PPG Automotive Refinish held an automotive custom restoration seminar at the company’s Wixom, Mich., Business Development Center March 9-11. The three-day event, part of a series of PPG custom training classes, provided instruction in PPG processes and products for successfully prepping and painting automotive restoration projects.
Event registration drew professional custom builders, hobbyists and vocational technology students from across the country. Several custom car world celebrities also attended, including Charley Hutton of Charley Hutton’s Color Studio, Nampa, Idaho; Randy Borchering of Painthouse, Cypress, Texas; Ryan Korek of Korek Designs, New Berlin, Pa.; and the paint team from Detroit Speed, Inc., Mooresville, N.C.
“This was a great experience for everyone,” said Jeff Matauch, Business Development Center manager. “Everybody wanted to hear about the latest PPG painting techniques and products. Even the most accomplished painters like Hutton and Borchering were eager to learn from us – and from each other. We know there’s demand for custom restoration, and we hope to develop more of these seminars in the near future.
Instruction over the three days covered surface preparation and undercoats, topcoats and clearcoats. While many of PPG’s refinish products were discussed, the workshop focused on the Vibrance Collection custom paint finishes and its many colors, micas, pigments and special effects that allow painters to create dramatic paint schemes. To ensure their versatility, Vibrance Collection offerings have been carefully crafted to work seamlessly with all PPG premium quality solvent and waterborne topcoat systems, PPG states.
Seminar attendees received copies of PPG’s new Custom Restoration Guide, which presents details of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for custom builders and restorations. Randy Cremeans, PPG director of marketing, collision segment USCA, worked with industry experts such as Matauch, PPG Master Painter Paul Stoll, the Roadster Shop crew in Chicago and others to create a guide that would share with customers practical, real-world insights into the restoration process. Regardless of what vehicle or vehicle substrate is being worked on, the Custom Restoration Guide outlines PPG’s recommended process for successful surface prepping and painting. The guide documents the multiple procedures involved in custom restorations and addresses everything from stripping a substrate to color identification and paint application. The Custom Restoration Guide is available online at the PPG website and may be viewed or downloaded free of charge. Anyone interested in vehicle restoration is invited to the site.
To learn more about PPG custom training classes, the Vibrance Collection and other PPG refinish products, call (800) 647-6050 or visit www.ppgrefinish.com.
