Best flocking paper source?

I've found it available from Kendrick and Edmund Scientific.

Is there a difference between these two? Is there a better/cheaper
supplier that I'm unaware of?

Thanks!

-Mark Ensley

"Tom Hole" wrote in message ...
"Mark Ensley" wrote in message
om...
I've found it available from Kendrick and Edmund Scientific.

Is there a difference between these two? Is there a better/cheaper
supplier that I'm unaware of?

Thanks!

I get mine from here. They are nice and fast. I flock everything with this
stuff with good results.

http://www.fpi-protostar.com/flocked.htm

The Kendrick product is the FPI-ProtoStar product for Canadians ( shipping
and duty issues).

"Thad Floryan" wrote in message
om...
"Florian" wrote in message
...
I just bought two 9"x12" sheets of self-adhesive black felt at Walmart
for 87 cents each. I can't say how the quality compares to the other
sources however.

The proof will lie with whether the "fuzz" sheds or not under varying
weather conditions and temperature.

FWIW, the FPI-ProtoStar product does not shed and its adhesive seems to
improve with age as it "cures" (for want of a better term). I do not
know what its l-o-n-g term ruggedness will be -- time will tell. So far
I'm very pleased with the product.

I'll second that. The protostar paper in my XT10 has been going strong for
5 months now in wether that has ranged from bitter cold to raining dew.
Fantastic stuff. I looked at the felt/velvet route, but couldn't justify
the budget approach when the flocking paper was only going to cost $35
shipped to do my entire XT10 with enough left over to flock both my kids.
If you just do the upper and lower 15 inches like I did, you can get it done
for $25. Only costs twice as much to go first class

Clear skies,

Tom

(Sydney Guy) wrote in message . com...
(Mark Ensley) wrote in message . com...
I've found it available from Kendrick and Edmund Scientific.

Does anyone know what flocking paper is used for other than baffling
telescopes? Presumably the stuff is not produced solely for our
benefit.

One other use (for a project I'll be completing this weekend) is as a
non-reflecting "backdrop" for an artificial star which I'm building in
a 10"x12"x3" aluminum box (for outdoor use tripod-mounted or suspended
from a flagpole). I'll put up pictures of this on my Astro Projects
website when it's completed. The contrast afforded by the ProtoStar
paper is essential for simply finding the .5 arcsecond pinhole; paint
just doesn't do it as well which was a "problem" with my 1st generation
"star" I made years ago.

After many, many experiments I simply haven't found anything as "good"
(non-reflective and neutral) as the ProtoStar paper.

(Sydney Guy) wrote in message . com...
(Mark Ensley) wrote in message . com...
I've found it available from Kendrick and Edmund Scientific.


Does anyone know what flocking paper is used for other than baffling
telescopes? Presumably the stuff is not produced solely for our
benefit.

The reason for my query was that it's not really practical for me to
order stuff from ProtoStar, Kendrick, McMaster-Carr for delivery to
Australia, the mailing costs become prohibitive. And the astro shops
here usually charge double or more the $A equivalent of US prices.

What I'm really after is what the _major_ uses of flocking paper are,
so that I can get a handle on where to look for it eg art supply
shops. I can't believe that the demand from amateur astronomers even
in the US could justify a production run of the stuff, so it must have
other and much more widespread uses.

Sorry about not being specific enough the first time.

SG

(Sydney Guy) wrote in message . com...
(Sydney Guy) wrote in message . com...
(Mark Ensley) wrote in message . com...
I've found it available from Kendrick and Edmund Scientific.


Does anyone know what flocking paper is used for other than baffling
telescopes? Presumably the stuff is not produced solely for our
benefit.

The reason for my query was that it's not really practical for me to
order stuff from ProtoStar, Kendrick, McMaster-Carr for delivery to
Australia, the mailing costs become prohibitive. And the astro shops
here usually charge double or more the $A equivalent of US prices.

Understood. And for a similar reason (shipping costs) Kendrick distributes
the ProtoStar product in Canada.

What I'm really after is what the _major_ uses of flocking paper are,
so that I can get a handle on where to look for it eg art supply
shops. I can't believe that the demand from amateur astronomers even
in the US could justify a production run of the stuff, so it must have
other and much more widespread uses.

'Tis puzzling. I'm at a loss to conjure-up any other possible use for the
black flocking paper with the possible exception of lining the insides of
jewelry boxes.

Hmmm, you might want to do a Google search on "black flocking paper" or on
"black velvet" or "black velvet paper" and see what turns up.

Just a guess here....how about stage background material
for the actors and sets, on stage? Especially those Edgar Allen Poe
and Alfred Hitchcock drama's? ;-)
Tom W.




Thad Floryan wrote:
(Sydney Guy) wrote in message . com...

(Sydney Guy) wrote in message . com...

(Mark Ensley) wrote in message . com...

I've found it available from Kendrick and Edmund Scientific.


Does anyone know what flocking paper is used for other than baffling
telescopes? Presumably the stuff is not produced solely for our
benefit.

The reason for my query was that it's not really practical for me to
order stuff from ProtoStar, Kendrick, McMaster-Carr for delivery to
Australia, the mailing costs become prohibitive. And the astro shops
here usually charge double or more the $A equivalent of US prices.


Understood. And for a similar reason (shipping costs) Kendrick distributes
the ProtoStar product in Canada.


What I'm really after is what the _major_ uses of flocking paper are,
so that I can get a handle on where to look for it eg art supply
shops. I can't believe that the demand from amateur astronomers even
in the US could justify a production run of the stuff, so it must have
other and much more widespread uses.


'Tis puzzling. I'm at a loss to conjure-up any other possible use for the
black flocking paper with the possible exception of lining the insides of
jewelry boxes.

Hmmm, you might want to do a Google search on "black flocking paper" or on
"black velvet" or "black velvet paper" and see what turns up.

Geoff wrote in message . ..
On 17 Jul 2003 19:07:10 -0700, (Sydney Guy)
wrote:


The reason for my query was that it's not really practical for me to
order stuff from ProtoStar, Kendrick, McMaster-Carr for delivery to
Australia, the mailing costs become prohibitive. And the astro shops
here usually charge double or more the $A equivalent of US prices.



Take a look at your local Bunnings hardware store.
I flocked mine with adhesive backed velvet obtained from the craft
section where wallpaper borders etc are kept. It comes on a 50cm wide
roll and I got it at $10/metre.

Two metres worth was enough to flock my 10 inch f5 dob leaving only a
small section in the centre of the tube unflocked (which is of no
concern to me) .

Thanks, I'll give them a visit.

SG

bwhiting wrote in message ...
Just a guess here....how about stage background material
for the actors and sets, on stage? Especially those Edgar Allen Poe
and Alfred Hitchcock drama's? ;-)
Tom W.

Try Science supply centers. Some labs use flocking for lite blocking in reasearch.
DL Smallen