Episode 90 17 A New Method for Home Made Flocking

Discussion in 'The Collection' started by gormo, Nov 9, 2017.

  1. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    G`day Folks,

    Well I believe I am breaking new ground here with this method.

    I decided to try this out the other day whilst tinkering around in the shed. I think we all need some space and time every now and then to allow us to just think and work through ideas......even the whacky ones that don`t work.!!......but nothing ventured nothing gained.

    I guess this all goes back to Gary giving me the suggestion in the first place to get myself a coffee grinder to chop up my foam rubber for home made flocking. Well the foam rubber I have is from some lounge seating and seems to have been designed to last until the next ice age, therefore the coffee grinder will not chop it up.

    Not to be discouraged, I have used it (the coffee grinder) successfully on other tasks as per last weeks video etc. It has also been used to chop up shell grit to make ballast. It is actually turning out to be quite a handy tool to have in the shed, because it can be used for various tasks.

    One such task that I am now using it for is to make my own flocking. I know that was the idea in the first place, but the original idea was focused on the original home baked idea for making your own flocking. Get some foam rubber.....cut it up into cubes....soak it in a bath of diluted house paint (Green) ......let it dry for about three days.......and then chop it up with a coffee grinder or a kitchen grater or a meat mincer to create your flocking.....this method works well. However it takes time and is very messy and by virtue of the method, the colour and tone is difficult to control.

    Inspiration visited me the other day during that quiet time and reflection in the shed. Why not chop up the foam rubber first.......place it the coffee grinder......add a small amount of green acrylic paint to the foam rubber.......and then turn on the coffee grinder to mix it all up.

    Well folks......Eureka moment in the shed !!!!!!........way to go Gormo..:thumbs:

    I soon discovered I was able to adjust the colour at will.....colour matching in effect. Flexibility and choice were the words coming to mind and time saving and hardly any mess. I was onto something here folks.....this is a winner!!!

    So it is all explained and demonstrated in the video plus there are further options to be explored, which I go into.

    Enjoy the video

    http://www.click:tophat:Gormo

    Apologies.......it has come to light that one of the products used in the video may be hazardous.

    I have temporarily taken down the video to edit out the the fibrous carpet underlay section.

    The modified version will be posted up within 24 hours.

    Cheers

    Gormo
     
  2. Sol

    Sol Full Member

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    Gormo, your method will see Shops go broke in not selling their flocks,etc.
    Another neat idea indeed.
     
  3. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    Thanks Ron,

    But I don`t want to see anyone go broke.....:avatar:

    The meat mincer arrived just a while ago. It works fine but it gives you a bit of a workout feeding the foam rubber through it. It seems to compress the granules coming through the blades. Then if you put the granules through the coffee blender it fluffs them up again.

    So the verdict is that if you are not set up with a drill press or machinery of sorts, the meat mincer will do the job for you. I have seen people who have motorized their mincer but after using mine, it would concern me that the bearing in the mincer would overheat if motorized. It gets fairly warm when hand operated and I feel the metal is not up to high speed operation.

    Anyway folks, this proves there is more than one way to arrive at your destination.

    http://www.click:tophat:Gormo
     
  4. Dr Tony

    Dr Tony Full Member

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    Nice one!
    I have been wondering on a way to make flock myself, but especially how to colour it, as there are many colours that you just can't get commercially.
    I am interested in white and pink to make lantana flowers (yes it's terrible stuff, but it is a feature of local perways), white for clover patches on the lawn, and a purple colour for Jacaranda flowers (such as all over Sydney at the moment).
    I must though take issue with the re-use of old carpet underlay, the hessian type.
    A number of years ago I discovered that this stuff could contain asbestos. Then I did a bit of research and found this.
    http://healthywa.wa.gov.au/Articles/A_E/Asbestos-carpet-underlay
    It goes back to the whole idea of recycling and re-using unfortunately.
    In a nutshell, hessian bags have been used to transport asbestos as well as other things. When the bags had reached the end of their useful lives they were recycled into carpet underlay. There is therefore a slight, but small, chance that this underlay may contain asbestos from these bags. Not so much an issue for the homeowner,as it is under the carpet and a long way from people. But when you mix it up into a grinder into lots of tiny particles into they air...
    I wouldn't want anyone here to suffer from this terrible stuff, however small the chances.
    I have recently bought one of these grinders myself and I have been mostly playing with natural materials, making dead-fall for under trees using real dead-fall from under my trees. Sizing the results with a sifter really helps here.
    I have been meaning to try (but haven't yet) jute string, (bought from nursery or the big green hardware store) for tying up plants, this should yield the same results, but without the (small) risk of asbestos.
    Cheers
    Tony
     
  5. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    Thanks for the info Tony,

    I will take the video down and adjust the content.

