot. Used by sign painters. The Paint and /Finish Gude (available through parts vendors) describe the process. My son striped my cars and his own. Takes practice and a steady hand.
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Old 01-09-2020, 11:19 PM   #4
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Default Re: Painting Accent Stripes

Some paint the accent color first and then mask that off and paint the body color.


I do not know if the factory did it that way but how ever they did it, they were fast at it with all the bodies they had to paint each day.


I am also in the process of painting a 31 Roadster and I plan to paint the accent color first.


Chris W.
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Old 01-09-2020, 11:44 PM   #5
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Default Re: Painting Accent Stripes

There are photos in the De Angeles, Francis, Henry book (and others) of a tudor body on the line, lower body pained first, then masked off with tape and paper and the accent / upper body colors painted. As stated the pinstiping was hand painted with a sword brush and enamel.
There are stencil tapes available for painting stripe lines with a brush, and then remove the stencil immediately.
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Old 01-10-2020, 12:56 AM   #6
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Default Re: Painting Accent Stripes

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I have read that a different stripers performing that job,one on the left and the other on the right side and so the with of the stripe may very from side to side because a strips are almost like a signature no two stripes will be exactly the same
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Old 01-10-2020, 08:19 AM   #7
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Default Re: Painting Accent Stripes

I would've thought by modern standards that the accent colour would have been done first but post no. 5 contradicts that notion. In regards to the pinstriping, with the amount of cars being striped I would imagine those guys could have done it in their sleep. My guess is that it took just a couple of minutes to stripe one side of the car. I would believe the thought that there was one person on each side.
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Old 01-10-2020, 03:07 PM   #8
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Default Re: Painting Accent Stripes

I recently saw a pic of the car being striped on the assembly line (can't remember where, maybe the HAMB) by two women, one on each side.
Paul in CT
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Old 01-10-2020, 03:20 PM   #9
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Default Re: Painting Accent Stripes

The grandfather of a buddy of mine was a striper at the Sommerville, Mass. Ford Plant up through the '30s........all stripes at that plant were done by hand.
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Old 01-10-2020, 03:44 PM   #10
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Default Re: Painting Accent Stripes

As Duke36 quotes from the DeAngelis book, lower body colour first, then accent upper colour. These guys were professionals & would have been very quick.
Pin stripping was done after body paint was dried in oven, & before being put on the chassis . Era films of Model A's being assembled show the stripes on the body when it is dropped on the chassis. In other eras [ Model T or V8] it may have been done different.
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Old 01-10-2020, 04:25 PM   #11
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Default Re: Painting Accent Stripes

In the modern era, there is still at least one motorcycle manufacturer that paints on the pinstripes. Harley Davidson has special guide tools that fit each tin and fuel tank to act as a steady for the striper to rest a hand against while drawing the brush around the edge or area to be accented. They work very well to insure continuity of the design for multiple daily applications of paint. A lot of pinstripers use a steady rest of one form or the other at different times to insure a good job. They can be specially designed or as simple as a broom stick with a rubber ball on each end. Magnetic strips can be used but a person has to careful not to damage the base.

There is nothing wrong with using tape & painting over it but it can be risky if the tape isn't securely set down on it's edges. Thinned paint likes to bleed underneath and can ruin a job. I always make sure I have a brand new tape roll fresh out of the multi roll pack. I use a plastic bag to carry the individual roll around to prevent dirt from getting on the edges. If I accidentally drop it on the floor, I get another new roll from the pack and use the dropped one for taping something else. Tape is cheap compared to the work it takes to correct some things. I make sure and pull striping tape off before the paint starts to set up or it will have a square edge. If a person clear coats over it all after completion of the base then most ills can be corrected before the clear goes on.
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Old 01-10-2020, 05:00 PM   #12
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Default Re: Painting Accent Stripes

If you are interested in the way Ford did the striping in the factory, pick up a copy of How to Restore Your Model A Vol 1 (Green book). Murray Fahenstock wrote a complete article on how it was done. Explains in great detail.
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Old 01-11-2020, 04:48 PM   #13
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Default Re: Painting Accent Stripes

Mine is pin striped with One Shot-Process Blue, done by hand by a professional striper. The original ones were hand striped as well.
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Old 01-12-2020, 10:35 AM   #14
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Default Re: Painting Accent Stripes

Not all were striped with a brush. A few branches did use the wheel striping tools. This allowed for a bit more paint to be laid down in the process. Striping brushes only hold so much paint before they have to be reloaded and the paint has a bit more reducer to get it to flow correctly. Straight enamel is forgiving since it is slow to dry so it gives time for proper reloading of the brush. This reduces the film build a little bit.

If you polish your paint too much it can literally take the stripe right off.

Last edited by rotorwrench; 01-12-2020 at 10:44 AM.
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Old 01-12-2020, 11:00 AM   #15
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Default Re: Painting Accent Stripes

R.,


I interpreted your post as questioning how the Model A bodies where painted two tone. I wasn't there but from photos & what I've read the main body color was sprayed first in a booth with probably a wide fan spray gun. Photos show masking with a border of 4-6 " paper which has me thinking they used a gun with a smaller fan for this.
Understand these bodies where mass produced and often over spray can be found on original cars.


Speaking of over spray, most painters won't use newsprint as it is too porous allowing wet thinners to pass thru and mar the finish under.
Hopefully you where lucky & this didn't happen on your Roadster body.


Pin striping was done shortly after the body was polished and before cowl lamps, door handles, tops, & fenders where installed.


