Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I'm thinking hybrid, luan foam core. Has anyone used contact cement to
bond/sandwich foam to plywood of any kind? I plan to us a non flamable type contact cement.

thanks

Mike

Hey Mike,

I did try standard contact cement and it started to eat the foam. I was going to try some rubber based contact cement but just ended up using TBII.

As with most things foamie: test first!

If its for the inside, try headliner spray adhesive. its relatively cheap, and since its for the inside of a car, it'll hold up in extreme temperatures. I've used it for numerous different projects, as well as what its 'supposed' to be used for and had nothing but good luck.

Be sure to test with the plastic film on - and off the foam - some foam sheets come with a clear thin plastic sheeting on both sides the glue will stick to the plastics but the foam will pull away.

I think that epoxy (not polyester) resin would do a good job.

Vacuum bag it to get a good compression.

Cheers,

Gus

Where’s this Miracle glue we’ve all been waiting for ???

Vacuum bagging and epoxy would work super for attaching ply to foam , and canvas too ... For those looking for an ultra smooth canvas finish , attach that too and bag the whole thing .... It will come out VERY smooth ... Not as hard to do as it might first appear ... hardest thing is chasing down small leaks ... (tape fix )

OK, I couldn’t help myself and made a drawing of simple vacuum bagging setup we’ve done in the past for airplane wings and small boat hulls ... Pretty Easy , very secure bonding all over ...

Can you imagine vacuum bagging a bread loaf build? Now that would be one bid sandwich bag.



Sorry, could not help myself

Randy

It’s possible ... in sections ...

eamarquardt wrote:I think that epoxy (not polyester) resin would do a good job.

Vacuum bag it to get a good compression.

Cheers,

Gus

I used epoxy for my floor 1/8" ply/ foam/ 1/8 ply sandwich. Others use PL premium spread with a notched trowel.

Larry C

Why hasn't anyone suggested gorilla glue?

Mike...

Ok, now I want some more info on the vacuum bag thingie. Would a regular shop vac work for the compression? I had thought about using the meat tenderizer with compression to press the GG into the foam for a better bond. Would there need to be some sort of release layer to keep the plastic from sticking to the sandwich.

Inquiring minds want to know. Oh, and how long is long enough to leave the thing compressed?

A tutorial would be great!

A bead of gorilla glue around the periniter and a couple of swirls in the middle.

Weigh it down with water jugs, paint cans, concrete blocks on 2 x 4's or the like.

Works great.

Liquid nails panel adhesive works good too. Same thing with the weights.

M

Bonnie , ever see those “Space Bags “ on TV , vacuumed by a shop vac... same principle ... Once you get a good vacuum , just close the valve and let it sit and cure ... usually overnight with epoxy ... the vacuum does NOT run all night ...
Gorilla glue should work fine if not watered too much ... a simple vacuum gives an enormous amount of pressure .... Even pressure all over , where buckets and weights do not ...

We were taught vacuum bagging by a gentleman who made the large fiberglass figures for the Disney hotels in Orlando ... some time ago ...

Vacuum bagging is easier than you think and it works great:



All you need is a shop vac, packing tape and some 4mm plastic sheet. I wouldn't use gorilla glue as it takes too long to dry. Titebond 2 has a 30 minute clamp time so we ran the vacuum for 60 minutes. Just use packing tape to make the bag.



Bruce