How to use flocked heat transfer vinyl?

How to use flocked heat transfer vinyl?

 

IRONING LETTERS IN FLOCKFOLIE IRONING
Ironing letters are letters made from a special material that can be applied to textiles by heating. Flock foil, or flock velor as it is sometimes called, is a soft, velvety textile printing foil with an adhesive back. It has a dense fiber content which makes it look a bit like it is embroidered. It ensures a professional appearance at a much lower price. That is an immediate advantage of ironing letters, or ironing applications in flock in general. But you can iron both flex foil and flock foil.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FLEX FILM AND FLOCK FILM?
The difference between flex and flock film has to do with the following. Flex foil is thinner and smoother than flock foil. They both have an adhesive carrier. That is a hard adhesive plastic layer. Both flex foil and flock foil can be used with a cutter. But you can also cut figures by hand. You draw it on the back (so on the carrier) and then cut them out with pointed scissors without removing the carrier. However, flex foil is better suited for smaller designs than flock foil. The recommended temperature for applying the flock film also differs from that of the flex film. For flock film this is 160 ° C and for applying flex film 150 ° C.

Some brands:
There are different brands of Flock foil available on the market. You have CAD-CUT®FLOCK flock foil from Stahls. There is also the StripFlock® ”from Siser and the TubiTherm Flock from the Poli-Tape Group, which are all great. If you are looking for quality flax from Stahls, take a look in the shop.

WHAT CAN YOU IRON FLOCK FOIL?
String letters in flock foil are fantastic to use on things such as children’s clothing. Children will love the feeling!

It also looks good when used on sweaters, sports hoodies and tops. It ensures that numbers and names really stand out. Also in combination with other nice ironing applications, this can look fantastic.

Flock velours is suitable for cotton, polyester and acrylic from a mixture of these.

HOW CAN YOU CUT FLOCK FOIL?
Each manufacturer must specify the requirements for cutting and pressing their specific vinyl. It also depends on the type of cutter you are going to use for cutting string letters.

All of the major cutting machines can easily cut flock film. I like to use the Cricut Explore Air 2 for cutting (and I love it), but you can also use the following: the Silhouette CAMEO 3 or the Brother Scan N Cut. We must not forget to mirror our design for cutting.

For a Cricut Explore Air 2 cutting machine, set your machine to “Iron On +” and then test to see if this works. You must ensure that the knife goes through the flock and not through the transparent back.

For a Silhouette Cameo cutting machine, use a thickness setting of 33 and a knife setting of 4 speed 5 and force 6.

As with any new vinyl or new machine, you must first do a test before you make a final cut. Take a moment to cut a design and see if it works. Change what needs to change and then go for it.

When you order an ironing application from me, you will receive an extra piece of test material. This way you can already try it out before ironing on your beautiful garment or other textile.

Glitter Strijkapplicatie Love met Hartjes

STRIJKAPPLICATIES

Heb je geen snijmachine en ook geen zin om er eentje aan te schaffen voor een enkele strijkapplicatie, dan ga ik u helpen.

CAN YOU IRON FLOCK FOIL IN COMBINATION WITH OTHER FILIES?
You can iron flock in combination with flex or glitter foil, among other things. For example, flock foil can serve as a base layer or be covered with other materials, giving a very unique, high-end appearance to logos and designs. It can be printed on top of regular flex foil, creating a border around text, an image or another design. It makes the design really stand out! Note: glitter foil cannot serve as a base layer. In addition, flock velor is very opaque and has deep, rich colors that are ideal for animal prints and for layers on other materials.

You could also apply ironing letters to an image cut out in flock foil.

WHAT SHOULD YOU PAY ATTENTION WHEN COMBINING DIFFERENT MATERIALS?

temperature
time
pressure
use of a protective cloth or paper
When you put different layers of flex foil on top of each other, both with an iron and with a heat press, you may experience problems when the temperature setting, pressure or time is incorrect. When you press on multiple layers, it is good to remember that the first layer receives the extra heat from each additional pressure. Suppose you printed a design with 4 colors for the recommended 15 seconds for each layer. The first layer would end with a total pressing time of ONE MINUTE. That is not going to look good.

Moreover, if the film is printed for too long, it may happen that it will shrink. Heating the first layers for short (1 to 5) is therefore the message. This is especially important for proper alignment of your designs.

