Popular Science Monthly 



so as to wipe off the excess color. In doing 

 this you will notice just when there is 

 enough color in the brush to make a stripe 

 of even density. If the brush is too full, 

 the stripe will thicken and spread at the 

 edges. 



Take the brush between the thumb and 

 forefinger, with the thumb uppermost. 

 Now place the point of the brush on the 

 exact spot where your stripe starts, and 

 with the fingers resting lightly against 

 some convenient parallel surface, draw the 

 hand backward with a quick easy move- 

 ment, to produce the stripe. The fingers 

 act as a gage and a movable rest. Don't 

 make the stripe in short, jerky sections, or 

 it will look patchy. Make it in one, quick, 

 uniform stroke. 



If there were no curves to be turned, the 

 amateur striper might do a passable job 

 with a fine sable, or camel's hair brush and 

 a straight edge, having a padded projection 

 at each end of the straight edge to raise it 

 off the surface of the car. But since the 

 curves on an auto are numerous the striping 

 had best be omitted, since faulty work will 

 surely take all the shine off an otherwise 

 well finished piece of painting. 



Lettering 



Put on the initial letters about ]/$, in. high, 

 with the same tube color you have used in 

 striping; or you can vary the color if you 

 wish the letters to contrast more or less. 

 The small-sized letters, like the J^-in. size, 

 seem to be much preferred to those of 

 greater height. 



Outlines of letters, or monograms may 

 be transferred to the surface as follows: 



After having drawn or traced the letters, 

 or monogram, on a clean sheet of paper, in 

 the precise shape you wish them to appear 

 on the door or panel, rub the reverse side of 

 the sheet with a piece of chalk, dusting off 

 the excess chalk. Place the paper on the 



459 



proper spot and holding it firmly, go over 

 the lines of the letters, or monogram with a 

 pencil point, or a pointed piece of wood. 

 Upon removing the paper, the letters will 

 be seen in white chalk lines wherever your 

 pencil point has pressed upon the paper. 



Before transferring the letters, cut the 

 paper to a convenient size so that it can be 

 handled easily. Also draw two lines at 

 right angles upon it for the purpose of 

 centering on a chalk dot you have placed 

 on the door, or panel. Be sure you have 

 gone carefully over all the lines of the 

 letters before removing the paper. By 

 holding the paper firmly in position, you 

 can turn up the edges and see whether you 

 have missed a line or a letter. Do not 

 bother about cleaning off any chalk-marks 

 until the letters are dry. These marks can 

 be easily sponged off before varnishing. 



If you cannot turn neat curves in letter- 

 ing, do not attempt letters of the curved 

 type. Rule the letters up as though you 

 were forming them with a pen and ruler. 

 If you happen to draw an incorrect line 

 either in striping or lettering, wipe it out 

 quickly with a lump of absorbent cotton 

 slightly damped with turpentine. Dry 

 with a clean piece of cotton, and be more 

 painstaking in replacing the line or letter 

 correctly. 



If the line be difficult to erase because of 

 its being close to other lines, do not use 

 the lump of cotton, for fear of blurring or 

 smudging the correct lines. Take a piece 

 of soft pine the length and thickness of a 

 lead pencil. Whittle both its ends into 

 pencil-like points, nicking them on their 

 sides so as to raise a little of the wood. 

 These nicks will prevent the cotton from 

 slipping off. Wrap a clean piece of cotton 

 around each end, forming each piece into 

 a blunt, pencil-like point. Use one end of 

 this eraser, dampened with turpentine for 

 removing faulty lines or spots. Use the 



1 



RE5T FOR LETTERING 



type of curve- 

 less LETTER 



CORK OR WOOD 

 CLOTH OR CHAMOIS 



PI o 



u. o. u 



NICKED END 

 COTTON WRAPPING^"" 



A straight edge with padded ends is used for guiding the striping brush. Forms of a 

 curveless letter for initials and erasers are made of nicked sticks and cotton covered ends 



