Flocking Frequently Asked Questions

Safety

What safety items do I need to apply the glue and flock?

Use a face cover and in a room with fresh air exchange, but not breezy. The face cover is to prevent inhaling loose fibers. Use a white fiber dome to cover the mouth and nose (with elastic band)or a bandana. Wear glasses to keep lofting fibers out of your eyes,such as clear safety glasses with tight sides which come close to the face..
Glue :Use only in a room with fresh air exchanger, as apposed to a closet with the door closed with no fresh air. You do not need to use a respirator since it is a water based glue, an not solvent based. However there is a slight fume, so do not directly inhale as a preventative measure., especially when opening the bottle/jar. DO NOT eat, drink or digest the products. Keep away from children. Promptly wash your body to remove glue is wet, before it sets up. Ure-Glue is not meant to be used on or consumed by humans or animals.

Do I have to wear gloves?

Rubber glove are not required, but recommended because glue on your hands it will set up and be hard to remove. Glue can set up in 10 minutes or so, therefore wipe your hands immediately with a wet rag as needed, and wash them if you get glue on them.

Is the glue flammable?

No, it is a water based glue. The flock fibers are nylon and will melt under hot temperatures.

Any other considerations?

SET UP: Set up a place to apply glue and flock, that will allow the treated items to cure out in room temperature. Use a heated garage or room at standard temperature such as 72 degrees.
Best to set up a large box to apply the fibers over, to collect the loose fibers. Many cut out the front of the large box for your hands, or use a very large plastic tub as a collector. Cover the fibers when not in use, to prevent contaminants and other colors from mixing into the fibers. Clean up one color completely before applying another color.
Create a drying rack for the items to be hung with wire or parallel boards to hold the bases. Apply a fan on the finished items to increase cure time. The water has to evaporate from the glue to allow full cure.

Flock Aero flock UR decoys

What preparation is needed?

The surface preparation will determined the success of the adherence of the Ure-Glue and the finished product. After surface preparation, process immediately to prevent contamination. Typically just degreasing with Dawn and a soft brush, drying, followed by light sanding if needed is sufficient and blowing off any dust or particles is sufficient. Do not handle with hands places prepared for application. Hand have a lot of oils and contaminants. On decoys, the necks or places where they are grabbed need extra cleaning and preparation.
ALWAYS do test spots. Practice test spots will save you a lot of grief, to ensure the surface will allow the glue to adhere. If the paint is coming off, all loose paint must be removed and the surface will need extra treatment, probably being flamed or a primer. Instructions come with the glue.

Do I have to remove the old flock on a decoy or surface?

If the flock is adhering to the surface probably not. Make sure the flock is clean, with no oily residue from hands etc. Necks of decoys where they are handled do get oily from handling. Wash with non-oily soap like Dawn, use a soft brush and dry completely. Repeat as needed to remove oils. Remove dust if allowed to set for a while. Make sure the glue is allowed to dry completely and test a spot. If all is well, then proceed. Level the flock if needed slightly and apply glue to the entire area and re flock.

Why use a colored glue under the flock?

The colored glue will give the surface a long lasting look, covering fading paint and hiding some wear spots, since the under color of the glue is the same or similar color as the flock.

What do I do about bare spots with no flock?

Test spot and see if the glue adheres, then proceed, because the surface is sealed. If the surface is bare plastic, it may not be sealed to allow the glue to stick. Rough up the surface, flame with hand held torch briefly with the tip of the flame touching the spot and try a test again. IF the glue still does not adhere, then prime the surface to seal it with an appropriate sealer for the surface.

What do I do before I apply the second color?

Make sure the first color has the glue set, then gently blow off the excess fibers and capture them for re-use. Let ALL the fibers settle in the area, and recover the fibers that may be stirred up with air or movement before applying the second color. If you do not clean up the area, the first color fibers can loft and will settle into the new glue/flock applied area.

The flock surface is worn and not level?

We suggest to take a scotch brite pad, or BBQ cleaning pad that does not have any oils or contaminants on it (totally clean) and then buff over the flock to make the surfaces levels more even. Then glue and flock over the entire area.

Can I just flock the worn spots?

Yes you can, but the flock colors may have faded or look different due to sun exposure. Nylon flock hold its color better than Rayon, but still it will fade in the elements slowly. However you can use color matching permanent felt tip pin to color in small spots, until you can re flock the entire area.

Which flock color do I put on first?

It does not matter which color you put on first or the order, but if you put the lighter on first, you may get a better line on the edge when you use a darker color, than a litter one.

The flocking is worn, do I have to remove to apply a new coat?

NO. Just clean with Dawn, brush lightly and dry. If the surface is really un level, you can take a scotch brite pad and level slightly. Then apply a coat of glue and flock.

How much flocking fibers do I need for my objects or decoys?

There is no easy way to tell exactly how much flock or glue will be needed, unless you convert the dimensions of the areas.

We can estimate, but it also depends on if you recapture the clean fibers for re-use too.

Here are some parameters.
One pound of flock- 1 coat/application-covers about 72 sq feet. or 36 ft by 24 ft

1 pound flock will process about 6+ doz big foot heads, depending upon variables.

Our testing- 2 oz flocking covering 9 sq feet flat surface( 3 ' x 3'), with 1 coat, allowing for no drift/loss; Therefore 16 oz cover apx 72 sq feet.

For apx 8 dozen silos, of which I do not know the size, I would assume they require more than a pound to do the black heads and tails..
I would order 2 pounds.Plus in the big scheme of things, to not have enough which would and interrupt the process, take time to reorder and wait for delivery, pay more and create frustration, it would be a lot better to ensure you have enough for the process when you get started. Plus flocking has a very long shelf life- use on future decoys or? Shipping is less per pound when ordering two. Flat rate shipping chart on bottom of Bulk & Ure-Glue top page tabs.

To fully flock ONE DropZone Decoy, it takes between 3.5 and 4 ounces, of varous colors. 1 dozen DZ's would take 40-48 ounces- a lot of flock!

For Aero Ure-glue, we suggest about 20% more adhesive than flock.
Glue/adhesive is sold by bottle volume, while flock is sold by weight, with the volume of 1 pound of flock being about 3X the size of 16 oz of glue bottle.

Tip: rustoleum online info suggests 2 coats, 2 flock applications and takes days to dry, vs Ure-glue = more over all expense & requires breathering protection due to solvent fumes.

Glue

Any special considerations with glue?

Read the safety comments above and insure the glue is kept at room temperature. Hot temperatures will make the glue components break down. DO NOT allow to freeze, because it is water based glue, freezing with render the glue unusable. Store at normal room temperature. Stir gently well, especially if color particles have precipitated. Do not incorporate air or bubbles.

How much glue for the flock.

The quantity varies. However we typically recommend about 20% more glue, ,

The flock is sold by weight and the glue is sold by bottle size/volume. |The flock is about 3X greater in size/volume than the glue. Suggest using at least the same size amount or 20% more. As an example, 16 ox/1 pound of flock to 20 oz of Glue. The glue has body to keep from running and to allow it to accept the fibers, to create a nice finish.

We sell 20 oz which comes as a 16 oz bottle and 4 oz jar; the 4 oz jar is user friendly to allow the user to dip the brush for application. Do not allow the glue to be open. Prepare only as much glue you are going to use in a short period of time, to prevent the balance from getting exposed to the air and starting the set up process.

The color in the glue seems to have settled?

Different color pigments are different sizes and settle differently. You can turn the jar or bottle upside down and reverse to keep it mixed. Or you can gently stir. Do not get air bubbles in the glue when stirring.

What surfaces can I use the glue on?

Any surface it adheres too. Aero Ure-Glue adheres to most clean, non-oily surfaces. Always do a test spot first, that will not damage your project.

How can I apply the glue?

Apply with a brush. Use a good quality brush for lines; buy at Walmart art section or art store. Try not to overlap strokes. When applying, process only as much as you can in 8 minutes, then do the next section. Go back to the previous application and with a bright light look for shinny places, where the flock fibers was absorbed into the glue (probably brush stroke over laps.) Immediately dust and pat as needed more flocking fibers on to the places. Very difficult after cured to treat, and then the places will have raised sections and not look professional.

What is the working time of the glue?

You have about 8 minutes to apply the glue and the flock. There is a quick setting feature to the glue, to allow it to grab on to the surface and hold the fibers. Temperature, humidity and air movement will change the glue setting up time.

How long do I have to wait to do the second color?

In approximately 2-4 hours the first application is touch set-up. Meaning when you test a spot the glue/flock does not move. However the glue is NOT cured for 24-36 hours, depending upon the temperature, humidity and air movement in the room. Gently blow off or knock off the first color application before proceeding to the second color. Best to wait a day, but some times we are not that patient.

Why use a colored glue?

We use colored glue to match or blend with the surface, so if the application is thin, or becomes worn, the spot will not stand out.

How many colors of glue?

We have the basic colors tones needed on the BUY page. Some custom colors can be made, for an extra fee.

How long will the glue last?

Depends upon storage temperature, humidity and how tight the seal is. It can last up to a year or longer at room temperature. Some have reported longer shelf life, but the components will start to set up and deteriorate over time.

Why is Ure-Glue good on goods used in the outdoors?

Urethane has high abrasion properties, it is flexible or stretches with the expanding and contracting of surfaces, does not break down when cured, and hold the color better than other glues.