All I can say is WOWOWOW

they are better than i ever expected. I just recieved 2 flocked grips (one in black and one dark cherry) that I got Ron Holmes to do proffesionally for me! I opened the package and was really blown away by them! I bought the self flocking kit and made a few grips and not to knock the product it really is great, but you cannot compare proffesionally flocked grips to the self made ones! i sent them to Ron and a week later they arrived.
Ron if you read this forum thanks a lot buddy for the grips.
i will post the pics later on when i get a chance.
Art

I have to disagree. If you practice a bit and really follow the directions that were in Rodmaker, you can make your own flocked grips that are within 99% of the professionally made ones. Not a knock on Ron and I'm sure his are beautiful but the last few I did are what I would call flawless. I can't believe they could be much better. My first ones left something to be desired, but my latest ones I would put up against anyone's.

The grips which you can get from Ron or Biscayne are going to be exceptional. Yes, you can certainly do very nearly as well on your own, but many people still haven't gotten the hang of it. I saw a couple do-it-yourself flocked grips in Charlotte that left a lot to be desired (when questioned it was easy to tell the "flockers" didn't fully heed the instructions I prepared).

I would say that if you're not willing to follow the step by step instructions (listed in the online library here) or don't have the patience to practice on a grip or two or three, you'll be better off just buying the professionally made ones. If you have the inclination to do your own, however, you can certainly come close to equalling the professionally made ones. I would also put the ones I've done with the shorter flock up against any others I've seen. But really good do-it-yourself results are never automatic - proper procedure and practice are required.

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I see where this thread is going and this is just based on my opinion and my experience!!!! I wouldnt dare agrue with who can make what and the quality, but All i can say is that I am a very creative, artistic, and hands on person. I have made more than a dozen self made grips by following the instrucions and they dont even come close to the feel of the proffesionally made ones. Maybe the self made grips made with the Air-Assisted Spray Gun do compare and even rival, but the ones that are made by the can in my OPINION dont.
I am just giving credit where credit is due and passing the word! I got Rons name from that artical on flocking and decided to give him a try. And today when i recieved the grips i was really impressed with the feel and look.

Ron does a beautiful job, no question about that. He sent me a dozen or so grips for the article so I know the quality of his work.

You can do your own flocking (with the mini-flocker) that will easily rival his, but again, it all depends on where you want to go with this. I put his name in the article for those who don't want to bother with learning how to make their own or who can't justify the cost or the time for the few they want. If you don't want more than a very few, it's certainly easier to just buy them from Ron or Biscayne and it won't cost you very much.

There are a couple tips that some are overlooking that I probably need to cover at some point. Not holding the flocker at the same angle the entire time you're flocking makes a huge difference in the look and feel of the grip. You want the fibers to all hit the adhesive coming in from the same angle. But I'll cover this later in a future issue that deals with some newer applications for flocking.

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Is teh stuff Biscayne/ROn does the same as teh homemade kit? One of teh things I noticed with eth kit is teh fibers were MUCH shorter than teh other Flocked grips I've seen.

The fibers Ron and Biscayne are using are roughly twice as long as what you will get in the kits from Donjer. I felt that for use in the mini-flocker, the longer fibers didn't look quite as good - without the electrostatic charge you didn't get them all into the adhesive standing on end. So, shorter fibers and you don't notice, can't see, that some aren't directly on end. The professionally made grips done with the static charge are typically a bit denser because with all the fibers standing on end, you get more fibers per square inch.

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I have built a containment device using a 13 gallon white plastic garbage can with a flip top lid. I cut V knotches in the top and a window to shoot the air assisted spray cannister through. The set up forces me to hit the target at a constant 90 degree angle and it really makes a difference. I can spray the all black and create the same wave pattern that you see in your carpet when you use a zoom broom to get it all in the same direction. Unless you create a station that helps you keep the application angle constant it is very difficult to properly spray the stuff. If you spray the all black you can very easily see the effect of changing the angle. I minimized the look of fibers at different angles by adding some white to the black but the real secret is constant pressure, traverse speed and constant angle. I watched Tom in Charlotte and decided that I could not operate the push pull can to get a good job - I have trouble walking and chewing gum at the same time! I can only imagine what the electrostatically charges particle jobs look like. I can not do a weave job like the weavers either but the flocking adds a touch of class to the Purple and Gold Popping Rods.

I also like to make posts on the board dealing with All You Flockers. I guess Tom will soon have to substitute a list of symbols for this obscene sounding word to keep this board on the clean side!

Gon Fishn