 o
matter what kind of custom work a builder does to a machine, it can all
be for naught if the paint job is a bust. A great paint job is a must
for any custom motorcycle. The paint scheme is the “eye catcher,” the
bling-bling, which sets the tone for all the other work. For years, in
fact for almost a half-century, the Godfather of custom paint has been
a man named Jon Kosmoski. Many of the cover bikes you’ve seen in
this magazine are either Kosmoski creations or painted using the process
of the company he founded in 1956, House of Kolor.
Jon became a custom painter almost by accident. He had rebuilt a 1940
Chevy Coupe and took it to the best paint shop in town. After having
the car returned to him with a less than satisfactory paint job from
the “best” 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 lacquers and alkyd
enamels of that day, which would sometimes sun-fade or cold-crack.
He wanted something better and if it wasn’t out there, then he
would just have to invent it. Together with a doctor in polymer chemistry
Jon set out to produce custom paints 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
job. When Jon’s products and skills came together his 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 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 seminars,
and continues to share his innovative ideas, helping to keep House of
Kolor on the leading edge of custom motorcycle and automotive coatings.
We had the opportunity to talk with Jon and garner some of the wisdom
he’s earned through almost 50 years of custom painting and teaching.
DS: What is your association with Drag Specialties?
JK: Years ago I was friends with Tom Rudd, who started it all.
We rode together and I watched the company grow to a major
power. Even after he sold it to Mr. Fox, I kept a Drag dealership
and still do. We build our own bikes and do a lot of our own
work. And we still paint bikes and do displays for them. And,
of course I’m still a
consultant for House of Kolor.
DS: How did you learn to do what you do?
JK: I started in 1956 so I’m approaching my 50 years. I’m
not an educated chemist, but I learned how paint works in the booth
by doing it for so long. Over the years I got to work with all kinds
of paints and combinations. I knew I needed to find a way to get the
good pigments into the new acrylics, and the existing paint companies
couldn’t make it work. They just couldn’t get the pigments
to go in. I networked with people in the industry as well as real
chemists and experimented until we found a way to get the good pigments
into the resins. We were first to get the candies and glossies into
the acrylics.
With these great paints I was making for myself, I started winning
all the awards and the other painters started asking to buy my paints.
That’s how I became a manufacturer. My lawyer had a fit when
he saw me hand over an unmarked can of paint to a friend. He told
me to have warning labels. So I needed labels and as long as I was
labeling my paint I thought it might as well have a name. That is
how House of Kolor started.
DS: And now you tour the world and teach custom painting?
JK: Well, I wrote my first book on how to paint, I’ve written
three books and done dozens of videos. And the seminars developed from
that. I like to share all my experience and I don’t hold back.
I believe that painters learn from other painters who learned from
other painters. In my seminars I teach people from square one, the
basics for 3 hours on how to do it right.
DS: Is it a learned skill, or natural talent or a lot of both?
JK: There are those who have a natural talent. But the engineering
of painting is learned, no talent involved. All the talent is wasted
if the paint is wrong, or the prep is bad or the tools are wrong.
I like to eliminate the problems and we talk about it and find ways
to make it work. A lot of people thank me for sharing and teaching.
I do 30-50 seminars a year and even teach in Australia, New Zealand,
and Japan.
DS: For guys just starting out, what are some tips you can give for
the backyard builder?
JK: Don’t paint in your backyard and buy the best spray equipment
you can afford. The top of the heap for the equipment is critical.
Most painters fail with spray equipment because that’s where
a lot of problems start. They get moisture in their air-lines, when
what you need is clean, dry air. Another tip I call “engineering
the job.” You have to engineer the object with invisible straight
lines, and know your increment of overlap. Know how to engineer the
object and the paint job will succeed. The sloppy work comes from what
we call “Sword Fighter” painters who slash the paint around
like they’re swinging a cutlass. Sword fighter painting is
not the way you paint. Engineering the object is the right way.
DS: A custom paint job is the biggest statement a builder makes with
his bike. Do you match paint to an owners personality, or do you go
for what you think will look best?
JK: We always give the customer what they want and every job is a
custom “no
other bike like it” job. They pick what they like, but everything
is custom and suited to what the customer wants.
DS:
You do both cars and bikes, are bikes easier because they’re
smaller, or tougher because they require so much detail?
JK: The only reason bikes are easier is because they take up less space
in the shop and the booth. But bikes are more complicated and require
more savvy. I did so much painting on bikes in the early years. I still
use bike parts in my seminars to teach painting. We paint the parts
right there in class.
 |
 |
At work in 2000 on a 1928 Ford Roadster. It ended up with a small
block Chevy motor and painted in (what else?) Kosmos Red urethane. |
 |
DS: What bikes do you own?
JK: Right now I have seven Harley-Davidsons. Some are hand built customs.
I even have a Jesse James bike that he built for me before he became
so famous.
DS: When you judge a paint job, what do you look for?
JK: I quit judging because of the stress. As a judge you always
offend somebody without meaning to so I don’t judge anymore. But I’ll
tell you what judges are looking for. A judge always looks for flaws,
trying to find something wrong. They look for the artist’s
part, but that is really in the eye of the beholder. So they end
up looking for flaws by looking for the hard parts to paint on a
bike. They look under the tank, under the fenders, places where the
paint doesn’t show to see if it is finished as well as the
obvious parts.
DS: What do you do that makes you the best, which makes your customers
so pleased?
JK: It’s really the quality of products. House of Kolor products
were designed for a 15mil coating. For example, a new car off the assembly
line today will have 3 1/2 mils of paint and 1 1/2 mils of that is
primer. Our paint jobs average 15 mils. So to compare it to building,
the average paint job is built like a bungalow and our paint is built
like a skyscraper. A House of Kolor paint job will last for decades;
we have paint jobs that are 20 years old and still look new. We use
the best solvents and the best pigments and don’t cut corners;
it comes out in the quality and depth of the color. House of Kolor
wins all the shows because we have a system that works, and if a
painter sticks with it, it will pop and last. House of Kolor has
a tech manual to tell you exactly how to do it when you use our products.
DS:
What’s the future look like?
JK: The future looks bright; I’m back in the lab and working
on 290 new products, many that will be on the market soon. We’re
working on ideas like plated metallics, bright for bling, and color
change pigments. There are lots of exciting things in the future
in the world of custom paints.
DS: It sounds like, even after all these years you still love to
paint?
JK: I do, I love going in the booth with something drab and making
it beautiful. Custom painting doesn’t get old.  |
