Prep to Finish Paint Training Workshops

Scott,
I don't xpect to be going to JLC.  It's a 2+ hour drive for me to get there.  as son as the  show starts, i know from experience, i will listen for about 5 minutes.  2 hours later, i will awaken and wonder where I am. Just one of the perks with being 39. I do get to watch on the screen tho.  I will keep my eyes open and tilt one on your behalf as I watch.

BTW: THE BOSS looks over my shoulder once in awhile.  If i fail to answer one of her questions, either with an answer; or with a growl for distracting me, she will give me a crack on the noggin for falling asleep.  It's great to have an alarm clock that is always on the job.  AND very efficient too.
Tinker
 
Tinker said:
Scott,
I don't xpect to be going to JLC.  It's a 2+ hour drive for me to get there.  as son as the  show starts, i know from experience, i will listen for about 5 minutes.  2 hours later, i will awaken and wonder where I am. Just one of the perks with being 39. I do get to watch on the screen tho.  I will keep my eyes open and tilt one on your behalf as I watch.

BTW: THE BOSS looks over my shoulder once in awhile.  If i fail to answer one of her questions, either with an answer; or with a growl for distracting me, she will give me a crack on the noggin for falling asleep.  It's great to have an alarm clock that is always on the job.  AND very efficient too.
Tinker
Click to expand...

It's good to know you won't fall asleep and miss anything, unless you just plain need a nap. I see one coming on tomorrow, during the Daytona 500 for me.
 
I have not watched the Daytona for a  couple of years now. the last time i watched it, i thought i was going into a coma.  it was like watching a Conga line without the girls. Oops! There was one there, but still not very exciting.  I haven't followed the warmups so don't have foggiest about who is at pole or anywhere else in the race.
Tinker
 
Our video production team is working overtime to get footage out about what we've been up to so far in 2015.

Here is a highlight vid of a recent sprayer training with PDCA painters in the Boston area:



Next up will be video from our JLC Live classes last week.

Thanks for watching. Feel free to ask questions.
 
[member=19511]Scott B[/member]  Scott, The vid was interesting.  I Think there were some particles of good advice there.  I have never sprayed paint other than a few times i tipped over a bucket full.  I have watched plenty of times tho and picked up some scraps of advice about procedures now and them.  If there were some utterances of good advice, it might be great for others watching who are really looking for solid info if the music could be toned down just a tad.  As it was, it was drowning out my crickets and katydids.

I really like what you guys are doing with both contractors and kids.  Especially with kids.  Today, there are so many rules and regulations working against them, I wonder that any can be eel prepared for the real world when they get out into it.

As I have mentioned earlier, I have worked with many young men and a couple of young ladies during the course of my experiences with my masonry AND landscaping.  Isn't it great when, years later, you happen to meet up with a long ago youngster who is now well established in a trade, and sometimes, even their own business and they shake your hand and thank you for having taught them "so much".  That has to be one of the greatest experiences in business and teaching there is.

Tinker
 
Thanks Tinker. Yes, teaching the kids is really special to us, to be able to share our decades of trade based experience with those looking to enter. That's why we start the program for sure.

Yes, we are in the process of exploring upgrades to our audio/video program. A couple of wireless Lavaliers will go a long way in what we do. We'll get that dialed this year, in our spare time  [scared]
 
Billedis said:
Scott, thank you for all you do for kids and for us here on the FOG.  Bill
Click to expand...

Thanks, Bill. It's reciprocal. I learn a lot here too.
 
Here is a video from a vocational school workshop we did a couple of weeks ago. We have also added videos from the JLC Live Classes we taught in Providence. Some folks weren't able to make it to our Interior Wood Finishing Class because of a competing event, some kind of Festool Connect or something  [big grin]

We will be doing an Intro to Spray Clinic in the NYC area in a couple of weeks for anyone interested. Here is a link:

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/prep-to-finish-sprayed-finishes-workshop-registration-16386115312?aff=erelexporg

 
Every year we do a tour for paint education. Last year, we travelled from Maine to Montana teaching kids. This year, we did a ‪#‎543tour‬, where we taught 5 clinics in 4 states in 3 weeks. The tour started in CT, then went to NY, MA and wrapped at a school in VT. Prior to that we had been in Boston and Providence, RI doing clinics.

