To start with, a plastic lined flocking box was constructed from which any flock not sticking will be recovered. All the decoys are new out of the box. Each was given three coats of Krylon clear acrylic
flat matte 1311.

Internet photos of coots reveal many different variations from all black to a very dark grey to purplish section which blends into larger areas of black. The first experiment will be conducted on five coots.  These five will be testing the three paints/glues and two sources of nylon flocking. A grey flock will be used on only one to look at blending colors. I’m going to test for the correct shade of grey using the bottom of an old decoy. Using black “glue” under the grey flock is supposed to make it appear darker.
If the shade (of grey) is not acceptable, I will mix some black flock with grey to darken it.   

    note: While flocking, I'm using a dust mask and glasses. The fine nylon flock floats
               free and far from the target. There is no need to flock your lungs.  

         Step # 1 – make flocking box     finished  √  
         Step # 2 - check for correct shade of grey using black Rustoleum on the under
                           surface of used mallard decoy, mix black flock with grey (if necessary)
observations & data:
            1) the mallard decoy (section of bottom ) with no preparation except brushing  
                a section of the bottom was coated with Rustoleum (flat back)
            2) this section was immediately flocked with Donjer charcoal grey nylon
            3) two hours later the flocked section and an addition area were painted with
                more Rustoleum (should have knocked off the excess flocking as it rolled
                up in the fresh paint, this soon was displaced by using the paint brush and  
                a smooth 2^nd coat cover the original flocking and produced a fresh area to
                flock, this gives a two coat flocking contrasted with a single
            4) 24 hours later the single & double flocking coats could not be scratched
                with a wooden dowel scraped across the surface several times, there’s not
                a trace of any marks…..that’s zero
 

left coot (1st) - double coat     (Rustoleum & Donjer flocking)                  black & grey                   three coots        (middle=original plastic)           right coot (2nd) - one coat       (Donjer glue & Donjer flocking)

              Step #3 -  double coat of Rustoleum with Donjer grey/black flock  √  1^st  decoy
                              single coat Donjer "glue" with Donjer black flock  √  2^nd  decoy     
                              single coat Aero "glue" with Aero black flock    √   3^rd  decoy
                              double coat Rustoleum with Aero black flock    √  4^th decoy
                              double coat Rustoleum with Donjer black flock     √   5^th  decoy

                                        plastic lined flocking box (reclaiming unused flock)
                                                        note: two tiered, pedestal stand

              This is the improved model. Cut the card board box so that it is totally flat. Cover the
              inside portion of this single, flat section with plastic. Using two- sided clear plastic tape,
              attach the plastic. Tape the total length of the edges to the box  and reassembled. A few
              of the "slots" in the lids have to cut, but it is simple to reseal the edges inside after the
              box is put back together. The top flap can be tilted back with tape to stay tilted. This
              creates a large opening. The flock is kept inside the box and drops to the bottom.  For
              $3.50 (Walmart), an auto dust pan/whisk broom "comb" makes for the ideal flock remover.

                                note: It best to do this in area where the floor is easy to sweep.

Flocking sticks and looks better when applied perpendicularly with the "hand                      puffer" (Mini-flocker).  The PVC pedestals slip over nails and are different                      lengths. The decoy can be rotated and tilted to achieve the best angles.                     tip from Donjer.......Place a 3" lip in front and vertically (on the bottom edge). This                                  will prevent flock from being blown out by escaping air currents.                    The above photo did not have that "lip" installed....yet. It makes a huge difference.

observations & data
              1)  Rustoleum double coats are thicker, tougher and provide a chance to cover first coat
                   blemishes….which seem difficult to totally avoid
              2) The Donjer black flock was not as black as the Aero black
                       note: the black Donjer flock reclaimed from the flocking box was placed back in
                                the 3 oz bag & the reclaimed charcoal grey (Donjer) was placed back in the
                                3 oz bag of grey
                       note: later when the "pure" black Donjur coating was applied, it was not as black
                                as the Aero….therefore, I used a different bag of Donjer black flock to see if
                                the very small amount of grey contamination might be the cause.  It was.  
                                The fresh bag of Donjer is blacker than the one that probably has a small
                                amount of charcoal grey in it
                       note: do all black first and “the rest” (grey, red, etc.) later and in clean, freshly
                                relined flocking boxes to avoid contamination
              3) on the first decoy I used a sponge paint brush for larger areas and bristle the edges,
                  went on easy and flocking box worked great, but the sponge brush doesn't carry as
                  much paint (more work)
                       note: allowed to dry for 24 hrs and completed the other side
                       note: decided waiting that long for second coat is unnecessary  
             4) did not mask anything off, eyes are more difficult, needed finer brush
                       note: will mask off white bill…..too often a splash of black paint 
             5) doing the whole coot with the very thick Donjer or Aero glue takes too much time,
                 the glue in some areas doesn’t gather as much flock because it becomes skimmed
                 (not apparent) and less “tacky” plus I felt rushed
             6) Rustoleum is thinner and easier to keep “wet” & the second coat really finishes off
                 the total flock coating look nicely
             7) by the fourth decoy, the amount of time to coat has decreased & the ease of applying
                 Rustoleum (over the other two) makes it a winner (so far), add to that the second coat
                 only takes about 30 minutes max and covers first coat blemishes (which I have not
                 been able to avoid on any decoy yet), the “hand puffer” may be the weak link (air
                 assisted better?)
             8) from what I can gather all three paints/glues are alkyds, two are oil based and one
                 is water based (emulsion)……when dry they are essentially the same “stuff”.
                 However, I think the water based emulsion may need a much longer curing time.
                 All the water needs to migrate out of the mixture…..oil based solvents “leave”
                 quicker. The thicker glues are designed to “grab” more flocking initially.  Donjer
                 and Aero black paint/glues "look" and feel identical when applying. The only
                 difference is the solvent odor of the Donjer. However, the two coated Rustoleum
                 seems to compensate for many issues…..easier painting with a "wetter" coating,
                 when finished (two coats), the decoy has more total flock over a harder, similar
                 undercoat with zero blemishes and no gaps.  
             9) all black flocked coots look fine for a hunting rig (easier, too) 

                 This initial conclusion for choosing Rustoleum is supported by other experimenters.
                 Therefore, I will probably use the Rustoleum method with Donjer nylon flock
                 (company is closer), but the final choice will depend on the durability testing of the
                 five decoys.  

                 In two weeks, the five flocked coots (different methods and materials) will be tested
                 in the elements for durability……freezing/thawing, rained on and jammed wet in a
                 6 slot decoy bag  which will be bounced around (a lot).
 02/08/2010

 Update: 02/16/2010

                 Finished the coots....double coated Rustoleum & black  flocking from Donjer.