Anyone used a Beugler pinstriping tool?

[Dwight Romberger]

Is it as easy as it looks? OK, NOTHING is ever as easy as it looks, but is it something a DIYer can do?

Thanks,

Dwight

[Bhigdog]

I've used a knock off tool to pin stripe my rims. Good news and bad news. The bad news is there is a learning curve. the good news is easy enough to wipe off the lousy stripe and do it over...............Bob

[trimacar]

Bob's correct, I used one long, long ago on my 1931 Chevy, and it came out OK. The problem is, to me, it doesn't look like a hand pinstripe, it just looks like a strip of paint. That statement may sound confusing, but a pinstripe job by hand has a certain look to it, the tool stripe looks thicker and heavier in some way.

Same goes for the "pinstripe artist" who lays down two pieces of tape and paints the area between them. Not the same.

My advice is to find someone who really knows how to pinstripe, and pay a couple hundred dollars to make it look correct......

[motoringicons]

I didn't even know they still made these! I remember during the 1980s when there were vendors at all of the car shows selling these. Of course, they made it look easy to use....

I bought one 25 years ago and tried it once. I think I gave it away after that...

Trimacar is right, nothing like a well done professional pinstripe by a pin stripe "artist".

[Guest Mochet]

I used the Beugler tool (which I bought on eBay) on my wheels, and it looks good to my eyes. I tried a striping brush and wiped off the result. Not sure if I can do the body striping using the tool, but might give it a try. It applies a nice even line and works well. To me, it looks good so long as you keep it going straight.

Phil

Edited February 25, 2013 by Mochet (see edit history)

[Dwight Romberger]

Thanks for the comments guys. That looks really nice Phil. I guess I never paid enough attention to the lines. The original lines on my Buick where so fine and straight, they looked like they were applied by a machine rather than by hand.

Dwight

[Bhigdog]

I used the Beugler tool (which I bought on eBay) on my wheels, and it looks good to my eyes. I tried a striping brush and wiped off the result. Not sure if I can do the body striping using the tool, but might give it a try. It applies a nice even line and works well. To me, it looks good so long as you keep it going straight.

Phil

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I also used it on wheels and am satisfied with the result. That said, there were lots of wipe off do overs and I really think it would take lots of practice to get good enough to do body striping.

[Paul Dobbin]

I had a friend named John McNally, that could pin-stripe anything. He did my cars for 35 years, and it was always perfect. Except I had to follow him around to take the painty finger prints off and he discounted the price because I helped. He would wet his fingers with spit and form the brush before striping. No tape guides, the fourth finger was the guide. His lines had no seams and laid flat unlike anything other than a hand done pin-stripe, like the origninal. For cars from the 30's it has to be hand applied or it's not right. The bad news is that John McNally died a few years ago and I don't have a replacement yet. (I wanted to put a camel hair brush in his hand at the funeral, but didn't.) John was a famous custom car builder with amazing talents and a character's personality, but I really admired him.

I happy to point out that two of our cars are that last two he ever pin-striped. The 35 Buick is perfect and the 34 Ford Fordor wasn't because his hand was not as steady then. I consider it a Monday manufactured Ford and the stripe is plenty good enough because no one has ever mentioned it. Talent is to be admired, and John did it!

There are still some talented pin-stirpers out there and for my 30's cars I'll need a new contact. For the later stuff, the striping vinyl tape looks great and is correct, and I can do it myself. For next reall old car, I may have to try a big Street Rod show ot find another

Von Dutch (John) substitute.

Edited February 28, 2013 by Paul Dobbin
spelling (see edit history)

[Guest Don kitchen]

I have used the beugler since 1976. I was laying lines with dagerlac and brush on new cars. This worked well, untill I could no longer find dagerlac. Due to needling a fast dryin pant for the car lots a paint shop suggested that I try the beugler and an automotve enamel. The beugler was big and hard for me to handle, I cut the tube down to about two in.. This allowed me to hold it like a brush and drag my fingers like a brush.

To this day I use my cut down beugler to stripe new cars, classics, hot rods and what ever else comes my way. The brushes still come out for art work, but if you take the time to learn the beugler it is a increadble aset to the tool box.

Edited October 18, 2015 by Don kitchen (see edit history)

[kings32]

I have use one for years , it does a nice job . Takes a bit of learning [ wiping off ]  no it is no tlook like a brush but I drive my cars not after  points.   I have fun with them .  Kings32

[John348]

I didn't even know they still made these! I remember during the 1980s when there were vendors at all of the car shows selling these. Of course, they made it look easy to use....

I bought one 25 years ago and tried it once. I think I gave it away after that...

Trimacar is right, nothing like a well done professional pinstripe by a pin stripe "artist".