The first stop on the 543 tour was Stamford, CT. We have taught kids in schools for a few years, but never one like this. This school is located 45 minutes from the Bronx in NY. It had become a dumping ground for troubled kids, and became overrun by gang activity. The state shut it down, put $9M into the campus, including a community park and sports fields, along with the most world class tech school we have ever seen.

We taught 28 kids. There may have been one or two white kids. Most have been in this country for less than 2 years. Imagine being a teenager in a strange land, challenged by language and cultural confusion.

This was pretty cool for us. These kids are the freshman class in what is a high profile first year technical high school. They spent their first semester in the classroom, learning about the tools that are in their shop, and the projects they would take on in the spring semester. We consider ourselves lucky to have gone into their shop and worked with them. Their shop is fully equipped with multiple SawStop rigs, planers, jointers, CNC machinery, etc.

If people are willing to work and learn skills, anything is possible. Here are some video highlights from that session. The rest of the tour will also be shared in video, so be sure to subscribe to our channel if you are interested.


 
This is so cool. I always think about going back to my high school to do a designer concrete workshop with them. Tech schools could possibly be the future.
 
Scott, i took shop all four years I was in HS.  My freshman year, the teacher sometimes had little control of the groups in his class.  When i moved to the HS in my sophomore year, the teacher was very tough, no non-sense type of guy.  most of the ids who took shop were dead-ender types who took the class only for an easy credit.  They were in for a big surprise with that teacher.  He was a tough credit as well as sometimes actually physically tough with his discipline.  The kids who stayed in his class learned a lot and, i think came out the better for having had him for their teacher.  Some of his shop students got into a peck of trouble at one time and were to be expelled from school.  It went all the way to the superintendent, but the shop teacher went to bat for them.  Even tho there had been times when he had actually cuffed some of them and/or booted them in the tail (in those days, a teacher could get away with such >>> don't even ask how i know  ::)) he kept them in school as their probation officer.  Thru the years, I have run into three or four of the group here and there, mostly on jobs, both in construction and landscaping.  There of the "troubled" guys had their own businesses and claimed it was that tough teacher who had shown them the way. 

As soon as i started reading this entry, i knew you were talking about Wright Tech.  That, along with several other tech schools in CT were shut down several years ago.  Abbott Tech close by in Danbury was also rumored to be ready to be closed down.  somehow, they managed to stay afloat.  When my own ids were in HS, I managed to have gotten into several arguments with reachers, parents and administrators thru the years.  In tis town, it seems that ALL EXPECTATIONS are for every kid to go to college.  I hired quite a few kids who ended up going to college.  Some were never destined to be college material, but i like to think I had a little something to do with their success whether they went to Uni. or not.  My own son, who had average grades in school, but practically lived with my equipment, had rely no aspirations to go for any degree.  He has, thru the years, hired a few who have degrees for college.  I think that lately, people are starting to wake up to the fact that there are some who do not need college to get ahead in business and/or life. Those kids you have worked with at Wright Tech are great examples.  You have had a valuable hand in their education.
Tinker

BTW:  I am doing a "painting" project today.  I am building a Trestle table and just put sanding sealer on the frame.  My job is definitely not up to your quality as i am using a foam brush.  I think I will be able to sand the sealer in another hour and will put Teak Oil coat while it is still in the hot sun. That wll be applied with a couple of paper towels.  When they dry out, and no danger of spontaneous combustion, they will be folded neatly on a board to be burned.  much easier the cleaning brushes. The oil finish can hide a lot of mistooks with minimum of work involved.  I'm sort of lazy when it comes to finishes. 
 
duburban said:
This is so cool. I always think about going back to my high school to do a designer concrete workshop with them. Tech schools could possibly be the future.
Click to expand...

