Detailin' cheats... I figured I'd share the one I'm usin' to do my Rollfast's somewhat... busy paint job. I'm no artist and that's a fact - I need tools and stuff to draw even the most basic of shapes.
The original paint job for the "deluxe" Rollfasts calls for a LOT of pin striping, worse yet - three stripes right next to each other, per side, per fender. The only way to get stripes parallel easily w/o tools is stickers made that way... and I don't like stickers. Masking is tricky, time consuming, and even with the very best tape it can "wick" paint under it (more likely w/a curved stripe on a curved surface) and ruin the job.
They make an awesome tool for the job and I've used it (with some practice) to easily do some basic pin stripes, but the good ones start at around $100 and the cheap ones aren't worth buying;
Beugler Pro Pinstriping Kit and DVD
BTW - those bars are standoffs so you can run along, following a fender lip or seam and can be cobbed together for this trick too.
For about $10 you can get all the materials for the more ghetto approach ifn yer a cheap, lazy bastid like me. It doesn't look quite as sharp, more a hand painted look... but that's fine, even wanted for this project. Grab a roll of magnetic tape, for this - the cheaper the better 'cause the sticky stuff you don't need peels right off it, particularly if you stick it in the freezer for a while first (not great if you wanted to use it for what it's meant for lol). For curves I cut it in 1/2 or less lengthwise so it bends easily and with just a paint marker, trace along it's edge and that's it (mebbe another coat after it dries). With a new marker (so the tip is nice) when you hold it upright none of the paint touches the seam between magnet and metal because of the rounded tip so it can't seep between the two.
Sure the paint won't last as long as a proper automotive grade, but it lasts a good long while, comes in a buncha colors (even metallics) and it's so easy to touch up and/or recoat - does it matter? It'll gloss up quite a bit with just some light polishing with a soft cloth (high gloss w/wax) and only takes a few practice runs to get the hang of it.
As you can also see in the pic, I'm playing around with an "arrow" trace template made out of that same magnetic tape. As there's six of that size and I may add another six smaller ones (to mask inevitable scratches around dropouts) I really don't wanna try and freehand them. As a trace instead of a mask I'll need to brush them in (paint markers are no good for large areas and you can't make masks w/mag tape 'cause it'll seep) but that's just "paint by numbers" and no artsy skills involved heh I'll be making a better one when I get an Xacto knife - this box cutter just isn't workin' out lol
I also threw that example together in a hurry jus' for the pic, it's possible to do a nicer job (the paint also works FAR better on a painted surface, not just a chunk of raw scrap steel lol) - for less than ten bucks give it a coupla practice tries and see whatcha think if ya wanna stripe a bike *shrug*
BTW, this post was pulled frm http://motorbicycling.com/f38/rustoration-build-off-13144.html
The original paint job for the "deluxe" Rollfasts calls for a LOT of pin striping, worse yet - three stripes right next to each other, per side, per fender. The only way to get stripes parallel easily w/o tools is stickers made that way... and I don't like stickers. Masking is tricky, time consuming, and even with the very best tape it can "wick" paint under it (more likely w/a curved stripe on a curved surface) and ruin the job.
They make an awesome tool for the job and I've used it (with some practice) to easily do some basic pin stripes, but the good ones start at around $100 and the cheap ones aren't worth buying;
Beugler Pro Pinstriping Kit and DVD
BTW - those bars are standoffs so you can run along, following a fender lip or seam and can be cobbed together for this trick too.
For about $10 you can get all the materials for the more ghetto approach ifn yer a cheap, lazy bastid like me. It doesn't look quite as sharp, more a hand painted look... but that's fine, even wanted for this project. Grab a roll of magnetic tape, for this - the cheaper the better 'cause the sticky stuff you don't need peels right off it, particularly if you stick it in the freezer for a while first (not great if you wanted to use it for what it's meant for lol). For curves I cut it in 1/2 or less lengthwise so it bends easily and with just a paint marker, trace along it's edge and that's it (mebbe another coat after it dries). With a new marker (so the tip is nice) when you hold it upright none of the paint touches the seam between magnet and metal because of the rounded tip so it can't seep between the two.
Sure the paint won't last as long as a proper automotive grade, but it lasts a good long while, comes in a buncha colors (even metallics) and it's so easy to touch up and/or recoat - does it matter? It'll gloss up quite a bit with just some light polishing with a soft cloth (high gloss w/wax) and only takes a few practice runs to get the hang of it.
As you can also see in the pic, I'm playing around with an "arrow" trace template made out of that same magnetic tape. As there's six of that size and I may add another six smaller ones (to mask inevitable scratches around dropouts) I really don't wanna try and freehand them. As a trace instead of a mask I'll need to brush them in (paint markers are no good for large areas and you can't make masks w/mag tape 'cause it'll seep) but that's just "paint by numbers" and no artsy skills involved heh I'll be making a better one when I get an Xacto knife - this box cutter just isn't workin' out lol
I also threw that example together in a hurry jus' for the pic, it's possible to do a nicer job (the paint also works FAR better on a painted surface, not just a chunk of raw scrap steel lol) - for less than ten bucks give it a coupla practice tries and see whatcha think if ya wanna stripe a bike *shrug*
BTW, this post was pulled frm http://motorbicycling.com/f38/rustoration-build-off-13144.html