Use a Teflon sheet, press cloth or baking paper (or clean piece of 100% cotton fabric) to protect the plate of your iron or the top plate of your heat press. It also protects the garment and the foil. Previously applied film without carrier (such as the first layer of a multi-color design) can leave adhesive residue on the printing plate. The consequence of this is that at a subsequent pressure without protection, slurry can adhere to the garment. A protective cloth or paper keeps everything clean. It also ensures that heat-sensitive items do not scorch.

STEP-BY-STEP IRON LETTERS IN FLOCK FOIL IRONING WITH A IRON IRON
It is always best to pre-wash your textile so that it no longer shrinks afterwards
Provide a hard surface with an ironing cloth or a towel or the like on it. Ironing boards with slight damping are recommended.
Depending on the brand you use, the instructions for applying string letters may be different. Check your supplier’s manual and check if they are the same or close to the instructions listed below.
You put the iron at around 160-170 ° C. That is between linen and cotton. You turn off the steam.
It is best to pre-coat to remove any wrinkles from the textile and to make the application adhere better.
You can determine the center of your garment by folding the design in 2 as well as the bib.
Lay your shape on the fabric with removable transparent film facing up
Use a press cloth (or a piece of cotton fabric such as a tea towel) or greaseproof paper to press to protect the material from the heat of the iron.
Iron evenly without steam!
15 to 20 seconds each
do not move the iron
Flock foil must cool before you can remove the carrier. Only after cooling can you carefully remove the transparent film
Pull from corner to corner
For a good adhesion of the ironing letters it is best to iron for a few seconds on the application with a baking paper in between. Turn your fabric over and iron well again
If the application has not yet adhered properly – you can repeat the previous steps and apply it again. Similarly, if the ironing application is released after it has been washed a number of times

HOW TO APPLY FLOCK FOIL WITH A HEAT PRESS?
Each brand has its own requirements and you must follow them carefully.

The flock films I have already worked with require the following averages:

Preheating textile: 2-3 seconds
Temperature: 155-165 ° C
Time: 15-20 seconds
Pressure: Medium (3-5 bar)
Cold peal: remove carrier cold

You want to keep a nicely printed piece of clothing for a long time. That is why it is important to wash and iron your clothes with care and attention. Follow the washing instructions below to have fun with your clothes for as long as possible.

WASINSTRUCTIES

  • Ga niet meteen na het aanbrengen van strijkletters of een strijkapplicatie wassen maar wacht minstens 24u.
  • Gebruik geen chloorbleekmiddel
  • Je kan een applicatie met “enkel” flockfolie wassen tot 60 °C. 
  • Draai je kleding met strijkletters binnenstebuiten voor het wassen en gebruik geen droogtrommel.
  • Strijk nooit rechtstreeks op de strijkletters in flockfolie. Beter is om het kledingstuk binnenstebuiten te strijken.

IRONING APPLICATIONS OF FLEXFOLIE AND GLITTERFLEX
Ironing applications with flex foil, flock foil and / or glitterflex are also a nice alternative.

Here I have the ironing application for a self-made bib.

I cut the petals of the flower in red flock foil and the heart of the flower in white glitterflex. You can download the file of this flower that I designed for free for personal use. In the video above I show you step by step how I apply this ironing application consisting of flock foil and glitterflex.

 

IRON APPLICATIONS WITH STRASS STONES
In addition to ironing applications in flock foil, you can also opt for a “glittering” variant. By this I mean the rhinestone applications. These are applications covered with strass stones that can also be applied to clothing, bags or other textiles. Strass stones are also called hotfix stones because they also stick to the fabric through heating. The underside of these stones is covered with a layer of glue. When heated, the glue melts and adheres to achieve the desired result. So you can easily and quickly create glitter T-shirts at home by using these rhinestone applications.

In the video below I show you how to iron strass applications.

 

WHAT ARE GLITTER IRON LETTERS?
Glitter Ironing letters are letters made from a glitter material such as glitterflex or holographic flex and which can be ironed on textile. If you would like a one-piece name in decorative letters and not in individual letter transfers, you can contact me for this. You give the name of your choice and I cut and peel it for you. You only have to iron it.

Hopefully I have been able to provide clarity for you on how you can easily cut and iron flock foil yourself.

If you feel like getting started yourself, but still have questions, then leave a comment in the comments below.