Quick flocking questions.

I'll try to help the best I can with the few flocking jobs that I've done so far.

shelbyguy wrote:

One car will be "showroom new" and I was wondering if the ejector pin marks on the bottom of the floor will show through the flocking if I don't fill and sand them.

The ejector pin mark will just slightly show as a recess. Flocking goes on fairly thin.

On a related note, the other car will be a junker with some of the carpet worn away;

After the bonding material (enamel paint in your case) has dried, you can rub some of the flocking away.

I want the rest of the carpet to be really rough.  I roughed up the floor with a Dremel tool to the point that the effect is pretty subtle and would look great painted and drybrushed but am worried that if I flock it the roughed up areas they may NOT actually show through if the flocking material or the enamel paint I plan to use as an adhesive is too thick.  Is this a legitimate concern?

Yes it is. Flocking is nothing more than small fibers of fabric. Think of tiny thin thread cut short. All you are doing is dropping it onto an adhesive. Ever see the fuzz inside a car console or glovebox? Flocking is used in many real world applications. But in our modeling world applying it just the way we want it isn't the easiest of procedures. You might be able to use tweezers to help the flocking "bunch up" in the roughened up areas or else it will just lay smooth in the paint.

I've never flocked before so I don't know how relisiant this stuff is (I'm using the actual flocking material you buy at the hobby store... maybe some people use other stuff??).

Flocking is flocking, it's only made out of three different fiber materials, two of which are usually too expensive to see their way into the hobby field. They have to do with mildew and UV control... things like that.

One more question since I'm here... can you piant flocking AFTER it's been applied so you can exactly match the interior color, or would this just make a nasty looking mess of it?

I used a white flocking for carpenting on the interior tub. I then sprayed a few light mist coats of the intended interior color. I left it for a few days to dry. It didn't turn out too bad. The key I think was the very thin mist coats. It did result in a more flat or matte finish compaired to the rest of the interior pieces which was fine, since carpenting usually does look different than leather or vinyl seats and door panels LOL.

It might be worth experimenting on a piece of scrap, even a little piece of cardboard. Just to get the feel for flocking. Oh, as a note, when using enamel paint as an adhesive it is best to use flat for cosmetic purposes. The gloss has more adhesive powers but leaves too much of a shine through the flocking. Unless you don't mind shiney carpets?

Good luck and have fun!  

Thanks for the excellent advice!  I didn't even think about flat vs. glossy paint as an adhesive would matter.

You are welcome! 

Oh, one more thing regarding using flat paint. I found it easier to carpet the floor in sections as flat paint dries kind of quickly and I like to spread it thin. I'll do one side at a time and then do the drivetrain hump last. That way I'm assured the flocking is settling into wet paint.

Good luck and have fun.