Thanks Duburban, it was a very powerful workshop for us to do. You are correct, voc/tech schools are definitely one critical aspect of the future of trade based craftsmanship. That is why we go to them. And why we appreciate all who subscribe, follow, like and support our efforts.
 
Tinker said:
Scott, i took shop all four years I was in HS.  My freshman year, the teacher sometimes had little control of the groups in his class.  When i moved to the HS in my sophomore year, the teacher was very tough, no non-sense type of guy.  most of the ids who took shop were dead-ender types who took the class only for an easy credit.  They were in for a big surprise with that teacher.  He was a tough credit as well as sometimes actually physically tough with his discipline.  The kids who stayed in his class learned a lot and, i think came out the better for having had him for their teacher.  Some of his shop students got into a peck of trouble at one time and were to be expelled from school.  It went all the way to the superintendent, but the shop teacher went to bat for them.  Even tho there had been times when he had actually cuffed some of them and/or booted them in the tail (in those days, a teacher could get away with such >>> don't even ask how i know  ::)) he kept them in school as their probation officer.  Thru the years, I have run into three or four of the group here and there, mostly on jobs, both in construction and landscaping.  There of the "troubled" guys had their own businesses and claimed it was that tough teacher who had shown them the way. 

As soon as i started reading this entry, i knew you were talking about Wright Tech.  That, along with several other tech schools in CT were shut down several years ago.  Abbott Tech close by in Danbury was also rumored to be ready to be closed down.  somehow, they managed to stay afloat.  When my own ids were in HS, I managed to have gotten into several arguments with reachers, parents and administrators thru the years.  In tis town, it seems that ALL EXPECTATIONS are for every kid to go to college.  I hired quite a few kids who ended up going to college.  Some were never destined to be college material, but i like to think I had a little something to do with their success whether they went to Uni. or not.  My own son, who had average grades in school, but practically lived with my equipment, had rely no aspirations to go for any degree.  He has, thru the years, hired a few who have degrees for college.  I think that lately, people are starting to wake up to the fact that there are some who do not need college to get ahead in business and/or life. Those kids you have worked with at Wright Tech are great examples.  You have had a valuable hand in their education.
Tinker

BTW:  I am doing a "painting" project today.  I am building a Trestle table and just put sanding sealer on the frame.  My job is definitely not up to your quality as i am using a foam brush.  I think I will be able to sand the sealer in another hour and will put Teak Oil coat while it is still in the hot sun. That wll be applied with a couple of paper towels.  When they dry out, and no danger of spontaneous combustion, they will be folded neatly on a board to be burned.  much easier the cleaning brushes. The oil finish can hide a lot of mistooks with minimum of work involved.  I'm sort of lazy when it comes to finishes.
Click to expand...

Tinker [member=550]Tinker[/member]

I thought of you a lot here. CT is the first state in the US to take over tech ed. To step in, shut it down, and rebuild it, to the tune of $90M statewide.

We were just blown away by the immense cultural diversity, just driving from our hotel to the school. One block is Mexicans in front of boarded up Chinese restaurants trying to find day labor, the next block is a country club full of high end automobiles. Crazy. When you get to the school, there is a community park right in the center of the campus that is chuck full of minority families, enjoying playgrounds and picknicks where there used to be violence.

And we got to go in and do this. So incredibly humbled. We thank all of our sponsors, including our primary and charter sponsor - Festool, for making it possible to make a difference in lives and help to keep craftsmanship alive.

Thanks for checking it out. It means alot.
 
Another recent paint training video, in Port Chester, NY a few weeks ago. Air assisted and HVLP.

We spent two days training professional painters from the PDCA (national painters association). Some great practical and technical info in the vid.

 
It's rare that we get to do a workshop that is specifically focused on surface prep, but that is exactly what this school wanted!

I believe we had all 14 Festool sanders in the room.

This workshop was at McCann Tech in Massachusetts on cinco de mayo.

Great group of students and far more female students than we see enrolled in most tech programs. Great group!

Please check it out!