    It`s not worth the risk.

    http://www.click:tophat:Gormo
     
  6. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    clive_t likes this.
  7. Sandbar

    Sandbar Full Member

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    I have my coloured sawdust flocking stored in the flour containers.
    Self raising and plain flour is bought in the 1 kg plastic container, which makes great storage containers (after the flour is used) and stacks well on shelves and being able to been seen easily when needed
    Good video Gormo.

    Andrew
    Sandbar & Mudcarb Railway
     
  8. SMR CHRIS

    SMR CHRIS Staff Member Moderator

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    Another great video Gormo
    That little grinder works really well.
    And the amount of paint is so minimal compared to the other way of colouring the foam first :thumbs::thumbs::thumbs:
     
  9. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    Thanks Andrew & Chris,

    Yes Andrew, those flour containers sound like a good idea. We usually buy it in the bags though.??

    http://www.click:tophat:Gormo
     
  10. paul_l

    paul_l Staff Member Administrator

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    Another classic ..... :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

    You can also pre-grind the foam with a blender, but I would suggest putting some water in the blender, one it helps lubricate the foam as its chopped up, and two helps keep it cool - blenders can dispense at lot of energy.

    It's OK Toto, I'm looking for another coffee grinder just for flocking - no need to worry about green coffee.

    Paul
     
  11. StevePower

    StevePower Full Member

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    That is such a great way to make flock and I am blown away by how little paint is needed to change the colour.
    Great stuff Gormo!
     
  12. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    Thanks Guys,

    Yes Steve........very little paint required and really it`s so easy and nowhere near as time consuming or messy as the other method.

    http://www.click:tophat:Gormo
     
  13. paul_l

    paul_l Staff Member Administrator

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    Coffee grinder arrived just in time for Gormo to change weapons of choice.
    £9.50 inc P&P, could have got one for £6.48 + £5 p&p, decided to go for the dearer price with the free p&p :avatar:
    I even think its the same one as the guru uses - does this guarantee good results, not sure, I saw that both George Dent and Chris Nevard had cats, I got to look after my daughters cat, but my don't look the same as theirs :avatar:

    Paul
     
  14. paul_l

    paul_l Staff Member Administrator

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    Well I finally got around to trying out the maestros method

    Firstly - I'm well impressed with the results

    I've used a Baby Body sponge from Tesco - 50p each


    Cut in to rough cubes approx 10mm per side


    Any larger and the blender struggled.

    It starts of slow but once its up to speed give it another 10 seconds and your done -


    For colour I initially used Green - Light, but found that to be a little too green for my liking, so then added some burnt umber. A small amount of each on a a coffee stirrer was added


    Another wizz in the coffee grinder and we have


    Left hand side is the Light green / Burnt Umber mix, Right hand side is the Light Green only.

    The bucket chemistry mixing of colours gives slight tonal variation as well.

    For some reason, Morag has just tidied up the kitchen and all the cleaning sponges are not where they used to be :whatever:

    Looks like another trip to the shops then

    Paul
     
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  15. Toto

    Toto I'm best ignored Staff Member Founder Administrator

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    good result Paul. Does the flock have body to it ?
     
  16. paul_l

    paul_l Staff Member Administrator

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    Yes, and for a later batch I will add a little PVA to get proper clumps
     
  17. redpiperbob

    redpiperbob Full Member

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  18. paul_l

    paul_l Staff Member Administrator

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    ah ... the credit goes to Gormo, he was the first brave enough to use the home coffee grinder :avatar:, it does leave a bit of an after taste tho' :giggle:

    Paul
     
  19. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    I`m used to the after taste now Paul.........it`s the varying shades of green in the coffee I`m still getting used to.
    A spoon is handy too for removing tiny floating flocking from my coffee...........:avatar::avatar::avatar:
    Looks like you`ve had a good result there Paul...:thumbs::thumbs::thumbs::thumbs::thumbs:
    I would recommend keeping an eye out for discarded foam rubber carpet underlay..........the multi coloured stuff........it breaks up very easily in the blender and the multi-colour gives tone variation. I`ve got a roll of the stuff in the shed found on the street. I will never have to buy flocking ever again because a small amount goes a long way.
    This method we`re using makes you aware of the minimal cost of materials involved and as such, makes one realize that commercial flocking is about 95% pure profit....:scratchchin:
    :tophat:Gormo
     
  20. clive_t

    clive_t Full Member

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    That's a storming idea, thanks for sharing!
     

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