Made in the USA
Guest Blog | Media Blast & Abrasives, Inc.
That’s a wrap! IKONICS Imaging ends a successful seminar season in sunny California! With over 30 attendees, this beginner-to-intermediate sandcarving seminar was by far the largest sandcarving seminar held at Media Blast & Abrasive. Attendees gathered from all over the US and Canada, from Tennessee and Texas to Indiana and Washington. Not only was this group geographically diverse, there was a wide variety of industries. From the Monument industry to Trophies and Awards, this mixture allowed for a unique learning environment. This wasn’t a space for competition, instead, a room for growth, development and networking.
The IKONICS Imaging Sandcarving Seminar flowed as normal. Day one started off with introductions and breaking off into two groups. One group began learning about the CrystalBlast line of equipment, the other group started learning about RapidMask – the only dry-process film on the market. What’s nice about the seminar is the latest and greatest equipment is available. This seminar allowed for sandcarvers to try new, top-of-the-line equipment for free! Attendees experienced the CrystalBlast Summit along with the staples of the CrystalBlast line including the popular Elite and Pro.
Following lunch, the two groups separated again. One group spent time learning basic artwork practices. Darin Jones discussed and demonstrated Corel Draw and showed how to generate artwork for sandcarving halftones along with multistage-carving best practices. Good sandcarving truly stems from great artwork. It’s extremely important to understand what’s required in generating artwork which will only set you up for success. The other group learned the basics of IKONICS Imaging’s washout photoresist films including R-Series and UltraPeel. Of course the groups rotated between all stations. Weather the film is being washed out on an AquaBlast automated washout unit, or right in the kitchen sink, IKONICS Imaging’s washout photoresist films are truly the best-performing photoresists in the industry. The class finished off the day with hands-on sandcarving practice and putting what they learned to the test!
The last day of the sandcarving seminar began with a basic recap of everything learned from day one. Wes Barton and Darin Jones also demonstrated basic color-filling applications, halftones and stage-carving processes. These are techniques that are unique to sandcarving and great examples of how sandcarving allows for diversification and creating profitable products with high margins. The seminar students spent majority of their time perfecting and practicing their sandcarving skills. Overall, these seminars are so much more than just a class. The environment is an open space not only to learn and refine skillsets but more importantly connect with others in the industry. Learning about each other’s businesses, etching processes and techniques brings everyone together and makes for a great class, a tighter-knit family and allows for IKONICS Imaging to grow alongside.
