Pinstriping Brush is the tool of traditional free hand pinstripers use for pin striping

Pin striping

Pin striping is the application of a very thin line of paint or other material called a pin stripe, and is generally used for decoration. Freehand pin stripers use a specialty brush known as a pinstriping brush...

. Freehand pinstriping is the most difficult method of pinstriping and the brush is an important tool for design. Pinstriping brushes have several different designs, Swords, Daggers, and Flats, as well as Double line brushes. The brush consists of a small wood dowel

Dowel

A dowel is a solid cylindrical rod, usually made of wood, plastic or metal. In its original manufactured form, dowel is called dowel rod.Dowel rod is employed in numerous, diverse applications. It is used to form axles in toys, as detents on gymnastics grips, as knitting needles, as structural...

 handle, string or brass fixture with adhesive

Adhesive

An adhesive, or glue, is a mixture in a liquid or semi-liquid state that adheres or bonds items together. Adhesives may come from either natural or synthetic sources. The types of materials that can be bonded are vast but they are especially useful for bonding thin materials...

 and brush hairs traditionally made from squirrel

Squirrel

Squirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...

 hair. The small wood dowel is balanced so pinstripers can freely spin

Rotation

A rotation is a circular movement of an object around a center of rotation. A three-dimensional object rotates always around an imaginary line called a rotation axis. If the axis is within the body, and passes through its center of mass the body is said to rotate upon itself, or spin. A rotation...

 the brush between their fingers. The dowel's short length is so the brush does not hit the palm of the hand while the brush is placed in-between the index finger

Index finger

The index finger, , is the first finger and the second digit of a human hand. It is located between the first and third digits, between the thumb and the middle finger...

 and thumb

Thumb

The thumb is the first digit of the hand. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position , the thumb is the lateral-most digit...

. The hair of a pinstriping brush is relatively long at approximately 2 inches,or more, compared to most artistic brushes of a similar size. This long length is to hold the necessary amount of paint to pull a long line.

Cleaning

After every use of a pinstriping brush the brush must be cleaned in order to not damage the brush once paint dries. Cleaning procedure consist of submerging the brush hairs in mineral spirits, the brush is then laid down and the brush hairs are gently worked through to remove all paint and residue.

Storage

The brush hair is delicate and must be stored properly between usage. The brush should be stored laid flat and soaked in brush oil.