Made in the USA
Guest Blog | Media Blast & Abrasives, Inc.
Without further ado, IKONICS Imaging brings you a fun recap of the 2018 Sandcarving Seminar in Brea, California. This bi-annual event has been going on for 10 years! Each seminar has evolved and IKONICS will continue to ebb and flow with the needs and demands for sandcarving education. This seminar always surprises IKONICS in the diversity of both the attendees and their businesses. While local attendees were majority, students from all over the US attended including the Caribbean, Texas and Wyoming. Whether you’re looking to expand your business, drill into and refine specific techniques or simply network with other sandcarvers, this two-day seminar is a continuous success, something we look forward to each and every year.
New this year to the Brea Sandcarving Seminar were the two different locations. Day one was held at the Brea Community Center on Friday, April 27. 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 learned extensive knowledge in what goes into sandcarving artwork, the base of all sandcarving projects. Darin Jones really drilled into artwork creation and preparation for creating effective and successful sandcarving results. Jones went into live demonstrations on how to utilize Corel programs for creating stage-carve, halftone and compound curve artwork. These three techniques not only help grow your business, but also shed light on possible new and creative techniques or offerings where a higher-profit is achievable. Throughout the session, there were drawings and sweet prizes for students to win, including high-end Krosno® barware blanks, tumblers and Laser Tape rolls. After day one concluded, day two focused on hands-on training with our partner Media Blast & Abrasive, Inc., a couple miles down the road.
Day two of the seminar is really the ‘bread and butter’ for attendees. The hands-on training, along with applying the day-one knowledge, is really why this seminar draws a lot of people – 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. These learning points are crucial and also very much appreciated by students.
While the machine maintenance group is busy, the other group focuses 100% on the sandcarving process. Students take the knowledge and skillset they’ve learned from day one and put it to the test. The class worked with the CrystalBlast Elite, Pro X2 and Summit, all top-of-the-line CrystalBlast sandcarving machines. Darin Jones and Josh Munter with IKONICS went through the full sandcarving process. After the artwork is created on the computer and printed onto 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 hand-full of neat sandcarved substrates along with extensive knowledge to make them a better sandcarver. Overall, this is the perfect class for learning and maintaining CrystalBlast machines on top of refining your sandcarving skills, understanding the process, regardless if you’re a beginner or have been sandcarving for many years.
The class ended day two with a treat, a tour of our manufacturing facility at Media Blast & Abrasive, Inc. by Francisco with Media Blast. 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 each and every machine. Not only can they see how the CrystalBlast and AquaBlast machines are built, 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 where and how the CrystalBlast and AquaBlast machines are 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. As a bonus, being a part of the class allows you to meet other fellow sandcarvers and discover what they know and possibly learn a new and different process or method. 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 out, join our next class in Brea, CA on October 5-6, 2018. Click here for more information, or contact IKONICS Imaging any time.
