foam making stuff.

[planetWayne]

Hi all,

I was wondering if this stuff still exists and where you can get it...

Many (many) years ago at an old scout meeting we (ok I was watching) were making foam as a buoyancy aid for a canoe. The process involved two bottles of brownish stuff that, when mixed together and stirred, could be poured into the ends of the canoe. It then expanded and formed into solid foam, taking on the shape of its container.

Anyone any ideas if that sort of stuff is still available and where to get such? I've seen the old 'foam in a squirty can' but this isn't going to help what I am looking to do as it really needs to be poured.

Cheers
Wayne.

 

[jasonB]

Half way down page, should be able to get it from any fibreglass suppliers

Jason

 

[pren]

I think I've heard of that stuff referred to as 'A/B Foam'.

 

[SketchUp Guru]

Can you get single part foam in a spray can? Just be careful when using any exapanding foam that you don't get too much in a confined space. It may cause the space to deform or come apart.

 

[Hitch]

I think the stuff in the cans is also polyurethane foam....
Can/gun foam is called 'open cell' foam, where the twin pack is 'closed cell'
In this case, the closed cell (2part) would be the choice to go for, gun/can foam generally isn't at all good around water.

 

[planetWayne]

cool,
cheers all,

silly question, what is the difference between open and closed cell? The only thing I can think off is the little 'bubbles' don't burst on closed cell?

I'm looking to add strength to some plastic tubing with this stuff - keeping rigidity as well as keeping it light weight.

I may well have to add this in layers as trying to fill on one go may well end up with there not being enough space for expansion at the bottom as it starts to expand and harden - a few experiments me thinks

We'll see how it goes
Wayne.

 

[Hitch]

I dont know exactly im afraid. The water resistance is the only one part that i remember about it. Perhaps google might know 8)

 

[planetWayne]

In a response to my own question a little google and - http://www.foam-tech.com/products/urethane_foam/open_closed_cell.htm seems to sum it up.

Basically...

Open cell -> soft squidgy ( as found in foam cushions) and is not well at insulating,

Closed Cell -> hard, can add strength (to various degrees) and insulation depending on the gas used to make the 'bubble' giving various degrees of insulation benefits.

So - I need closed cell ;-)

 

[RobertMP]

Used to buy a lot of foam gasket strip once.

Open cell is usually softer but does not have to be. Open cell is just that - if you held a sheet over your nose you could breathe through it. Closed cell you couldn't. Cheap open cell was for dust proofing, closed cell for water resistance.

pouring liquids together and making foam sounds kind of fun

 

[Drea]

pouring liquids together and making foam sounds kind of fun

It certainly does.

 

[xy mosian]

This reminds me of a past life!

Can you get single part foam in a spray can? Just be careful when using any exapanding foam that you don't get too much in a confined space. It may cause the space to deform or come apart.

One of the early polyurethane foam jobbies was a two-part one branded 'Twocan', of course. An over educated ., my boss in the loudspeaker design labs, decided that it could take the place of long haired wool inside a cabinet. So muggins takes out the bass unit, mixes the foam, pours it into the cabinet, refixes the bass and ........ stands back to watch first the loudspeaker cone being pushed out of the chassis and then the cabinet split at all joints. Guess who had to clean the mess from the carpet.

xy