charlie_b

So I stop by Coast Airbrush today and get some taller triggers for my Iwata HP-CH and my HP-CS. Dave Monig, owner of Coast Airbrush spends some time to BS with me about paints and industry yap until he mentions that he is having a seminar and demo tonight at his store. If you guys don’t already know, Coast Airbrush pretty much put the airbrush industry on the map, with tens of thousands of customers dating back since 1996 reveling in his service and repair for airbrushes, compressors, and most importantly, education for this industry.
Yes, it was back in ’96 was when I was first introduced to Iwata and the use of water-based paints on polycarbonate. As soon as I adopted the use of WB paints, painting became an up most pleasure to me, allowing me to paint indoors with no fumes from lacquers to worry about and easy water clean up. Back when the only game in town was Pactra and I was ridiculed for even using anything else by pro rc painters and racers alike, I stuck to my guns and continued to use what was best for me. Now, almost 12 years later, with the help of FASKOLOR, WB paints are the standard in RC and continues to thrive in this competitive industry.
Going back to Coast, I decided to attend the seminar. It was basically geared towards automotive custom painting, I still felt I could learn a thing or two. And that I did! At Coast, they have four garages all for paint! The fifth one is dedicated to Coast’s classes they have every month. As you can see, a full house and then some!


Jon Kosmoski is a very energetic custom painter, and at 70 years old, he is as healthy as ever. Jon did demos on a fiberglass Marlon, iron cross, and motorcycle tank.



Jon talks about the differences between HOK clears and other clearcoats; basically saying most clears have a 70/30 ratio, 70 % solvents or Diluent, 30 %of actually acrylic. What is Diluent? Basically it is a diluting agent. When a urathane clear is at it’s rawest form, its basically a piece of clear plastic. A Diluent melts all the plastic together and allows for an easier transport from your gun to the surface you are clearing. HOK clears are 30/70, and because HOK diluents better engineered, less is needed and you get more clear than solvents. Another plus for this is the less solvents you use, the more BITE there is on the surface you are clearing.


Jon also talked about technique and the importance of keeping straight lines. KNOW the shape of the item you are clearing. Your gun should always stay a consistent 4-6" from the surface and always be FLAT. (see fig 1) Try not to flair the ends of your clear job or you will get runs. Another technique of doing curves like a motorcycle tank is doing "band Passes" where you do the smaller sections first, then do the straight lines of coverage on the broad areas. For Helmets, he recommends limiting your spray pattern on your gun to about 4”. I learned that you have to adjust the spray pattern according to the viscosity of the paint and the size of the object you are painting. Just because your gun sprays a 14” pattern, doesn’t mean you do less passes and more coverage. This is a BIG NO NO! What happens is that with a spray pattern that big, you will get orange peeling on the edges and that is BAD. Adjust your trigger(some airbrushes have this feature as well) to make your pattern tighter. Anything larger than a 6” pattern and a distance from the surface of 5” is a wasted paintjob. He also recommended having a 75% overlap when spraying. (see fig 2)


Overall, there was just waay too much info covered in such a short period of time. I am hoping Jon can come over here and educate us all on his products as well as his painting knowledge. I definitely learned quite a few things and will be applying it to future projects.

Other cool things that was at the seminar was Wayne from Sata.


Yes, they also make Airbrushes! Sata is world renowned for their sprayguns especially the ones with the trick DIGITAL..yes, DIGITAL air regulators ON their sprayguns! How cool is that?
Featured here are Sata’s FULLMASK complete with Oxygen tank!, Mini Spray Gun(works just like an airbrush, but with a trigger), his Satagraph 1(comes with .25 and .45 tips) and their BADBOY Airbrush, the Satagraph 3 with a crown tip, preset handle, and a choice of .15,.25, and a .45 tip.

charlie_b

Since most of you probably never been to Coast, I might as well show you what they have there…starting with their store. Yes, 6 isles of paint, one isle of compressors, one isle of masks and templates, and one isle of books and magazines. Yes, teh walls are purple and the outside of the building is yellow.



Other cools things to see at Coast is the plethora of customer work on display EVERYWHERE in the store!



And ofcoarse, some pics of the "peeps". From top,left to right. Torrin and Dave, Jon and Charlie, Dave with Skateboard, and Angie infront of Dave's custom painted Salt water tank.




After a night of laughs, learning, pictures, oohs and aaahs, the night came to an end. It is no wonder Dave at Coast Airbrush is so successful at what he does. He really takes care of his customers and it shows though the support he getsfrom customers, pros and manufactureres a like. BIG THANX to Dave for giving us this "schooling"!
Big Thanx to Jon as well! Jon Kosmoski not only is an innovator, but a pioneer in this industry of ours. Even if we just paint toy cars, the reality is, we are bigger than we can even imagine. Our backwards style of painting not only is unique in itself, but the possibilities of what we can paint with out knowledge is endless. Only YOUUUUUU, can limit yourself to what you can paint!


About Jon Kosmoski and House of Kolor.
House of Kolor® was founded in 1956 by world-renowned custom painter, Jon Kosmoski. Jon had rebuilt a '40 Chevy Coupe and took it to the best paint shop in town. After having the car returned to him with a less than satisfactory custom paint job from the "best" custom painting shop in town, Jon knew it could be done better and decided to learn how.
Jon quickly became well-known for his skills as a custom painter, however, he was displeased with the problematic nitrocellulose laquers and alkyd enamels of that day, which would sometimes sun-fade or cold-crack.
Jon wanted something better and if it wasn't out there then he would have to invent it. Together with a doctor in polymer chemistry Jon set out to produce custom paint that wouldn't tarnish, crack or sun-fade, even in severe climates or radical temperature changes. In addition, it would withstand the many coats required for a custom paint job. When Jon's products and skills came together his custom paint jobs began to win awards, and people began to talk. Word spread and by 1965 House of Kolor® was nationally renowned as the high-caliber custom paint for customizing vehicles.
In 1997 House of Kolor® became part of the Valspar Automotive Coatings Division. Jon continues to play an important role in House of Kolor®. He travels around the world conducting training classes, and continues to share his innovative ideas, helping to keep House of Kolor® on the leading edge of custom automotive coatings.
House of Kolor® maintains its integrity and reputation as a leader in the custom painting industry by using only the finest ingredients in the production of its award-winning custom paint products. Our unique product line gives custom painters the freedom to use their imaginations to design, invent, and create "one of a kind" custom paint jobs.

Thanx for reading peeps....remember...Happy painting and...
"Don't Spill That!!!"