"Fabric Glue for Flocking Felt?" Topic

Just curious if anyone has done this, e.g. applying flocking, or clump foliage (made from torn/shredded sponge rubber foam) to felt fabric?

I'm looking for a glue that is more flexible than PVA White Glue (Elmer's, etc.), and suspect the fabric glues just might be the ticket.

Some of the brands, reportedly dry clear, and remain flexible.

So, have any of you tried this, successfully?

Any tips to share, or specific glues you can recommend, if so?

Like white glue, can it be thinned with water (read to use a 1:6 ratio of glue to water when using PVA), and sprayed over the top of the flocking, to help hold things in place?

I've used a latex fabric glue in the past with positive results, but not in the quantity and area coverage you are discussing.

Might be a useful area to try

John T

Yeras ago, when she ran her own business, my wife used a glue called Copydex for sticking fabrics together. It was a latex type glue, so very flexible, but I am pretty sure it could not be diluted and sprayed as you suggest.

Large areas would be nice, but right now, I'm primarily interested in creating some fairly thin, "dirt roads" (1" – 2" wide), by using fake felt (polyester fabric), applying some paint to make it look like a road, and then applying some sort of flexible glue along the edges to attach the flocking with.

If needed, I can brush it on spots desired.

The latter could be in strips, and/or small, little clumps, to keep long sections from getting too stiff. Someone mentioned doing that with PVA, and keeping the glue spot sections for the flocking to an inch or less in length.

I want the felt to retain its flexibility when dried, so am looking to find a good, flexible glue (White Glue/PVA won't work, since supposedly it is a bit too rigid when dry, and likely to crack), so that the felt will retain its ability to be applied over hills, and down in depressions/gullies, etc., etc..

I also want to be able to perhaps use it on styrene/thin wood too, so want to avoid the PVA's tendency to shrink and make things curl up.

I'll also need something to seal it with.

Right now, I'm considering experimenting with fabric glues, and/or mat medium (supposedly, the latter is useful for sealing things), based upon some of the research I've done on-line thus far.

Latex glues do sound like a great option, since I suspect they'll be compatible with the latex paints I'll be using too.

I have used felt glue (Beacon's) for this very purpose and it worked well. I didnt want to invest rthe time in making latex roads so I just use green felt with the brown road painted on with fabric paint,and just glue small bushes,etc along the tracks.

aleenes.com

Tacky, flexible, and versatile, with several project-specific formulations.

Many years ago I used the Elmer's Spray glue on Felt method, and found it worked extremely well! The trick I found was to NOT spray so much of the adhesive that the felt became soaked all the way through. You quickly wet the surface of the felt, pile on a bunch of flock, then using an Ink Roller and even pressure press the flocking into the glue. Let dry over night, brush off excess flock, and your field is ready to play on!

You know you have it right when you flip the finished field over and the felt is still soft and flexible. I made a couple of hundred fields of various shapes and sizes with this method.

Thanks for the tips.

Shall have to do a bit of experimenting.

I did have flocking loose on my felt table cover but hated the mess. I tried spray adhesive but it didn't work very good. I ended up removing all the flocking and just spray painting the felt cloth. It actually looks pretty good when you use a flat spray paint. No more mess!

That does sound like a good idea, since I'd prefer to avoid the mess too, and in at least some of the gaming scales I'm considering, 1/144th and 1/285th, flocking seems a bit superfluous, except when viewed from very close up.