From firearms and hunting trophies to all-terrain vehicles and aircraft interiors, Gene Hoskin and his son, Grant Hoskin, are customizing products through a process called hydrographics.

Hydrographics, also known as water transfer or immersion printing, is a process in which printed designs are applied to three-dimensional objects.

A polyvinyl alcohol film with a graphic image on it is placed into a vat of water, Gene said. A chemical activation spray is then applied, which dissolves the backing from the film, leaving a floating ink graphic. As the receiving object is dipped into the vat, the graphic envelops it. The object is then rinsed, dried and sprayed with a top coat to protect the design.

“Let your imagination run wild,” said Gene, co-owner of High Definition Hydrographics on Northeast Hemlock Avenue in Redmond. “Anything that can accept paint, is semi-rigid, can be dipped in water temporarily and will fit in our tank, we can customize.”

Since the business opened in January, the Hoskins have added two other divisions to the company: Skull-Adermy and North West Ceramic Coatings. While the businesses are all in the same location, they are marketed on different websites to reach a wider range of consumers.

“We keep finding little niches that work with what we have,” he said. “We have to find as many things (as we can) that are related so we don’t have to buy additional equipment.”

Gene, 63, and Grant, 36, started laying the groundwork for their business in the fall of 2010. Formerly, the Hoskins were in the building industry, but with little work available, they decided to pursue something new.

Grant said he got the idea for hydrographics through an online forum. After researching the process further, the Hoskins participated in hands-on training in Idaho to learn the art, and built their shop.

Gene said hydrographics can be used to customize items, coat them for durability, or give them a more upscale look.

Customers have more than 1,000 different film patterns to choose from, he said, ranging from leopard print or American flags to the most popular, carbon fiber and camouflage designs.

“People have it in their minds that (carbon fiber) is expensive,” he said. “If they could put it on something like an inexpensive piece of plastic and make it look like carbon fiber, they’ve got something.”

When marketing water transfer designs to a local taxidermist, Gene said he was asked to develop a bronze casting simulation for skulls. He took on the project, using a process called cold metal coating, which has evolved into Skull-Adermy.

When hunters have their trophies processed as European-style mounts, the end product is a bleached white skull, he said. Skull-Adermy hand-paints a 90 percent metal pigment coating onto a skull, which metallizesit in brass, bronze, copper or pewter, he said.

“Wives don’t want a piece of bone or skull laying in their living room,” he said. “But, when you turn it into something that looks more like a brass casting or bronze casting, it doesn’t look like an old bone they found in the desert. It looks more like a piece of art.”

In July, the Hoskins started their most recent business venture, North West Ceramic Coatings. The Hoskins offer a service to make firearms more durable and corrosion resistant by applying a ceramic coating called cerakote.

Q: Where was the process of hydrographics developed?

A: The process started in the automobile industry. It was used to make things such as wood accents in vehicles. The patent expired and people started figuring out how to use the process, so the uses for it are blossoming.

Q: What is the strangest thing anybody has ever asked you to put hyrdrographics on?

A: A guy came in with his new prosthetic leg and wanted it customized. He said he did barbecue competitions for a living and wanted us to put flames on the leg.

Q: Where do you see your business in five years?

A: Our goal is to have 20 percent of our business be local sports, another 20 percent sportsmen from the Internet and at least 60 percent of our work from manufacturers.

The basics

What: High Definition Hydrographics, Skull-Adermy and North West Ceramic Coatings

Where: 810 Northeast Hemlock Avenue, Redmond

Employees: 2

Phone: 541-548-5033

Websites: www.hdhydro.com www.metalizedskulls.com www.nwceramiccoatings.com