Expanding Foam body sculpting

[ecomodded]

You can make any size electric foam cutter so , with a real big blob of foam and a steady hand . you could carve 'something' from your dreams or nightmares depending on how good the hand eye coordination is..

[California98Civic]

Will expanding foam stick to duct tape? I am wondering about a removable insert grill block for my front bumper that would simultaneously lower the stagnation point. I imagine the finished product being bolted to the grill from inside the grill, on the engine bay side, for easy removal.

[Frank Lee]

I'd think so. Maybe wax the duct tape as well.

[Xist]

Originally Posted by California98Civic

Will expanding foam stick to duct tape? I am wondering about a removable insert grill block for my front bumper that would simultaneously lower the stagnation point. I imagine the finished product being bolted to the grill from inside the grill, on the engine bay side, for easy removal.

Expanding foam seems to stick to everything, it actually pulled the surface off of our driveway when I scraped it off.

Perhaps Aerohead addressed this directly elsewhere, in this post he talked about expanding foam and release agents for fiberglass resin, which should be applicable:

Originally Posted by aerohead

*The polyisocyanrurate foam is chemically similar to urethane,so polyester resin is okay with it.
[...]
*Aluminum foil can be squeegied on over a coating of general-purpose axle grease,directly on a finished automotive finish to create a bleed-proof block and release mechanism for wet-layups applied directly over a vehicle when integrating spoilers,tails,and whatnot.The foil itself can receive multiple carnuba waxings along with a coat of polyvinyl alcohol release agent prior to laying up to release the foil from the part after the cure.
After the 'part' is completed,you slip it off the car,peel the foil away,then GUNK the area to remove the grease.

Have you read this thread? Jedi Sol said the foam sticks to foam, I would expect it to also adhere to duct tape.

[freebeard]

Quote: Originally Posted by aerohead

Sweet. Now I can do this:


http://www.gerrelt.nl/section-aerodynamics/modifications-windnoise.html

[Otto]

Styrene foams such as styrofoam can be hotwired, with excellent results, as is common for wings, etc in homebuilt airplanes. But, polyester resin dissolves that foam, so you must use more expensive epoxy. In stage props, the basic shape is often done with styrofoam, and then a layer of plaster of paris or similar is applied, for final surfacing.

Urethane foam is said to gum and clog the hotwire, and some say the process generates toxic fumes. I don't know about this, as if it were so, surely urethane foam would not be allowed as common house insulation. However, the sanding and workability of urethane foam is excellent, but makes a dusty mess and the fine granules go everywhere. Urethane foam is fine with inexpensive polyester resin. It is also chemically the same stuff as Gorilla Glue.

I've read that those who've used both styrofoam and urethane foam for one-off projects such as car body panels or mods, much prefer the urethane. RMax insulation at Home Depot or Lowes is polyisocyanurate foam, essentially urethane, so may be an option for car body mods, if the skin is pealed off.

[California98Civic]

Okay, I have polyurethane expanding foam in spray-cans (Dow's "great stuff" was on bigtime sale at Denault's Tru-Value hardware). I understand from this thread that this foam can take polyester fiberglass resin without disolving. A question: can the polyurethane foam be combined with styrofoam? I am considering using left over styrofoam blocks as filler inside a bumper insert. To reuse materials and to save on spray foam. So, the core would be styrofoam, surrounded with polyurethane foam, finished with polyster resin fiberglass. Can that work for a front bumper cover attachment?

[Varn]

2 part foam makes an excellent adhesive for pink board To glue two pink boards together I used a wafer of pink board and put a dab of two part polyester foam on it and held it behind the seam.

If used behind pink board that has appropriate wedges removed you can make pretty decent 3d curves in pink board. I have a pic somewhere of such construction.

I have always used epoxy rather than polyester to glue on reinforcement

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by California98Civic

Okay, I have polyurethane expanding foam in spray-cans (Dow's "great stuff" was on bigtime sale at Denault's Tru-Value hardware). I understand from this thread that this foam can take polyester fiberglass resin without disolving. A question: can the polyurethane foam be combined with styrofoam? I am considering using left over styrofoam blocks as filler inside a bumper insert. To reuse materials and to save on spray foam. So, the core would be styrofoam, surrounded with polyurethane foam, finished with polyster resin fiberglass. Can that work for a front bumper cover attachment?

The styrene will dissolve with polyester resin,but if a blocking coat of carpenters glue,or polyurethane spar varnish it will be non-reactive.
You could glue in your styrofoam to fill in the voids,then just 'paint' the exposed surface with glue.

[California98Civic]

Gonna be revealing more of what I don't know here...

By "pink board" we mean something like this? INSULPINK Foam Insulation Board - Residential Insulation - Owens Corning

Originally Posted by aerohead

The styrene will dissolve with polyester resin

Will the resin dissolve the styrene even if the styrene is encased in polyurethane foam first?