Thread: creating an antique fortune teller machine (spirit ball)

Roth, "the Greek", Jimmy C, to name a few i striped with, most of them are/were here in Cali are those who started it.It was & still has been an honor to have striped with / known them.

Ok, shweeeet boat ( i have a marine biz, so familiar with it ) Roth flaking & striping eh? ok i have my flake gun, striping brushes & airbrushes, what destination to i buy my plane ticket to ?!.....LoL

As to striping a customers stuff & in public, ya been doing it awhile now , but have learned to concentrate on what I'm doing not what's around me,....if i goof I wipe it off. Of course I try not to goof as it wastes time on a paying job. But I've seen even the greats like Roth striping along & - oops - wipe off & go at it again, we're all human & it happens Just don't dwell on it - As rocker Pat Travis would say " Go for what ya know ! "

Sometimes at big shows like Oakland Grand Nationals & SF Custom Rod & Car show,etc I would get a crowd behind me, ya can hear whispers & people trying to be quiet while i striped, tension in the air was high, so I would deliberately goof a line,say Oops- laugh, wipe it off & say it's ok to talk around & ask me questions while I striped,...Hee-Hee ...it help always brake the tension for me on what I was doing. Crowd or not you will get used to it......

You'll find that people are fascinated with hand striping & no matter what your doing,they're in awe, usually comments like "look at his steady hand", "crap, I couldn't draw a crooked line with a pencil if my life depended on it"......
Ya just get into the groove of & become " one with the brush & paint ". If you have a little boom box, pop in some oldies tunes to help ya get into the mood Noth'in like striping to some Beach boys or 50's - 60's car type tunes

Stripe on Finkster !!

I'll Pm ya as to not derail this thread about striping any further- needs to get back to your ubber kewl project !

Originally Posted by hollow

No to be too nosy, and you don't have to answer, but...
I saw on this thread in a comment that a "real" gypsy prop starts at about $4,500 and goes up from there! Wow!
How much do you think you've put into this one? (It's awesome, btw)
If that is too nosy a question just ignore me or tell me to hush- whichever you wish!

no problem, actually i'm really not sure.

i had the sprit ball (purchased it on sale for halloween) $19.99
cab cost me $100 used.
i spent $30 on jewerly cloths/scarves etc. (value village-used)
snowglobe (crystal ball) cost me a $1 (used)
tarrot cards i had, along with the skull/bug/candle stick holder/paint and black velvet.
flicker bulb was a free bee (got it in one of 3 boxes from an auction, paid $15 and i've already sold $70 worth of stuff outta there. got to keep some really cool items also) def. a free bee.
lighting cost me $14.99 for the 4 bulb fixture (new) and $7 for the parts to wire up the flicker candle. (new)

so $173 if you include the spirit ball, $153 if ya dont
i figure by the time i get a wig and the other things i need, i'll probably hit $200. (including spirit ball)


darklord, truely amazing!
just got your email/pm, i'll catch ya on the flip side.

been painting my little heart out.

i found an old nickle decal i liked.
i traced it on my monitor, then traced through the same piece of paper on my window. (to get a reverse image)
taped it on the front of the glass and traced it with paint from the back.
for the most part, i'm very happy with the results. (imperfections and all)

now as long as i can find a nickle coin mech, i'll be good.

btw where's a good place to get cheap realistic grey extension's/wig/hair piece.
i dont need a lot of hair, but i also don't want it to look like a cheap polyester halloween wig. the more realistic the better.

oh almost forgot $4 for dollar store 7.5 watt indicator light bulbs.

This looks incredible. And you (and Dark Lord) do the striping by hand? I don't know anyone in my area that doesn't use vinyl these days. I think "hand painted" decal work is going to be a lost art soon. Great job!

Originally Posted by Xane

This looks incredible. And you (and Dark Lord) do the striping by hand? I don't know anyone in my area that doesn't use vinyl these days. I think "hand painted" decal work is going to be a lost art soon. Great job!

well dark lord is a pinstriper. (by hand) i'm just pretenting. lol
i painted this by hand, but i wouldn't say i'm proficient at it. (i'm just devling into striping)
it's something i plan on learning though.
the list of things to do is def. getting shorter.

