The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop pin striping wheels

does anybody have experience on pinstriping wheels? Does a pin stripping tool work well on wheels.I'm trying to replicate the striping on the AD truck wheels and am thinking about how to get the striping round and concentric to the hub

Some time back saw an article on striping wheels. Take a front axle spindle nut, weld on a length of bendable threaded rod, now you have a way to steady your hand holding a brush. Jack up front end, mount the rim to be painted on the front axle, screw on your modified nut, slowly spin the rim as you stipe, easy deal. Also be sure to use proper paint, sign painter's 'one shot' I belive is what to use and pick up a striping brush.

archburycontrol,

Rumor has it that the pinstriping painter (at the factory) painted the wheel stripes by spinning the wheels (on a front-wheel spindle) and then touched the loaded paint brush to the spinning wheel.

I doubt if anyone knows if that story is true.

We tried to do the wheel stripes by hand and by template but have given up. There is a local painter who has done it by brush by spinning the wheels and I will be taking my wheels to him this winter (soon).

Tim

I'm still trying to perfect the technique, myself, but here's the results of my prelim efforts (near the bottom of the page)

Wheel Restoration


I haven't been successful with the pinstriping tool on the third pinstripe near the rim edge (next to the valve stem hole). I just can't get it positioned to paint this stripe. I think I'm going to try to lay down a tape template and paint it with a brush. I found template tape that you can strip out the center band for painting in a old Jim Carter catalog but I haven't checked to see if it is still available.

Larry,

We used that Jim Carter striping tape on the belt-line of my Suburban (we needed a good part of the roll to go around the Suburban body). Eastwoods also used to sell the striping tape (I think it was 3M; it might be readily available from a good paint supplier).

I will watch your progress with interest (your website has an excellent set of tutorials and your writing style is entertaining and informative).

We tried the striping tape on a wheel but could not get a good circle.

Tim

I think the only way to get a good stripe is by doing exactly what was detailed above - using a steady hand with a loaded brush on a rotating wheel.

I also used striping tape on my '54. I put it on the belt line and the wheels in the stock positions, but I used the color shifting tape because I liked the look.

It's not perfect, but it is acceptable - A lot like the rest of my truck - good enough for a driver. Good luck with your project.

I found a pinstriping tool at a swapmeet. You mount the wheel on your workbench with a post in the center, and via an arm, attach a painting tool to it, and after it is perfectly centered and level, and a LOT of practice, you get a really nice circle. It even does the tough one in the recess of the rim where the valve of the tube comes out. And I used just regular paint, as I could not find cream medium in the "one-shot" cans.

The only question is, how wide were the stripes originally, and what was their location? I located an absolute original rim with original stripes, and took careful measurements and used those to do my rims. But since the originals were hand painted, I imagine each wheel would be somewhat "unique" and the measurements vary.

I've never seen an original rim, Brian. Is the outermost stripe on the same surface as the valve stem hole?

Jim Carter sells an information sheet for $1.19, He also sells pinstriping tape (for painting) and colored pinstripe tape.

I lost the information sheet that I got from JC. Maybe someone else has a copy and will post the stripe size and location.

Jim Carter is frequently wrong, and I believe he is on his pinstriping recommendations. I have looked at a lot of original cabs, and that one wheel I described above, and found all pinstripes to be 1/4 inch wide, cab and wheel. Not 3/16 inch as Jim thinks. I thought those were really wide, but after doing my wheels, it looks good.

Larry, on that wheel, the outer stripe's inner edge lined up perfectly with the valve hole inner edge. So it was not perfectly centered on the valve hole, but close. I wonder if the intent was to be centered with the valve hole, but the rim I studied was "off" a little. But yes, the stripe is on the same surface as the valve hole. That stripe was the hardest to place, since there is so little room to place the striping tool.

All of my rims were original and the paint was still visible. I had four blasted and repainted, but I still have two in their orignal paint.

The outer stripe on mine were centered on the valve hole. If anybody would like, post - and I will take measurements of my originals for striping placement and size.

Thanx Tim and Brian and Kimberly. On the first wheel I did, I was trying to put the outermost stripe on the "flat" surface next to the valve stem hole surface. That's why I was investigating the tape template method (the tape could be placed straight around the band of the rim. It wouldn't have to have an arc like the other stripes).

I will get the chance to correct my mistakes since I butchered the wheel pretty good trying to get it into the spare tire carrier when I was finished painting

I think I might interject here...
I recently saw a car resto show on the TV, and they showed how they did the wheel striping.
They put the rim on a old record turntable and then with a steady hand brushed on two 1/8" lines. This was for some other type of car, that's why they place two lines.
I was thinking to use my wife's "lazy susan" and rig up my drill motor to it. Then use the pinstriping wheel to get mine done.

Hey Kevin, I saw that same show it was great! They painted double lines on the center lug mount an 1 line on the outside of the rim by using a old turntable, the car was a 1930 something Packard. looks like no matter how you spin it you must have a steady hand and good flow of paint. Good luck archburycontrol and not to much caffene before you start. lol

kevin40chevy & bowtiesr4me,

What was the name of the show that demonstrated the pinstriping technique, and what network? Sounds like an interesting episode and an interesting show/channel.

Regarding the width of the A-D stripes, my '54 Suburban had and the original (cream medium) body stripe and it was about 1/8" wide (not quite 3/16") wide. I have seen new A-D trucks in 1950's movies with body stripes at least 1/4" wide. As JC and other have stated, the application of these stripes was done by people, not machines; the width of the stripes most likely varied, even for the same painter.

Here is a wheel (poorly) painted as per Jim Carter\'s suggestions.

Tim

You can take this for what you think it is worth, but I have a friend who is a retired bodyman/painter. He tells me that when he was younger he learned to paint from a painter who claimed his first job was as an apprentice painter in a auto plant, and his job was to pinstripe wheels. He did this by placing the wheel on a spindle, spinning it, and holding a brush loaded with paint against it. Can you imagine doing this for a full day, day after day? Allen