During the final stages of...
During the final stages of my barn-find buildup, I decided to have my pal SoCal pinstriper Jeff "Styles" do a bit of patina lettering on the doors of my '29. I chose a logo from a long defunct business in the small town I grew up in.
We've all listened to the occasional stories of lucky devils who stumble across one of those well-worn shop trucks. There's no doubt most of us wish we were the ones who had been so lucky as to stumble across a solid ol' Fred's Garage & Massage Parlor delivery truck in the barn out back. Unfortunately, discoveries like those are rare, and only getting more so.
Enter the faux barn-find phenomenon, or purposeful patina-the art of making a silk purse into a sow's ear, so to speak. It's not everyone's taste, but a growing number of folks are working hard to make their classic pickup trucks look the part of a shop vehicle with a long, hard life under its belt. It doesn't take a lot of work or tons of talent to reduce a mature paintjob to the well-worn look of your favorite pair of broken-in jeans. That said, here's a step-by-step guide on how to achieve that time-worn shop truck/commercial look for those who might consider buildin' a cool classic truck with the look of an old-timer. It's a neat way to individualize your truck, and after you're done you'll be able to spend more time driving and enjoying your old-timey faux survivor than polishing and protecting a shiny new paintjob. So follow along as striping and lettering pro Jeff "Styles" shows us how we can go about customizing our street rod trucks ourselves.
Since the body is in the exact...
Since the body is in the exact condition as it was found, I wanted the door lettering to have an equally weathered look as the rest of the body-and Styles assured me that it'd be a piece of cake.
To create a patina, Styles...
To create a patina, Styles explains a newer version, two-part urethane enamel that utilizes a hardener (catalyst) rather than an old standby like One Shot striping enamel, which is an air-dry type. The catalyzed paint dries faster than standard striping enamel and is more resistant to the solvent used to weather the look of the lettering.
He found a font style and...
He found a font style and a crown image that fit the desired style and spent some time drawing it out on a piece of masking paper and from there he used his plotter to make the self-adhesive stencil. Styles said most any commercial sign shop can whip out a stencil at an affordable price.
The first step in the process...
The first step in the process is to clean and de-grease the areas to be painted. Styles' son, Logan (an up-and-coming pinstriper in his own right), lent a hand and wiped down both doorskins with wax and grease remover to ensure good paint adhesion.
Here's the actual self-adhesive...
Here's the actual self-adhesive stencil Styles made using his plotter (a computer-guided machine used to cut vinyl sheeting to make decals or, as in this case, stencils).
Since the logo was nearly...
Since the logo was nearly the size of the doorskin, Styles took some measurements so the finished lettering would end up as close to centered on the panel as possible.
With the stencil in place...
With the stencil in place he then began peeling off the backing from the self-adhesive vinyl starting at the bottom.
With the bottom half of the...
With the bottom half of the stencil in place, Styles then used a plastic squeegee to smooth out the stencil and to make sure it was thoroughly stuck to the panel and there were no air bubbles trapped between it and the door.
Making sure all was level...
Making sure all was level he then cut away the lower portion of the backing so the stencil could be stuck to the panel, starting from the bottom and then working upward.
The process was then repeated...
The process was then repeated on the upper portion of the stencil and when he was satisfied that it was fully adhered to the door the protective top covering was carefully peeled away from the stencil.
You'll notice that there are...
You'll notice that there are wrinkles and bubbles in the stencil-but not near the edges of any of the lettering or design. The most important parts are those areas (the dark portions are the actual cut outs that reveal the door panel), as you want complete adhesion so the lettering enamel won't seep past the edges of the cut outs messing up the crisp edges.
Since the crown image was...
Since the crown image was complex, there were portions of the stencil that had to be removed once the stencil was on the panel. Styles used the tip of a razor knife to pick up the edges and peel away the stencil sections that needed to be removed, leaving all of the exposed areas ready to receive the enamel.
Finish Line is a catalyzed...
Finish Line is a catalyzed enamel that dries from the inside out rather than from the surface down as is the case with standard un-catalyzed enamel. Drying from the inside out allows the faux patina process to be more successful. A lettering brush rather than a standard sword-type striping brush is used in the process.
The next step is the application...
The next step is the application of the enamel. Styles applied the paint heavily as a majority of it will be removed in the faux patina process.
Care is taken to fully coat...
Care is taken to fully coat all the exposed areas of the panel, and though the enamel is applied heavily, Styles made sure it was applied fully and smoothly. While Styles handled one side, Logan handled the other.
With the stencil filled, the...
With the stencil filled, the guys let the paint set for about 15 minutes and then carefully began removing the main portion of the stencils from the doors.
The most important part: the...
The most important part: the faux patina. By dampening a soft cloth with enamel reducer, Styles wipes the surface of the fresh enamel. Keep in mind how years of washing, waxing, and just plain weathering may have affected the lettering. Styles did his best to remove just enough of the new enamel to replicate the wear of natural aging.
After the main portions were...
After the main portions were removed and a little more dry time, the smaller pieces of the stencil were carefully removed.