Without further ado, IKONICS Imaging is excited to share a recap of the 2nd 2018 Sandcarving Seminar in Brea, California. As you all know, this bi-annual event has been going on for over 10 years! Each seminar continues to evolve and IKONICS adapts to the needs & demands for sandcarving education in the industry. This seminar always surprises IKONICS in the diversity of attendees and their businesses. Whether you’re looking to expand your business, drill into and refine specific techniques or simply network with other sandcarvers, this two-day seminar suits those needs and continues to be a success every year!
New to 2018 are the two different locations for our Brea Seminar. Day one was held at the Brea Community Center on Friday, October 5, 2018. It’s been said the Brea Community Center is a pleasant addition to the agenda, very accommodating and a fresh start to the program. During the three hour course, the 20+ students gained extensive knowledge in what goes into sandcarving artwork, the base of all sandcarving projects. IKONICS Imaging recently partnered with CADlink in developing S3 Simple Sandcarve Software. More information to come in the near future! Mel Washington with CADlink went through a live demo on the S3 software. Darin Jones also drilled into artwork creation and preparation for creating effective and successful sandcarving results. Jones touched on other software topics and programs in creating artwork for stage-carve, halftone and compound curve artwork. These three techniques not only help grow your sandcarving business, but also shed light on possible new and creative techniques or offerings where a higher-profit is achievable.
After day one concluded, IKONICS and the entire seminar crew headed over to the Yard House in Brea, CA for our first ever networking dinner. It was a huge success and fun to get to know our customers on a new level. Plus, it was an excellent key networking event for the students.
Day two of the seminar is really the ‘meat & potatoes’ for attendees, held on Saturday, October 6, 2018. The hands-on training, along with applying knowledge from Day One of the seminar, is really what draws people to this seminar – both new and returning students. On day two, the group of 20+ students are split-up into two groups, allowing for more one-on-one attention. The first group dives right into CrystalBlast machine basics. Everyone learns, hands-on, how to run the machine efficiently and effectively. Not only do they learn how the CrystalBlast machine works, but also basic machine maintenance and preventative maintenance. Bob Gonzales with Media Blast & Abrasives, Inc. was very helpful in assisting the IKONICS crew during the machine maintenance and sandcarving groups. The learning points and topics about the machines are crucial and very much appreciated by students.
Students Focus on The Sandcarving Process
While the machine maintenance group is busy, the other group is 100% focused on the sandcarving process. The students take the knowledge and skillset they’ve learned from day one and put it to the test. Students worked with the CrystalBlast Elite, Pro X2 and Summit, all top-of-the-line CrystalBlast sandcarving machines with CleanFlo Techology. Darin Jones and Wes Barton with IKONICS demonstrated and went through the full sandcarving process. After the artwork is created on the computer and printed on AccuBlack, or PFX/Vellum, it’s now time to transfer the image to the photoresist film. With the dry-process film, RapidMask, it is as simple as expose, apply and blast. With RapidMask, there’s no washout, no water involved in creating the photoresist mask. After the AccuBlack artwork is exposed onto the RapidMask, it’s easily applied to the substrate, and it’s ready for sandcarving. IKONICS Imaging also offers washout film. In this case, once the artwork is created, it needs to be washed out when using R-Series, UltraPeel, or any other washout film by IKONICS Imaging. After the washout, the photoresist mask is then applied to the substrate in preparation for sandblasting.
Students enjoyed sandcarving on a variety of substrates including beer mugs and crystal barware items along with ceramic coffee mugs and stainless steel thermos. Each person walked away with a handful of neat sandcarved substrates along with extensive knowledge to make them a better sandcarver. Overall, this is the perfect class for learning and refining your sandcarving skills, along with knowledge of the entire sandcarving process, regardless if you’re a beginner or have been sandcarving for many years.
Mid-class, after lunch time, everyone gathered to take a tour of the Media Blast & Abrasives, Inc. facility by Ron Storer, owner of Media Blast & Abrasives, Inc. Exploring the shop is a student favorite. The fact that everything is made within Media Blast, in the USA, is really exciting and students can see with their own eyes what goes into building each and every machine. Not only can they see how the CrystalBlast and AquaBlast machines are made, but understand the breadth of Media Blast, including the wide array of machines and industries they build for – very impressive and built with a strong reputation.
At the end of the day, not only do students learn about how and where IKONICS sandcarving and washout equipment is made, the IKONICS experts in the sandcarving industry share knowledge, tips and insight into the industry, something you cannot get anywhere else. Jones has been with IKONICS for over 13 years and Wes Barton has been with IKONICS for 5 years! As a bonus, being a part of the class allows you to meet other fellow sandcarvers and discover what they know and do, which sheds light on new and different processes or methods. You would be surprised at how many different industries and niches there are – from monument and wine bottle to strictly ceramic mugs or racing crystal awards, there’s so many out there and a lot of room for opportunity, exploration and growth.
Interested in attending our next sandcarving seminar in California? Don’t miss the announcement on our 2019 Sandcarving Seminars, check our website early 2019 for more details or subscribe to our monthly newsletters. Don’t hesitate to contact IKONICS Imaging in the meantime with any additional questions.