Pinstriping and Airbrushing - Customizing Tips & Tricks

It was at our last STREET RODDER production meeting that I was informed that one of the themes we'd be including in this issue was pinstriping and airbrushing. Cool, I thought-I've always been intrigued by the talents of 'stripers and airbrush artists, and the thought of investigating both arts (beyond just watching and admiring) sounded like fun. Heck, I've always been up for trying new things, even before I'd truly mastered any of the other tasks I've attempted. So, I began my exploration with my usual jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none enthusiasm.

With both techniques in mind, and the realization that my space would be limited, I immediately sat down at my PC and began searching for sources that would be of help. Well, I almost instantly found that my friends at the Eastwood Company had a section on their Web site (and actually in their catalog as well) devoted to pinstriping and custom art-a perfect place to start! Just a mouse-click or two into the aforementioned section, there it was: multiple pages of pinstriping paraphernalia, including how-to DVDs, supplies, and training kits from world-renowned pinstriper Steve Kafka. I immediately searched the offerings for a kit that looked as though it'd help a wannabe such as myself and spied the Kafka Pinstriping Starter Kit (Eastwood PN 13477). It looked as though it was perfect for a jughead like me; it consists of a couple of cans of 1 Shot 'striping paint, Steve Kafka's "Welcome to My World" how-to DVD, 30 sheets of practice patterns, 30 clear vinyl cover sheets, a #3 Kafka 'striping brush, mixing sticks and cups, and a clipboard to work on-everything I'd need to make a mess, or even possibly learn how to 'stripe! I made up my mind and placed my order. That done, I immediately moved on and began my quest for airbrushing info.

The World Wide Web again came through for me. This time I found a perfect source for my airbrushing indoctrination-a company called Coast Airbrush, right here in Anaheim, California, a stone's throw from the STREET RODDER office! I contacted Dave Monnig at Coast and made arrangements to swing by to get a bit of an education on airbrushes and how they work. To say I was stunned when I got there would be an understatement. First off, the place was huge-a veritable shopping mall of airbrushing and pinstriping supplies, equipment, and information. Dave, a true professional and all-around nice guy, was kind enough to take the time to get my education started by showing me a wide array of the airbrushes they have in stock while explaining their differences and clueing me in on some airbrush-related terms.

Let's take an initial look at what I learned about both methods of customization, keeping in mind that we'll have to revisit the subjects to get a little more in depth, but this'll hopefully pique your interest.

PinstripingYou may not realize it, but pinstriping has been around a lot longer than hot rods. Heck, it's been around longer than the automobile itself. 'Striping was even used to decorate chariots way back in ... well, the days of chariots. In fact, pinstriping very similar to that which we see today on hot rods, motorcycles, and custom cars was a popular form of embellishment for horse-drawn wagons, buggies, and firefighting equipment of the late 1890s. The OEM offered pinstriping on some of its production cars back in the early years, but from what I understand, GM was about the last, and they stopped around 1938. After that, pinstriping was kind of a dead art, aside from what you may have seen on the venerable fire engine.

According to automotive historians, pinstriping's revival came courtesy of a young man by the name of Kenny Howard-better known as Von Dutch. Back in the '40s, Howard worked as a motorcycle mechanic, and he used his inherited talents as a sign painter/letterer (his father was a well-known sign painter in the L.A. area at the time) on the side to add custom touches in the way of 'striping to many a motorcycle. For years, Howard continued to 'stripe motorcycles, but in the mid-'50s, he 'striped a car on a lark, almost immediately starting a wildly popular trend in SoCal. It was then that he became known as Von Dutch. His single-handed revival of freehand pinstriping took off, and before he knew it, vehicles from as far away as the East Coast began showing up to get "Dutched." With this newfound fame also came those who wanted to follow in his footsteps, and they did. 'Stripers like Shakey Jake, Slimbo, and hundreds of others boosted the trend and developed their own styles as they did, further ingraining the art with the hot rod and custom car crowd, and the rest is, as they say, history.

The AirbrushFrom what I gather, the beginnings of the airbrush and the art of airbrushing was much less related to transportation and more a part of the art scene. The first incarnation of the modern airbrush is credited to a guy by the name of Abner Peeler back in 1879. His crude devise was called a "paint distributor," an external mix contraption that worked ... sort of. The next big improvement of the original design came in 1884 when Liberty Walkup applied for a patent on an improved version, which introduced the first use of a "dual-action" trigger. The introduction of the "internal mix" airbrush developed by Charles Burdick in 1891 brought the next step in airbrush development. Burdick's design was further refined in 1895 by O.C. Wold, an employee of the Thayer & Chandler company. Wold's design featured a much more simplified trigger mechanism, a removable tip, and the basic configuration of today's modern airbrush. In the years since, many companies around the globe manufacture airbrushes, and many refinements to the original design have taken place as well.

The '70s ushered in a resurgence of both the street rod and the psychedelic era-boy, what a combo. Psychedelic art forms (starbursts, ribbons, cartoons, etc.) soon found a home on the bodies of hot rods, almost always applied with the help of the airbrush. As is true with most all types of art forms, new techniques were developed in regard to automotive custom painting over time, and the result has advanced over the years as talent, paint material, and imagination have progressed.

The following is a bit of a glossary of airbrush terms that'll hopefully familiarize you with the tool. And, as holds true for freehand pinstriping, airbrushing is an art form many of us may well have the capacity to master-that is, if we give it a try and keep on practicing. Hey, we may not become artists like Steve Kafka or Craig Fraser, but we'll have fun, and that's what hot rodding's all about.

The following questions will hopefully help you to choose an airbrush that'll be correct for the type of work you may want to try. What type of work will the airbrush be used for: traditional artwork, auto customizing, T-shirt art? What type of materials will be sprayed through the airbrush: ink, dye, automotive finishes? What are the scales of you anticipated projects: a canvas, a piece of clothing, a motorcycle, an automobile? What is your level of experience? The answers to these questions combined with the info here will help you select the best airbrush for your intended application.

Internal Mix means air and paint mix inside the airbrush. Air and paint come mixed inside the head assembly of the airbrush to produce a thoroughly atomized and extremely fine spray pattern.

External Mix means air and paint are mixed outside the airbrush (just in front of the tip of the brush). External-mix airbrushes produce a larger, less-fine spray pattern than internal-mix airbrushes, making them less suited for fine detail-type work.

Single-Action refers to airbrushes where the trigger controls only the airflow. When the trigger is depressed, a set amount of fluid is sprayed. The amount of fluid is regulated by adjusting a separate needle screw at the back of the handle, or in the case of some types of airbrushes, by turning the fluid cap on the paint tip at the front.

Dual-Action refers to airbrushes with triggers that control both air and fluid (down for air, back for color). This simple action allows the user to change the width of the line and the amount of paint without stopping their hand motion.

Bottom-Feed airbrushes siphon fluid up from a container attached to the bottom of the airbrush. Removable containers can be connected to and utilized with bottom-feed airbrushes, enabling the user to quickly change to another color.

Gravity-Feed airbrushes have top-mounted fluid containers in which gravity draws paint down into the airbrush. This design requires less air pressure to operate and enables excellent control for fine-detail applications.