# Can I spray over and paint flock?



## The Sullen One (Nov 9, 2008)

Simple question and while I'm thinking the answer is yes, I want to know how difficult it is.


----------



## Silens (Dec 26, 2010)

There's nothing stopping you from doing it, but I'm gonna go with no.. Even spraying it will probably mess it up completely because the paint will simply be too thick. I'd say your best bet would be lots of drybrushing OR buy more flock in the colour you want it.


----------



## SilverTabby (Jul 31, 2009)

It is possible, provided you've used pva glue to stick it down rather than paint. It won't give a very good texture, if you're going for spray'n'paint, I'd use fine gravel or cat litter instead of flock. Flock is designed as a decorative topping, not a base...

I base all my models before spraying them, then paint over the undercoat. I find it helps the basing materials have a longer lifespan without flaking off. Flock, static grass and the like get added at the end.


----------



## Shogun_Nate (Aug 2, 2008)

Eh, even glued down, I'm thinking that the flock will come off should you try to drybrush after you've sprayed it. I agree with SilverTabby. I use something called Grit 'n Gravel. You can find it in the pet section of most stores where they keep stuff for birds. It is a mix of grit, small gravel and sand. It works great for bases.

Good luck and good gaming,

Nate


----------



## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

If you are looking to recolour it then ink would work better than paint.


----------



## normtheunsavoury (Mar 20, 2008)

In my early days I tried painting flock on a base and it came out looking horrible, the paint clumped up and most of the flock ended up stuck to the brush instead of the base, all I achieved was a big mess.


----------



## SilverTabby (Jul 31, 2009)

If you are going to attempt it, there are ways you can avoid the clumping issue.

1) use neat pva or superglue to stick down your flock, and pat it down then shake it off. This must be utterly dry before attempting anything else.
2) spray this with varnish. This seals down any loose flock.
3) *then* spray undercoat it, then paint.

Or you could just spend a couple of quid on gravel / sand, and use the flock for decoration as is intended. If you're redoing old bases, if pva was used then you can easily peel off the old stuff in one sheet by loosening an edge with a scalpel.


----------



## Ckaufmann1 (Jan 21, 2017)

Yes, by using an airbrush. First dilute a latex paint (water based) with a fabric medium (like Martha Stewarts fabric medium). Dilute about 1 pt paint to 1 pt water to 1 part medium). It should end up with a viscosity like milk. The airbrush then atomizes the paint fine enough to cling to the fibers without matting them down. Hope this helps.

Chris K.


----------



## ntaw (Jul 20, 2012)

It's always good to check the date on threads, this one's from 2011.


----------



## thismare89 (Mar 15, 2017)

It's hard to say.


----------