 

Similar results here, after wasting hours the frustration, plus a lot of swearing of trying to pinstripe some 50 Chevy rims. I looked in the yellow pages, called a guy who came the next day. He charged $100 for all four was done in 45 minutes and did it by hand. I also gave the tool away 

[Guest AlCapone]

I did an okay job on the wheels but I had to hire out the body striping. I practiced for several hours on scrap before attacking the wheels. In the future I will let a qualified person do the job! Wayne

[Guest]

I did the striping on this car using a Beuglar that I bought from Eastwood. It was the first time I had ever used one. I am happy with the outcome. The key for me was using the specified paint which can be wiped off using wax and grease remover for a long time after application. I wiped it off many, many times. I enjoyed doing the job.

Edited October 14, 2015 by Guest (see edit history)

[JACK M]

I have one that I use occasionally.

Mine is the deluxe model I guess. It has a few wheels of different widths and a long magnetic tape for use as a guide. (the magnetic guide is worthless), (to me anyway)

I still have to do the wipe and repeat method often as I have clumsy and not very steady hands

.

Kind of fun to do free handed flames and the likes

.

Never got the hang of those artsy multi-colored trunk and hood conglomeration thingies. (no talent)

[Joe in Canada]

I bought one in the early 80s used it one time still have it some where. I forgot about it until I read this thread. 

[Restorer32]

Somewhere I have seen a pic of a Beugler being used in an automobile factory. It was invented in 1934.

[Guest]

Somewhere I have seen a pic of a Beugler being used in an automobile factory. It was invented in 1934.

 

Exactly correct. Yet the oft repeated party line is that "if it's not hand painted and showing brush strokes, it's not authentic." I don't think we know for sure one way or another post 1934.

Edited October 15, 2015 by Guest (see edit history)

[Joe in Canada]

Buick cars made in Oshawa did striping with mechanical paint stripers until 2005 I believe when they stopped striping the cars they made.

[Guest Don kitchen]

The beugler tools were used by all the domestic car manufacturers in the 70',80's and 90's. Rolls Royce also used them. I use to do a lot of warranty and stripe repair in body shops and happen to have the correct wheel sizes for the factory painted stripes. The stripe culture has gone Von Dutch and forgoten that clean lines on every day Joe's car was what supported a lot of us. It is still a rush pull in a clean line and put a smile on the owners face.

Edited October 17, 2015 by Don kitchen (see edit history)

[MarrsCars]

The beugler tools were used by all the domestic car manufacturers in the 70',80's and 90's. Rolls Royce also used them. I use to do a lot of warranty and stripe repair in body shops and happen to have the correct wheel sizes for the factory painted stripes. The stripe culture has gone Von Dutch and forgoten that clean lines on every day Joe's car was what supported a lot of us. It is still a rush pull in a clean line and put a smile on the owners face.

 

I've only ever heard of Mark Court at Rolls-Royce who has painted the coachlines for three decades. Was there a time somwhere prior when they used the pinstriping tool? I can see this being possible, then going back to "by hand" for the sheer PR content of it all, but I have never heard this before.

 

I use old school squirrel striping brushes and the like to do striping on artwork, tool boxes, trunks, and all kinds of things but have never tried on an automobile. Maybe I need to give it a shot and start offering the service to car owners, I would probably enjoy doing the coach lines but not the hot-rod style squiggly bits, even tho they are actually far easier to do than a straight line!

[Guest Don kitchen]

The factory stripes that I would repair in Fresno Ca. San lerando Ca., San Jose Ca., Sacramento Ca. and Reno .Nv. All were late models in the 70s 80s and 90s. They were done in high end dealerships or body shops.I believe all were from damage repair and I would restripe one panel to a complete car depending on what was repainted.l also pinstriped Wayne Newton's Rolls when it was repainted in Carson Nv., all were done with the beugler.before that time they were probably done with a brush,infact Trumph mc's were done with brush up into the 70s. I believe that when they brought back the Triumph in the 90s some models were hand stripped with brush.

I think you are on the right track doing clean lines on classics, hot rods can be a pain and there are a lot guys doing the squiggly stuff, not to many can pull the long clean lines.

Edited October 18, 2015 by Don kitchen (see edit history)

[Guest Don kitchen]

Next week I will be working in In.,on a collection with a 70s rolls that has repired damage and were it was restriped it has a poor match. When I restripe, I will use the same tools as was used on the rest of the car, be it brush or wheel. I do a lot of repairs and find it a beter job when using the same tools and techniques as the original stripe.

Edited October 18, 2015 by Don kitchen (see edit history)

[Rusty_OToole]

Don what paint do you use? Sign painter's 1 Shot like for striping with a brush?

[Guest Don kitchen]

I use One Shot Or House of Kolor. One Shot has a slow dry time and flows out well on large areas. It is more forgiving on fresh or soft pain jobs.

HOK on the other hand is a very aggressive urethane and requires more skill. In fact on soft or fresh paint you may only get one run at it. I use it on production work because it has a very fast dry time and makes for the most durable stripe that I have seen. I have seen body shops buffing on it the same day with no damage to the stripe ( not recommended).

DuPont has a striping paint out that is rumored to be pretty good, haven't gotten around to trying it yet. Good luck and keep your brush wet.

Edited October 18, 2015 by Don kitchen (see edit history)