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Flocking the Glovebox, not the Christmas Tree


bergie33

1,547 views

Another small project down...restoring the glovebox.  

 

I needed to restore the super crusty, ugly glovebox, and found several posts here on the FAQ and some additional info on YouTube to help with this flocking adventure.  Here is what I needed for this project:

 

 - Acetone

 - metal scraper

 - gloves

 - flocking fibers

 - adhesive/paint

 - flocking applicator

 - large plastic tub

 - 2 small cheap paintbrushes

 - denatured alcohol

 - old rag

 - painter's tape

 

I found the Flock It website had full kits to apply new flocking to the interior of the glovebox, but their kits seemed to be overpriced for what you got.  It was $41 for flock, adhesive and an applicator.  Instead, I found the same flock on Amazon for about $16.  It is the Flock It brand nylon fibers, Charcoal Gray.  Most flocking uses acrylic paint as the adhesive, so I went one step further for more durability and bought a 1/2 pint container of Rust-Oleum Gloss Smoke Gray Oil-Based Enamel paint for $7 at ACE Hardware.  For the applicator, I borrowed an idea from YouTube and put holes in the bottom of a paper cup, used another cup inside of that and a rubber glove to seal it all up.  Moving the inner cup in and out creates the puffing action that is needed for applying the flock.  It was free and worked great.  The materials that I bought are probably enough to flock 6-8 glove boxes.

 

Here is the ugly beast that I started with, along with the crusty screws, bolts, washers and latch...

 

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Let's Get Started!

 

First, I used acetone and a metal scraper to remove the old flocking and adhesive.  You need to get all of the old material off, and make sure the surface is clean when you are done.  I started with varying grits of sandpaper, and it was slow and difficult to get into the corners.  The acetone didn't seem to harm the plastic, and would be covered with the paint and flocking anyway.  Here is the stripped and cleaned glovebox...

 

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Now with it all stripped and cleaned, I wanted to mask off the sides with painter's tape, as well as under the screw holes and latch opening.  Then I gave it one last pass with denatured alcohol on an old rag to clean any residual fingerprints. 

 

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With the glovebox all ready to go, I was ready to start applying the flocking.  Make sure to get all of your supplies ready, so you can apply the flocking when the paint is nice and wet. When the flocking arrives, it is a little lumpy.  I forced it through a small strainer to remove the balls and lumps, kind of like sifting flower.

 

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For the flocking applicator, I used a medium sized soda cup and a small soda cup.  I cut a few small holes in the bottom of the medium sized cup.  Then, dump a few large tablespoons of the sifted flocking into the medium sized cup.  Insert the small cup into the medium cup and place a rubber/nitrile/laytex glove over the top of both cups.  This will keep the flocking from spraying everywhere.

 

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Using a cheap paintbrush, paint on a good layer of the paint all over the interior of the glovebox.  Be careful not to make it too thick or it will run, especially on the vertical surfaces. 

 

Partially painted...

 

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Here is the paint I used.

 

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Once the paint is evenly applied, place the glovebox in the large tub.  Start applying the flocking by repeatedly moving the small cup in and out of the larger cup.  As you go, you might have to tap the cup to redistribute the flocking in the cup.  Be very liberal with the flocking.  By doing this in the large tub, you will be able to recover most of the flocking material.  Make sure to get into all of the corners really well.

 

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After the flocking is applied, leave it to dry in a warm place for 24-36 hours.  Next, take another cheap paintbrush and trim the bristles back a little so they are a little stiffer.  Use the brush to brush off the loose fibers, and reclaim them, along with the extra flocking in the large tub.

 

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Now you can take your newly re-plated hardware and install it on the glovebox.  Re-Install and enjoy!

 

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Edited by bergie33

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4 Comments


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Beautiful! Thanks for sharing this.  A stupid question, perhaps: What sort of place did you  go to to get the metal parts replated and what did it cost?

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4 minutes ago, schuetz1619 said:

Beautiful! Thanks for sharing this.  A stupid question, perhaps: What sort of place did you  go to to get the metal parts replated and what did it cost?

 

I took all my hardware to a local electroplating shop. It was $240 for a ton or parts, some fairly large.  I tried my hand at home plating and my results were not very good, and cleaning was cumbersome.  See my post here for details:

  https://www.bmw2002faq.com/forums/topic/308805-blown-away-by-my-freshly-plated-parts/?do=findComment&comment=1546657

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