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Bending Foam with Heat ....

PostPosted: Thu May 26, 2011 7:51 am
by GPW
Years back we came up with a simple jig for bending 1/4" foam into wings ... http://www.foamfly.com/gallery2/v/Photos/Glen/album58/
Just thinking if we had a way or jig to bend the 2" foam with Heat , this whole Trailer building process would be much simplified , not having to cut gazillions of kerf cuts...or be restricted to straight edge designs... With no kerf cuts , the foam is Stronger too ...
Anybody care to experiment ???


Ps. once the foam is heat bent it stays in that shape ... :thumbsup:

PostPosted: Thu May 26, 2011 9:07 am
by DJT
I'd be game to try, but I'm not sure my wife would understand the 5' wide pizza oven in the back of the shop! :lol:

Seriously though, what kind of "heat application equipment" would be required? Most of this foam gets "soft" at 80-90*C right?

PostPosted: Thu May 26, 2011 9:14 am
by GPW
DJ, I noticed on the Dow website a picture with foam and a wide flame torch ... :o I was just thinking about a couple heat guns , one on the outside , one on the inside ... Once we soften the outside (tension load) , and the inside (under compression) It should bend , and without setting the foam on fire.. 190F does it for me (boiling water works ... just difficult to deal with ) Just have to be careful to keep the heat source moving and heating evenly ... Shouldn't be difficult ...

PostPosted: Thu May 26, 2011 9:21 am
by GPW
OOPS!!!! My Bad !!! Upon further investigation , found that "torch" was actually a spray Glue device... :oops:
But the torch would work if we used an Aluminum sheet as a protector, and bending aid for the foam ... the aluminum would spread the heat out more evenly , and take the tension loads off the foam ... Pricy though , unless you have some proper size Al sheet hanging around... :roll:
too complicated for most (me too) ... Heat guns seem to be the logical choice .. :thinking: