Scale Carpeting – flock alternative

i have long used flocking ( powdered fabric ) for my interiors to give a bit of added realism and texture in my builds.

i decided to try something different for a change, i have seen a few of my friends having some success with using whats called embossing powder to achieve decent results.

first what is embossing powder….embossing powder is used in stamping to add texture to paper. basically it is a material with a low melting point that they apply over fresh stamp ink ( to which it sticks to ) and then they heat it up with a heat gun to melt it together and smooth it out.

i got a vial of fine clear embossing powder from hobby lobby for a couple bucks. you can also get it in different colors but i plan to paint it afterwards so i stayed with clear.

here are the basic materials i will be using

i am using the floor polish as the adhesive for the embossing powder.

i am starting with the interior tub of the foose 67 coronet kit, seats have a base coat applied but the floor needs some texture, as do the lower portions of the door cards.

i pour the future into a plastic lid ( yes i repurpose everything lol )

and brush an even coat of the floor polish over the interior floor pan, being careful to not get any on the floor mat ( we dont want that fuzzy =o) )

the future floor polish stays tacky for 10-15 minutes so there is plenty of working time

now i sprinkle a heavy dose of the embossing powder over the floor area. ( make sure to do this over a clean sheet of paper so you can reclaim the excess powder to use again later )

i use my finger to push it down a bit to make sure i have it in all the dips and valleys, then let it sit for about 20-30 minutes

i then turn the part upside down and tap the back of it to knock free any excess powder onto the paper.

funny, but it doesnt look like much, but looks can be deceiving.

i do the same thing with the lower door cards

i am brush painting the seats and upper door cards ( dont worry about how they look in the next few photos as this was just with one coat, they will even out when i add another coat later ) this is the paint i am using

apple barrel acrylic, bought for about 79 cents from wallmarts craft section

floor and door cards ready to mask off and airbrush, i use an airbrush on the newly carpeted areas as i think there is less risk of the brush damaging the texture i am going for

i use the same paint, thinned 50% with water and shot at 25psi through my airbrush, 3 coats later and the carpet looks like this.

i have to do a bit of scraping on the floor mat to remove the excess and then that will be painted semi gloss to replicate a rubber matt.

overall i think i like this result better than the fabric flock, to me it looks more “in scale”

cya soon

Many Uses of Floor Polish on Model Cars

Ok, being the cheap SOB that i am, i am always looking outside the hobby for things with uses in it.

Originally i was going to do this write up on just the first two, Future Floor Polish and Pledge with Future Shine as they are the same thing, pledge bought out Future a while ago and kept the same formula. I have since found an even lower cost alternative, which is the LA’s Totally Awesome Mop & Shine, this can be found for a single dollar at the dollar store and in every test i have tried so far, it is identical (it looks a little milky in the bottle compared to the future but thats the only difference i have seen).

 

first off what is it?
these products are all water clear liquid acrylics

the uses are almost to many to count but i will list as many as i have tried myself here, if anyone has any other uses after my list, by all means please add them.

Painting:

when using acrylics, either hobby acrylics or craft, i use future to thin them. because of its thin consistency it can be used similar to water to thin paints for use in an airbrush. if i am using craft acrylics such as the apple barrel brand you can find in 2oz bottles at wallmart, i generally mix them 1:1 and add a squirt of windex before i shoot. the windex makes a good wetting agent and lowers the surface tension on the paint so it flows better.

the acrylic can also be sprayed directly from the bottle with an air brush, one coat adds sheen to dull parts, the more coats you build up, the more gloss will be in the finish. these products are all self leveling so it is rare to end up with orange peel unledd the previous layers of paint had it before the gloss coats. for a showroom shine, try this, shoot the body with 3 medium wet coats of the polish, allowing a day between each coat, ( i didnt say it was quick ) then for the fourth and final coat, cut the polish with 25% simple green cleaner. something in the simple green reacts with the polish. set the body aside to dry for another day in a dust free environment. when you next look at it, it will still look “wet”, its not. most times you will not even need to polish it out after this technique. if you do choose to use a polishing kit just make sure you let it dry thoroughly before you try. i normally go overnight if i am using my food dehydrator drying oven or a few days if i am just air drying it. it will polish out just like any other clearcoat and is very durable.

Detailing:
the polish can also be used for detailing items, flow some into the bezels of your dash gauges and let dry, it will give the illusion of a glass lense over the gauge face. it is also useful for attaching photo etched items to both the interior and exterior of the vehicle, scripts can be attached with it and once it is dry it is nothing short of invisible, headlight lenses or tail light lenses can be “glued in with it.
i take small bottles, fill them 3/4 full of future and then tint them with food coloring or acrylic paint, this is great for a candy effect or colored anodizing over chrome. flow some tinted red over chrome tail lights for a see through instant light. use blue and red tinted polish on fuel line fittings.

the polish is also an excellent adhesive for flocking, paint your interior your base color of choice and then use a brush to flow the future anywhere you want your flock to be, apply your flocking and let dry. once dry you can flip the interior and tap off any excess.

ever have a decal that just doesnt want to stick? a bit of future can act as an adhesive and get them to stay were they are supposed to.

windows:

when you open a kit, wipe down the kit glass so its spotless and then dip it in a small bowl of the polish, tap it on a piece of paper towel to remove excess and set it aside to dry, the polish will make the glass look thinner ( dont ask how cause i dunno) it will also protect against finger prints.
you can also use it to repair damaged glass, i will not get into the detail of the process as alex drake / mastermodeler has already done so on his site:
http://public.fotki.com/mastermodeler/tutorials/1/clearing-damaged-glass/
i cant say it any better than he has so go take a look.

you can use future as a small seam filler, combine it with either baking soda or talcum powder until it is about as thick as a pancake batter, use a toothpick to apply to the gap. it dries farily quickly to a hard sandable finish.

well for now i am tapped on my uses. if i remember any more i will throw them up here for all to try.
cya soon