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Flocking
After many years of trial and error we finally settled on the best affordable way to lay down flock, sometimes known as Static Grass or Hairy Grass.
Tools:
You will need a Noch Static Grass Applicator (puffer bottle), some Scatter Grip some Flock and a "Catcher Tray" (a large cardboard box or baking tray; We actually use an old pizza-baking tray)
How to:
The first thing to do is decide where you are going to apply your static grass and what colours you will use on your terrain/scenery. Bear in mind that if you want a natural look then you will want to use different shades of flock in patches, lighter shades on rough poor ground, ledges of ruins and darker green in low areas that would be wetter and better for growing. We also often leave some patches of bare ground showing through in areas just to give that extra "dimensional" aspect to the scenery.
Take the Puffer and fill it up to at least half full with the first colour of grass that you will use then screw the cap back on. Why the puffer bottle works better when somewhere between half and two thirds full I don't know - but it does work better!
Once you are happy with what is going where take the Scatter Grip and carefully poor out a small patch of the liquid onto the terrain. Then take a brush and paint the Scatter Grip over the area that is going to be covered. Be careful not to try to do too much at once, generally don't do an area any bigger in width that the Catcher Tray and not more than 6 inches by 6 inches square.
As the Scatter Grip is applied it may turn blue in colour, don't worry about this as it's perfectly normal and not a problem as it dries clear. Make sure that you don't get any of the Scatter Grip onto your fingers as this stuff is extremely sticky stuff and you will end up with flock all over your fingers. As soon as you have covered the area you are going to flock take your puffer bottle and shake it vigorously for about 30 seconds.
Put your terrain into or over the Catcher Tray and then take the lid off the puffer bottle upend it and very gently tap it so that flock falls into the top of the bottle. Now position the Puffer about 2-4 inches away from where the scatter grip has been applied and give the Puffer a hard squeeze. Repeat this about 3 or 4 times for each small area of the Scatter Grip so that there is so much flock that you can no longer see any of the glue.
Now put the bottle to one side and take the terrain and turn it upside down over the Catcher Tray. Shake it gently and tap the base so that you work off loose flock into the Catcher Tray (there should be lots of it) . Once you have removed this excess flock gently blow over the flock that is still attached whilst still holding the terrain upside down. Blowing has two functions: it removes more loose flock and it also encourages stuck flock to stand up on end.
Try to ensure that the flock that falls from or is blown off the terrain goes into the Catcher Tray
as this can all be reused latter.
You should now have an area of flock that is well covered and with lots of the flock standing up giving a good 3D effect. Remember that we aren't trying to make a perfectly vertical carpet of flock, the flock should be standing up at all sorts of angles looking like a fuzzy disheveled mass.
As you use the bottle you will get used to how surprisingly accurate you can be with it in covering small, distinct areas of terrain. Also how, by varying the action of squeezing, you can affect how much flock comes out. With practice you can apply flock in thick or thin covering, even allowing you to be able to mix two flocks directly onto the same glue (which is ideal for "blending" the edge areas where two types of flock meet each other).
Another key to applying light flock is using Scatter Grip rather than PVA glue or even Tacky Glue. This viscous liquid is incredibly sticky, far more so than Tacky Glue and this means that the lightest of applications of flock will still stick to it. As Scatter Grip retains its tackiness its also helps ensure that the flock stays attached. If you are worried that flock is wearing off, or might wear off, especially in areas of heavy use, then you can apply a fine mist of Scenic Cement (Matte Medium) over the flock once the Scatter Grip has dried, as this will further help bond the flock to the terrain.
Another advantage of Scatter Grip is that because it is a viscous liquid you can paint it into small areas with a paintbrush, this allows you to be extremely accurate with flock application around the edges of rocks, buildings, in between planks of wood even. It also flows smoothly meaning you can paint down an area much more easily than tacky glue and its higher level of tackiness makes it far more suitable to flocking than Matte Medium or Scenic Cement (Both of which fail badly in holding flock upright).
All in all the combination of Scatter Grip and the Static Grass Applicator makes for a simple means of application that almost guarantees a good quality of flocking when used correctly. It is cheap, easy to use and allows a level of control that surprises most people. It also makes application of large or small areas very simple and painless.
Whilst professional flocking machines may be the ultimate in flock application their high cost (generally <£100.00) rules them out for the majority of modellers. The puffer bottle, whilst it may not seem much, can actually make a massive difference to the quality of your flocking for a relatively tiny price.
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