 
@ Scott Burt  It's great to see so many young ladies interested.  When i was is construction, I never happened to run into ny girls or women working at any of the trades.  I do have a friend whose sister (now close to 60) who went to trade school for plumbing and welding.  I never saw any of her work, but my friend tells me she is quite good at what she does in her chosen trades.

When our kids were growing up, i never discouraged them from doing any kind of manual work.  they often went to work with me on my jobs.  My son was running my backhoes almost as soon as he could walk.  My daughter could read plans and know what was going on by the time she was mid way thru grade school. 

When I remodeled our house, David, my son, wanted wall paper in his bedroom.  My wife and i started working together on that part of the project.  Within about 2 minutes, (maybe it was as long as 3 minutes  ::)) we decided if we were going to stay married, I just went back to playing with my hammer, saws and making dust and noise.  She continued with the papering and, as a matter of fact and observance, she did a darned fine job of it.  She even ended up helping an elderly neighbor out by papering a couple of rooms in her house.  I thought of hiring her out  [unsure], but I liked keeping her around to do the cooking.  She is great at that.  ;D

I had a landscapeing customer who designed small cutting boards in artistic designs and her husband did all of the assembling and cutting while she did the final sanding.  BUT, I was surprised when I found out she had done all of the stonewalls around their driveway and gardens.  She did a great job there. 

More and more young women are getting into landscaping and doing everything from designing and managing to climbing trees. 

It seems from your vid, that almost as many girls were interested in your class as guys.  Did you happen to notice if there were differences in how they picked up on your skills teaching, especially when using the sanders.  Rotary type sanders can give a lot of people problems until they figure out how to use the rotary motion as a means of control, and other little nuances of the equipment.

Tinker

 
Hey Tinker

Thanks for your response! Yes, it was a great day.

To your question, the girls in the class watch and listen, and then execute. Guys seem to rely more on physical figuring out of things. It has always been the case for our in house training in our own company that it is always easier to train women to do clean detailed work, more so than men generally. So, we are always happy to see more female interest in the building trades.

How is your summer going?
 
Scott, When i was involved in coaching, it did not matter if the kids were 7-8 yr olds or HS, the guys had to be persuaded to follow skills drills.  The girls listened and followed thru.  One touch drills (the soccer ball, the soccer ball) the guys had problems but the girls could play a whole game with one touch if that is what we were working on.  The guys would know it all before they knew anything.  The girls listened to everything (somewhere along the way, before they became wives, they forgot about that habit.  Then they only listen when they are not supposed to listen [eek])

One season, I was coaching both a boys travel and a girls travel teams.  The girls just seemed to be more attentive to pay attention to skills and tactics.  The boys would be joking around while running drills.  One weekend, my girls challenged my boys team to a full game.  we got a ref and a couple of lines men and a timekeeper.  by the end of the game, the score was 1-0 and a dozen very long faces >>> on the boys. 

Oh, to answer your ?, so far the summer has been great.  I am just putting the finishing touches to a trestle table I started 9/11 of last year. A pedestal type frame with a split top.
I put it all together yesterday and >>> everything fit together.  Mounting lineup pegs for the top today and will add hardware when I deliver on Sunday. 

I do have a question for you.  I have put a coat of Teak Oil on the top.  Is Wipe-on Polyurethane ok for the sealing finish? I have been told elsewhere that it is OK.  I don't like to get a whole lot of different finishes kicking around in my basement shop so for most of my projects i use that combo or Danish Oil and WOPoly.  For cutting boards, I use mineral oil and canning wax homogenized together into a soft paste and nuke each coat to soak in better.  would that be a better finish for the table? It is going to be used as a kitchen/dining table, but will be moved outside two or three times each summer to be used as picnic table. Of course, i dispense of the brushes and sprayers.  Lots of thin rubber throw-a-way gloves and paper towel applicators and NO cleanup.  [wink]
Tinker
 
[member=13337]Scott Burt[/member]
Thanks for posting, always a pleasure to watch the videos and I always manage to pick up on 1 or 2 items that I was unaware of.  [thumbs up]
 
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