Ok ya going for an A +++ ...???? Love the gold as it is inside all the spots you placed them. As for the 5 cent, you have done a great job reproducing by the way you did it ! VERY well done & the imperfections, like i said add to the fact it's hand done- too perfect looks like a sticker. trying to make something look too much like it isn't painted best left to airbrushed poster copies. The imperfections give it more authenticity as back when these were done. ( Ok so I hear them lips grin bigger again...LoL )

Really loving your artist talents on this piece, construction, design & of course the painting ! Sometimes perfection is the sign of a sick mind,........ oh ya wait a minute, i forgot, we're a sic 'n twisted lot to begin with !

Originally Posted by Xane

This looks incredible. And you (and Dark Lord) do the striping by hand? I don't know anyone in my area that doesn't use vinyl these days. I think "hand painted" decal work is going to be a lost art soon. Great job!

Yes, & I believe there is a talented new comer to the striping community ! Been doing it since I was 16 ( ya know, yesterday,..LoL ) 30'ot + years later, still love it & glad to help pass the art along to anyone serious enough to want to learn so as NOT to let it become a lost art. People go with vinyl as it is cheaper than hand painted, but painted on is still sought after over decals when possible & not costly.

oh yes, sick and twisted bunch, or at least thats what my girly says.lol

i sure am glad i painted on the back of the glass. the silver and gold paint is so very thin, it took 3 coats to prevent light from leaking through. looks kinda messy at the back.
yeah i think ya made be blush a little, but ya know i appreciate your opinions.

your right though, all those imperfections are growing on me, and it really does look the part of an old hand painted machine.
i'm probably my own worst critic.

a couple few questions for you guys.
i want to add "gypsy fortune teller" signage.

i've got 2 lines of thought.
1. add a sign to the top of the machine
2. paint on the side panels

if i add a sign to the top it will read something to the effect of "gyspy fortune teller". i'm thinking some scroll work either cut into the wood or the sign framed in a metal scroll work. perhaps a couple of the fancy shelf brackets on each side of the sign. (upside down)
this would be the look i'm going for.



if i paint on the glass, i'd probably paint fortune on one pain and teller on the other. (letters above one another.)

what do you guys think? next question. originally i was going to call her madame zita.
do you think mama zita is a little too cheese? (mamacita means hotty, good looking mother, etc)
i surpose i could call her grandmama zita. lol

mama? or madame?

You can always paint a coat of black to "seal" the gold - silver to keep lite from coming thru,help with opaqueness from front & clean up the look from the rear.

I like the cab pic of the princess on & he sign on top. & i would go with Madame, old gypsy fortune tellers were usually named madame or was a young "princess" seer or a male swami / mystic....... these were usually more "ancient" or mystical names they wanted to project to public. Grandma,....well she gave out cookies, & only predicted you would get a woop'in if ya didn't do what you were told......?! LoL
Mama Zita,.....eh......... so far you have an "original" recopy look going, think Mama Zita might be boardering as cheesey......IMO

The sign i would go with the wood scrolling, sign maybe; ( scroll paint work on sides )
- Gypsy Fortune Teller -
Madame Zita see's all
past - present - future

or just the 1st 2 lines & then the word ( as you would one letter under the other ) "predictions" on one window side & " Past - present - future " on the other.......?

How a bout a pic all together as you have it now - full length photo to see how it looks.

Originally Posted by icyuod2

a ratty brother from another mother! love it!

i gotta ask, when your lettering somebodies boat or striping a car, is it stressful?
i'd be thinkin the entire time... "leigh, don't $&@% this thing up, leigh, don't &#$@ this thing up leigh.....)
i surpose your well practiced enough, its becomes second nature.
i'm still in aw, you've striped with roth. how friggin cool, that's one to mark down in your book of life.

anytime ya wanna shoot me pic's of your works, toys etc. i'd love to see em.

i was actually given a 1960 cali made mandella drag boat this fall. (ford 390/basset water cooled headers etc )
the previous owner painted it flat black. i think i might take a crack at pinstriping it, throw a pirate flag at it and call it a done deal.

eventually, i'd like to throw some mad 70's flake at it (roth style with lots o striping dividing the colors)

i'll be taking you up on those drills for sure.

terror tom, thats my last resort. i see those replica gumball machines on kijiji for $20 all the time. if i cant find the one i want, thats my back up plan.
(buying a used gumball machine)

what i'd actually like to do is find an old nickle slide mech. like this.
(this is on my 1930's mills balance pinball)


it fits the part and the slide action sould ensure triggering the sensor each and everytime.

check out some pool table coins slots with a person that sets up games in the bars etc... they would have some old coin slots laying around from repairing the old stuff....

Holy Crap! You win.