playmobil fabrics

[playmo1989]

what do you think about the carpets??

[WarriorOfToys]

I know of other things Playmobil has made with the sail fabric.
The roman tent was made using the fabric.
And all the sails that I have seen
(except for the red pirate ship whose sails were "bundles")
Were made with the fabric.

[Justindo]

WarriorOfToys' experience is the same as mine.  Also, all carpets I've seen are fabric.  The Viking tent is, however, plastic.

[WarriorOfToys]

WarriorOfToys' experience is the same as mine.  Also, all carpets I've seen are fabric.  The Viking tent is, however, plastic.

I have one of those... Half of one.

[playmo1989]

so if all of these are fabrick i guess in the fabrick must have some plastick because it smelled when ironong it!!!!

[WarriorOfToys]

Probably, as they are very tear resistant.

[Indianna]

We may have some confusion because of language differences.  

Within the context of this discussion, the word "fabric" means (in English):  "a material that resembles cloth."

The word "cloth" means:   "a pliable material made usually by weaving, felting, or knitting natural or synthetic fibers and filaments." (from Merriam Webster's online dictionary)

Different types of cloth (woven, felt, knitted) can all be made of many different things such as cotton, wool, linen, silk, and even plastic, in fact, recycled plastic bottles are often used to make plush and velour type fabrics used in clothing.

All of the sails, tents, carpets, etc. are, by definition, made of cloth (fabric.)  We don't know what the content of the fabric is, but I believe that much of the Playmobil cloth has at least some plastic content.  

[playmo1989]

thanks indianna

[cachalote]

all pirate ship sails are made from the same material - with 3 exceptions.
the material is something between cardboard, felt and rubber foam - no doubt a sinthetic formula  - and they have no visible threads.

the exceptions are the 3550 piratenschiff in all its versions where the material is a visible cloth (the threads are clearly visible) with some kind of impregnated reinforcement that gives it an extra stifness and a very slight superficial "shine".
in these sails the holes where the blocks are attached have extra white plastic flat rings glued on the fabric (i guess this is done to prevent the tearing of the fabric).

another exception is the 13570 antex argentinian set - a hybrid between the 3750 and the 3550 versions - that mounts the same fabric sails, just like the ones described above.

the final exception is the 4424 piratenkaperschiff with all its sails (both folded and unfolded) made from a hard plastic.
the result is - in my humble opinion - the worst ship playmobil ever made.

hans beck apparently thought that the 3750 was the best playmobil set ever made.
i tend to agree with him although the big 3940 sometimes takes its place in my heart. 

  all of these ships can be seen in the thread "all the pirate ships playmobil ever made", as playmofire suggests - http://www.playmofriends.com/forum/index.php?topic=4639.msg60782#msg60782.
it's great to see that this thread can actually help in some matters. 

[Ronastoo]

Talking about cloth/fabric can be confusing when it is called by different names in different countries.  In the US, the cloth that is used for the ships' sails is very similar to nonfusible Pellon® interfacing that is used to give stability to collars and cuffs of clothing.  In the US, it can be purchased in different weights and the cloth for the sails feels almost exactly like heavyweight Pellon®.
I've been experimenting with printing on Pellon® using my inkjet printer and hints from AliBaba.  (but, that is the subject of a different thread!  http://www.playmofriends.com/forum/index.php?topic=4851.0)