Good luck with your project.
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Old 01-12-2020, 07:42 PM   #16
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Default Re: Painting Accent Stripes

rotorwrench
"Not all were striped with a brush. A few branches did use the wheel striping tools."

I couldn't find that in my library. Would like to get a copy of the publication if you don't mind sharing.
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Old 01-12-2020, 08:42 PM   #17
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Default Re: Painting Accent Stripes

I have seen a picture of a man striping a car on the assembly line with a brush but it has been a few years since I saw it. I have searched for it so I could post it but have been unable to find it. I'll keep looking.



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Old 01-12-2020, 10:51 PM   #18
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Default Re: Painting Accent Stripes

Quote:
Originally Posted by jb-ob View Post
R.,

Speaking of over spray, most painters won't use newsprint as it is too porous allowing wet thinners to pass thru and mar the finish under.

I started painting Lacquer over 65 years ago. All we used was newspaper BUT we always used 2 thicknesses, never a single sheet for the reason stated above.


Even today, I still use newspaper.


Chris W.
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Old 01-13-2020, 12:53 AM   #19
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Default Re: Painting Accent Stripes

Quote:
Originally Posted by TerryO View Post
I have seen a picture of a man striping a car on the assembly line with a brush but it has been a few years since I saw it. I have searched for it so I could post it but have been unable to find it. I'll keep looking.



TOB
Is it from the Restorer 1975, Sept./Oct.?
I also recall that photo, but all is not quite what it seems. It does show two pin stripe men, but the main one appears to be imposed into the photo [ look at angle of his shoes to the floor] but other man looks correct.
So, when were the bodies pin striped? Before the bodies were mounted on the chassis or at the very end of assembly? Film evidence shows pin striped bodies being placed on the chassis.
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Old 01-13-2020, 08:07 AM   #20
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Default Re: Painting Accent Stripes

I too thought the same about the newspaper from what I have read and observed is to not use it. I use painter paper from Sherwin Williams, a large roll is cheap and will last a very long time with use on a car.

As far as the striping and overspray, we all need to keep in mind that these cars were built on an assembly line, many thousands at a time. Its not like modern times that a restoration shop will have one for years only to go through scrutiny with a fine tooth comb upon delivery. I dont think it mattered as much then if there was a bit of overspray or if the striping may have differed from one side to the other, etc.
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Old 01-13-2020, 08:36 AM   #21
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Default Re: Painting Accent Stripes

Pin striping is an art. Watched a real life stripper do the fancy work on a car one time. The attached video, while not a car, shows what a skilled hand can do. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsTIMxeO_ng PS, turn down the audio.
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Old 01-13-2020, 09:41 PM   #22
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Default Re: Painting Accent Stripes

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Originally Posted by MAG View Post
rotorwrench
"Not all were striped with a brush. A few branches did use the wheel striping tools."

I couldn't find that in my library. Would like to get a copy of the publication if you don't mind sharing.
That little tidbit came from Murray Fahnestock's article on striping in "The Restorer" magazine sometime in 1957 and was added to the first volume of the "How to Restore Your Model A" series of books. Murray was a researcher on the old Fords back in the post war years and wrote a fair amount of books on the Model Ts and As.

I have no other references but I do know that the mechanical striping devices were available in the model A timeline. The Beugler Company's first device was filed for patent in 1933 and I've seen others like the Scoles device. It is true that most of the branches did use brushes by hand but it would not surprise me if they would have been interested in the mechanical device to stripe long straight paneled bodies since the mechanical devices generally can work a lot longer without reloading plus it may have been easier to train people to use a mechanical device and lesser skilled folks could still produce a decent product.
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Old 01-13-2020, 10:28 PM   #23
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Default Re: Painting Accent Stripes

Quote:
Is it from the Restorer 1975, Sept./Oct.?
I also recall that photo, but all is not quite what it seems. It does show two pin stripe men, but the main one appears to be imposed into the photo [ look at angle of his shoes to the floor] but other man looks correct.
So, when were the bodies pin striped? Before the bodies were mounted on the chassis or at the very end of assembly? Film evidence shows pin striped bodies being placed on the chassis.

The man with a million dollar memory


I looked up the Sept/Oct 1075 Restorer and you are correct although I seem to remember the photo being from the driver's side and a pin striper working on both sides at the same time. My memory is only worth 2 cents


TOB
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Old 01-14-2020, 08:11 AM   #24
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Default Re: Painting Accent Stripes

I wonder what their pay grade was compared to a line worker?
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Old 01-14-2020, 11:35 AM   #25
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Default Re: Painting Accent Stripes

Quote:
a pin striper working on both sides at the same time
Now that's a good trick, must have had loooong arms.
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Old 01-14-2020, 02:05 PM   #26
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The higher the skill level, the higher the pay level is always in effect no matter what manufacturer. I imagine a lot of newby trainees never passed the test for a rapid paced assembly line.
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Old 01-14-2020, 10:18 PM   #27
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Quote:
a pin striper working on both sides at the same time Now that's a good trick, must have had loooong arms.



I should have stated a different pin striper on each side. Sorry for any confusion.


TOB
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Old 01-14-2020, 10:33 PM   #28
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Default Re: Painting Accent Stripes

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Originally Posted by TerryO View Post
The man with a million dollar memory


I looked up the Sept/Oct 1075 Restorer and you are correct although I seem to remember the photo being from the driver's side and a pin striper working on both sides at the same time. My memory is only worth 2 cents


TOB
Yeah, it is a curse! [ million dollar memory] but handy at times. I read in a follow up article that the man striping the Tudor was actually from a 1936 photo & imposed into the scene.
They would have been out of a job by the mid thirties from when cars had hardly any lines painted on.
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