Have you ever Flocked a Box?

[Stoutman]

I made a maple box and was thinking of flocking it (get your mind out of the gutter feller!).

Woodcraft sells some kind of flock'en device.

used it? How well does it work?

Will everything I put in eventually get covered in the colored fibers?

[Toller]

I've seen it done. Easy and foolproof, but looks really cheap, IMHO.

[Robatoy]

It 'looks' flocked. You don't strike me like the kinda guy who'd be satisfied with that. I mean that respectfully. What I did once, when I was doing some display cases for a jeweller, was to take some thin (1/16) ABS sheet and cutting the panels for the inside of some drawers. Then cladding them with velour, wrapping it tightly around the edges of the sheets and friction fitting them in place with a dab of silcone on the back to keep them in place. Looks WAY nicer and when you use some

3M, either 72 or 77 spray adhesive (aerosol), apply it only to the back.

You cut the velour/velvet oversize and put it face down on some cardboard. Then position the ABS sheet (can be anything, really, like 1/8' ply) and make sure you have about 1-1/2 to 2 inches of material sticking out, all around. Then spray the whole edge of the material and the outer parameter of the backer sheet. Wait a bit and presto, fold onto the back. Then razor blade the folded up part in the corners.

I'm starting to sound like Martha-flockin'-Stewart. Somebody shoot me.

r

[Andy Dingley]

Easy to do, but you need to be careful about not having gaps. If you try and patch it later then it gives a very obvious glue blob.

Some people think it's a bad idea because it looks cheap, but IMHO the worst thing about it is the poor wear resistance. Any sort of raised corner, even a well-rounded one, rubs bare in no time.

Flock _can_ be useful as a way of hiding dark corners. Black flock is a pretty good light trap and it can make some internal nooks and crannies appear invisible, better than black stains alone.

[Prometheus]

I flocked the inside of a walnut box in wood shop back in middle school. My mom still has it, and the flocking is still intact, so I'd say it's fine. IIRC (though it was a long time ago) there was a little bit of "shedding" for a while, but I'd imagine a good solid blast of air from a compressor would get most of the loose stuff out.

[Leuf]

I don't know. I use the self-adhesive backed velvet. Bit of a pain to work with but the end result is good.

-Leuf

[Me]

I stick the velvet to some thin card,then glue the card in to the box hope this helps. F

[shooter]

I prefer to use self adhesive felt that I pick up at my local Michaels Craft shop. No fuss, no muss, just cut it, stick it and your done. Wears well and looks great.

Just my two pesos.

[Prometheus]

I always end up with glue spots or poor adhesion when messing around with using adhesives on felt. (The self-adhesive stuff somebody else mentioned would probably be a winner, though- I didn't even know they made that.)

I think- and YMMV, that the "correct" way to line a box with felt is to sandwich one edge between two strips of card stock, plastic, etc., nail that into the wood near the top of the box with some tiny brads, and then flip the felt over it so that flet covers up the part you nailed in. Then finish the bottom by upholstering a thin insert that covers the bottom, and holds the end of the felt from the sides in place. That's the way I do it, after a good deal of trial and error, anyhow.