What's the best way to fill in holes and dents in foam?

[mikeschn]

What's the best way to fill in holes and dents in foam?

Spray foam?

Vinyl spackling?

Wood putty?

Your thoughts...

Mike...

[eaglesdare]

honestly, i did not bother with it. but where 2 pieces were joined at the top, hubby did shoot some caulking along that small space.

gpw will pipe in here with other ways, but i remember he said you could boil water and dents will pop back out.

after its canvassed, i remember someone mentioned you could shoot some of that spray foam into it and then recover with canvas.

also, if when cutting the foam if you go too short, you can always add more foam and recut. just glue foam to foam. if you are too short when cutting wood, i don't think you can do the same. or can you? but that is for wood section.

[davel]

I've found that epoxy and matt material works best. I've learned that bondo definetely doesn't work long term.

The Bluebonnet Tear, foam and epoxy has been camping for almost 2 years now, still not finished.

[GPW]

I just knew this Had to come up sooner or later ... Last night I used common spray foam to fill in the gaps in my roof , and used vinyl spackle on the dents ... Both worked Very well .... the foam expanded and sealed the roof , this morning I cut off the excess with the recommended serrated knife and will just have a little sanding to make things flush and ready to cover...
The spackle is still a bit soft (rainy/Humid here), on the thicker areas , but the thin areas , just sanded smooth very quickly ...
For repairing damaged areas , spray foam and a patch are the logical alternative... Or you can symmetrically cut away the damaged area entirely , and just replace that with more Styrofoam , then patch ...
So for a Foamie first Aid kit , you might want to carry a can of spray foam , some extra canvas/fabric ,scissors, serrated knife (small table size) , a small bottle of T2 and GG , a small cheap brush , and a little jar of matching paint ... All would fit in less than a shoebox...

This is especially where those pinking shears come in , making a "soft " looking seam edge that blends in better than a hard edge straight cut .... less fraying too ... , less likely to peal off ... A trick used to patch fabric covered airplanes for Many many years now ...

[mikeschn]

GPW,

Did you document those methods with a picture or two?

Mike...

[GPW]

Why yes, just happened to have a couple pics ..




The roof seams have yet to be sanded , raining now ... but dried in ... Having not yet covered the TD or encountered any Bears (or Alligators) , we unfortunately have No pics of a repair... yet...


Yet more reading from the vintage aircraft world ... http://www.polyfiber.com/techquestions/ ... /index.htm
Notice on the materials list ... pinking shears ...

[GPW]

Just like to mention , if you have some lifting /bubbling of the fabric, a household iron can be your friend ... The glue (T2) becomes thermoplastic at a certain Heat and will re-liquify (to an extent) and re-attach the fabric ... in the neighborhood of 200 F... so don't Panic if you have a bubble or two... just iron it back down .... probably never lift again ...