W
WWC
Here is my DIY Slimline Wagtail Flipper Scrub Pad
You will need:
- Microfibre Mop Head (one of the flat oblong ones)
- Needle and thread
- Iron on Hemming Tape
I got a microfibre mop head refill from a local discount shop, it cost me £2 This looks like one of the big chunky Chenille pads, it's actually not. I would have gotten just a plain / short microfibre one, but this is what the shop sold. You can get the 'standard' microfibre ones on eBay, and I am sure other local shops.
It is big enough to make 2 pads for my 14" Wagtail Slimline Flipper. This picture shows my original Wagtail pad and the back of the mop refill. The white bit is a simple polyester backing material that you need as well as the microfibre material.
First, you need to remove the extra white bits that hold the mop head on. I did this by carefully cutting the stitching out with s razor /scraper blade. I also removed the stitching that ran down the middle to be bigger white polyester backing. Though, do leave the stitching in the hem as best you can.
The whole thing then needed cut down the middle lengthwise. this gave me a depth about the same as the original wagtail pad. The length did need cut down a bit though to make it suitable for the 14" flipper.
I then cut 2cm of the white backing off to leave room for the Velcro. This is important, as you don't want this part too stiff.
Now stitch in a hem on the short cut side, and re-stitch any parts of the hem that I needed to be cut when removing the extra white bits.
Now I cut 2 lengths of Velcro (the soft / loop part) that go at the sides of the non hemmed long side to Velcro to the pad to the flipper. Mine were about 12cm long. The Velcro and white backing should not overlap as it will bee too rigid and this is the part where the pad 'hinges' to flip over.
Now for the hemming tape. You want to 'glue' the white backing strip down the the microfibre with the hemming tape. I also stuck the Velcro down in place with it. The white polyester backing is needed to add a little rigidity to the microfibre. Without it, the pad is too floppy when the scrub pad is flipped back to squeegee the glass.
Now that it is all stuck in place, I stitched the Velcro on as well. I thought that it would need the extra security of stitching. I also took the opportunity to do a very simple overlocking stitch on the cut non-hemmed length, to stop it fraying.
NOTES:
I tried a making a few different variations of this scrub pad, and the one I describe here works the best. For instance I tried different depths of pad tried without the backing material, tried without the hem etc. The version here worked best for me with the mop pad refill that I got.
This can be done by either hand stitching, or a sewing machine depending on your abilities and access to a sewing machine.
I know that this works just fine as a scrub pad for the flipper, though I haven't seen how long it will last for. If for instance the hemming tape fails and the backing pad starts to come away, I could run a could run a couple of lines of stitches in it to hold it in place
This pad goes off and on easily, cleans well, and flips just as well as the original.
You will need:
- Microfibre Mop Head (one of the flat oblong ones)
- Needle and thread
- Iron on Hemming Tape
I got a microfibre mop head refill from a local discount shop, it cost me £2 This looks like one of the big chunky Chenille pads, it's actually not. I would have gotten just a plain / short microfibre one, but this is what the shop sold. You can get the 'standard' microfibre ones on eBay, and I am sure other local shops.
It is big enough to make 2 pads for my 14" Wagtail Slimline Flipper. This picture shows my original Wagtail pad and the back of the mop refill. The white bit is a simple polyester backing material that you need as well as the microfibre material.
First, you need to remove the extra white bits that hold the mop head on. I did this by carefully cutting the stitching out with s razor /scraper blade. I also removed the stitching that ran down the middle to be bigger white polyester backing. Though, do leave the stitching in the hem as best you can.
The whole thing then needed cut down the middle lengthwise. this gave me a depth about the same as the original wagtail pad. The length did need cut down a bit though to make it suitable for the 14" flipper.
I then cut 2cm of the white backing off to leave room for the Velcro. This is important, as you don't want this part too stiff.
Now stitch in a hem on the short cut side, and re-stitch any parts of the hem that I needed to be cut when removing the extra white bits.
Now I cut 2 lengths of Velcro (the soft / loop part) that go at the sides of the non hemmed long side to Velcro to the pad to the flipper. Mine were about 12cm long. The Velcro and white backing should not overlap as it will bee too rigid and this is the part where the pad 'hinges' to flip over.
Now for the hemming tape. You want to 'glue' the white backing strip down the the microfibre with the hemming tape. I also stuck the Velcro down in place with it. The white polyester backing is needed to add a little rigidity to the microfibre. Without it, the pad is too floppy when the scrub pad is flipped back to squeegee the glass.
Now that it is all stuck in place, I stitched the Velcro on as well. I thought that it would need the extra security of stitching. I also took the opportunity to do a very simple overlocking stitch on the cut non-hemmed length, to stop it fraying.
NOTES:
I tried a making a few different variations of this scrub pad, and the one I describe here works the best. For instance I tried different depths of pad tried without the backing material, tried without the hem etc. The version here worked best for me with the mop pad refill that I got.
This can be done by either hand stitching, or a sewing machine depending on your abilities and access to a sewing machine.
I know that this works just fine as a scrub pad for the flipper, though I haven't seen how long it will last for. If for instance the hemming tape fails and the backing pad starts to come away, I could run a could run a couple of lines of stitches in it to hold it in place
This pad goes off and on easily, cleans well, and flips just as well as the original.
