A few questions....

[deathwing]

First off, let me say hello to everyone and say that I am very excited about getting started with this flocking adventure....

I have collected the vintage and the 3 3/4 Joes for what seems to be a lifetime...my best buddy Ricky Puckett got me into the world of vintage back in 89(when I was a mere 13) and I have really not stopped yet. As I am sure that like most everyone in the hobby, I have aquired several heads that need some tlc....I would like to learn the trade/hobby myself(after all I can only afford so much on a teachers salery)......
So......

What type of flock....acrylic, nylon, etc......
what type of glue/adhesive.......

Those are the big one right now....oh, and if someone just wanted to make a cabinet for me they could also do that.

thanks
steve

[Ray (Flock Man)]

Flock Flock = 2mm Nylon (it's actually a tad shorter or longer depending where you buy it from.) also depending on how you want it to blend you can go with .080-20 mainly, but it's good to have some .075-15 and .080-22 for texture and highlights. Then you could go a step further and get the highlight colors in trilobal shape so they stand out even more.

Donjer is a good place to start ($30. per pound solid color), but you could also go to Claremont Flock if your willing to buy more flock ($150 or so for 1 to 10 pounds) A good place to get colors like black or white. Overall Donjer is the best source right now and I believe they are in the process of offering smaller amounts as well.

On the glue I would go with Nyatex Adhesives, but you could use a gorilla/ elmers ultimate type, but it has to be very thin and used in low moisture conditions to prevent foaming. A small amount of MEK (about a drop per teaspoon of glue) can help prevent the foaming as well.

Our links page has other options as well as these. Be prepared to fail a bunch of times.
Hell, I just failed on an non GIjOE/ Action figure type order because I'm just not set up for most other types of flocking work. I'm geared towards action figures.
If I had $$$$$ equipment I could diversify easier, but in the end I can only do what I can for now. Hey I try. Tough part is I know I can flock 1000 heads in a week so it tends to make me brave enough to try other things, but many times it's just not something I can actually get done in a reasonable time frame.

I set certain rules in place like, It has to be fast, accurate, and of the same quality every time. If I can't meet these standards I can't do the work. The down side of being focused on one type of flocking work is Money.

Outside the GIjOE hobby the standard is $200+ to turn on the equipment and then the fee per item flocked.

In the end it may be better to take the hit on $10,000 equipment because the return would be 10 or 20 times that.

At the current rate of what I do the now the return is .05% over cost, but it's a lot of fun being involved in it all and that's something that's hard to put a price on. Plus all the best people are involved and they help out the project every chance they get.

It's just a win win for me and I thank everyone!!!!

Ray

[deathwing]

Thanks Ray,
I prestty sure I will have more than a few flub-ups but It is something I have always wanted to try and do and now is just as good as any...

[Ray (Flock Man)]

Yes for Joe heads it's a awesome thing. Plus I tend to down play things and then as you go along you'll see the potential. Now those Joes that were pretty much a write off can be put back in action.

[bigben]

Do you flock non joe heads? Thanks Ben

[Ray (Flock Man)]

Sure do. I've done Star Wars, Mego, Ken, Dragon, Hot Toys, etc.