This is an Audi A5 that I wrapped the other day.  I have wrapped a lot of vehicles in black matte this summer but this car for some reason had the coolest transformation.  I used 3M 85 comply black matte and it went on like a dream as usual.  The picture doesn't quite do it justice but the particular shade of black matte is really nice, not too gray but deep black, almost satin.  Thanks as usual to the incorrigible Ruben van Raam for getting me the 85 comply to play with.  The next cool project I have coming up on the horizon is a wrap for Pim Smit, an artist in Belgium.  He is designing a special wrap for one of his cars.  Should be good.

Before this workshop I will be doing demos in Mutoh's booth at the Long Beach NBM sign show.  If you are at the show, come on by to check out the demos or ask me questions as I wrap it up.  Always nice to be doing the sign shows/workshop in sunny California.

Aug.3 - Carwrapping

Aug. 17 - Basic

Sept. 7 - Carwrapping

Sept. 21 - Basic

Oct. 5 - Carwrapping

Oct. 19 - Basic

Nov. 2 - Carwrapping

Nov. 16/17 - Paint Replacement

Dec. 7 - Carwrapping

Dec. 21 - Basic

Today I finished teaching the second Basic Training Workshop at Squeezy in the Netherlands which is sponsored by 3M.  There was 10 students and I, along with Herman and Sandra, provided hands-on instruction throughout the day. For the Basic Workshop, Ruben van Raam  from 3M provided theory training about 3M, the properties of the film, how they are made and the different films and uses.  After that I talked about tools and then the students got their hands dirty for the rest of the day.  The main focus for the Basic Workshop is on learning proper fundamentals - how to squeegee, clean, cut, make text straight and problem solve.  This training is a stepping stone to the Car Wrapping workshop taught at Squeezy and for the advanced paint replacement training that begins in November.  The films used for the Basic Training varied widely so as to give the students as much experience as possible - IJ50, IJ70, 85, IJ100, IJ380 and 580 reflective film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrURAasR6Q8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VM_ngWx-lg

World Cup fever here is reaching its peak with the Dutch playing in the finals Sunday.  Today I wrapped a Mini Cooper in the Dutch colors using Avery 900.  I wrapped the Mini Cooper for a client of Squeezy, the premiere installation company in the Netherlands.  The client actually wants to keep the wrap on for a year so, win or lose, the guy is riding in style for quite awhile.

I wrapped another car in matte black this week.  This time it was a super slick Jaguar.  For this wrap, I used the new 3M black matte 85 series with comply that is coming on the market soon.  Up until now its come with only Controltac but it now has Comply which makes it go on super smooth.  The black matte is nice and rich as well with no shining when stretched.  Thanks as always to the dapper Ruben van Raam from 3M for hooking me up with this new film and HDV for the work.  Next up is a black matte motorcycle and a Mercedes.

I was very pleased to find out that for latest issue of Sign and Digital Graphics they put me on the cover and ran an article I wrote on my UGIS: Universal Graphic Installation System.  Its the first time I've made the cover of any magazine so its actually kind of a thrill.  Thanks as always to Matt Dixon and everyone at the magazine for their support.

http://www.sdgmag.com/article/installation-tips-help-wrappers-improve

As a thank you to Olf, the constructor for the renovation on my house, I wrapped his Toyota matte black.  The film we used was U.S. Avery's EZ wrapping film.  A special thank you to Molly Waters for coordinating the delivery of the film.  The material went on smooth as butter and it didn't lose its matte finish when molded around complex curves like on the bumper.  Black matte is all the rage here in the Netherlands.  This week I have two black matte wraps - a Jaguar and a Mercedes.

"After having attended a few other wrap training classes I was still facing struggles with installs that took longer than expected.  I did some searching on the web and found stellar reviews for Justin Pate and the Mutoh Hands-On Wrap Class.  It was clear that with his years of experience, Justin had developed a unique system to break down the complexity of wrap installations.  I felt that learning them first-hand was a necessity to decrease overall installation times and increase our profits.

The class far exceeded my expectations from the get go.  Justin took the time to explain materials, tools, vendors, techniques and more.  He went over his UGIS technique in detail, with numerous visual and hands-on examples. I couldn’t believe that this system hadn’t been “required teaching” by the major material vendors.  With over 2500+ installs under his belt, it was clear to see that there was a well thought process behind developing his technique.  His has made the UGIS easy to understand, simple learn and a breeze to execute.

In previous classes, we were encouraged to use heat to stretch the material into any space, this however led to premature failure and obvious re-do’s. In fact, the entire class was in awe when Justin installed the side of a Ford Transit using UGIS and no heat. Justin showed us how to “visually read” the material so that we could minimize film distortion. We learned to use proper hand tension and tool technique instead of heat to make the material conform, as we needed.  This knowledge alone has saved us countless hours in install time and re-do’s.

I cannot say enough good things about Justin and what I learned in this class, it’s truly a game changer in our shop.  It will increase production efficiency and quality, which in turn will lead to bigger profits.  My only regret is that I was unable to attend the Advance Workshop the following day. Had I been able to change my flight, I surely would have made it!"

Elmer Martinez
GMediaWraps
GMediaWraps.com
847-791-6668