If you want to create the perfect pinstriping designs on any vehicle you need to make sure that the brushes you use have been well cared for. In this article we offer some tips on how to care for pinstriping brushes so that they won’t have to be replaced any time soon.
1. The glue used to hold the bristles of the pinstriping brushes to the handle are water soluble and if exposed to water too much then it will become softened. Because of this the hairs will eventually become loose and start to fall out so avoid cleaning them in water if you can.
To clean the brush it is far better if you use a mineral spirit instead. It is best to initially rinse the brushes in the minerals spirits you have been using for cleaning the pallet whilst you are pinstriping. Although the cup in which the spirits is may look unusable remember you are using this to get most of the paint out of the brush.
After you have rinsed in the used spirits now to get rid of even more of the paint wipe the brush with a paper towel. Then having poured some fresh mineral spirits into another cup or jar you will be able to wash the rest of the paint out from it. Remember don’t just to wash the hairs of the brushes in the spirits but also the furrel as well.
You will recognize that your brush is thoroughly clean because no more paint will appear on the fresh paper towel you have used. After you are happy that the pinstriping brushes have been thoroughly cleaned you squeeze a small amount of 3 in 1 oil on to it and then shape it with your fingers. Using the oil prevents any oil that remains not to become and hardened and which could ultimately ruin the brush.
2. Although you may find it difficult to handle the brushes initially you should never be tempted to trim them. Sometimes however there may be a need to remove a small amount of the brushes tip but b before you do so you need to look closely at your pinstriping brush first. If you then decide to trim off any of the hairs then do so very carefully.
When trimming it is crucial that you oil the brush first as this will help it form the natural shape and then lay the brush flat on a sheet of paper or some other white surface. Doing this you will then see just what needs to be trimmed and very carefully using a sharp razor blade trim only the smallest amounts of the brushes hair as you need to from the tip. If you take off too much hair this will make the tip of the brush blunt and it won’t be able to create those perfect pinstripes for you.
3. If you find that your brushes begin to develop kinks or waves in them then you should find this problem relatively easy to fix. To remove these kinks or waves you first need to rinse any pinstriping brushes thoroughly in the mineral spirits and then rinse them very carefully in water. However, you must make sure that the furrel into which the hairs are set does not get wet and then dab the brushes on a paper towel to help remove as much water as possible.
After removing as much of the excess water as you can now add a little dish soap to the hairs and then shape the brush using your fingers. If the problem isn’t too severe then lay the pinstriping brushes flat, but if it is then put it between the pages of a book which will help to press it flat. You need to leave the brushes like this for around a week then after this time rinse the soap out with mineral spirits and hopefully its original shape will have been restored.