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.

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.

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.

Yesterday was the first carwrap training at Squeezy and it went very well.  There were 9 students with 3 instructors - Sandra, Herman and myself.  Ruben and Ronald from 3M were there to provide theory training and answer any questions regarding the media.  The facility is just perfect for trainings with lots of mounted doors, a dedicated vehicle for wrapping and a lecture room for video (and for drinking coffee).  I am very happy to be part of this training program.  For more information on these trainings go to my workshop page on this site or www.squeezy.nl.  The media used was 3M's IJ380 and 85 series.

The pilot training session for Squeezy's new 3M sponsored carwrap training took place today.  7 attendees participated in the training which focused on 3M IJ380 and 85 films.  Squeezy's training facility is first rate with a dedicated training room that includes a wide array of mounted doors.  This is for focusing on the more complex aspects of applications like compound curves and deep recessed areas.   In their main installation space there are two vehicles that serve as practice for learning the general story of car wrapping.  Niels Langedijk, owner of Squeezy, has really gone out of his way to make this a first rate program.  I am very happy to be a part of this new endeavor as it has the potential to set the quality standard for car wrapping and paint replacement.  A special thanks to Ruben van Raam of 3M for helping with this project and for instructors Sandra and Herman for being so damn cool.

Everyone was eager to learn and the facility and support from 3M Belgium was great so it turned out to be a very successful workshop.  A meeting is planned with Kris Nuyts from 3M Belgium and Niels Langedijk from Squeezy to plan more workshops. 

Very cool and exciting for me not only in terms of teaching more workshops which I love to do but it means I get to hang out in beautiful Brussels with my wife.  Always nice when work and play can be combined.