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Who knows stuff about foam rubber?

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Old Nov 28, 2004 | 02:10 PM
  #11  
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Too bad you don't have access to me toys at work

Cutting forms with a laser would make it very easy. Out of any material you want.
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Old Nov 28, 2004 | 02:29 PM
  #12  
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You lucky devil, you. I'm doing this Amish-style compared to your resources.

That would be nice to have access to hi-tech lazer equipment. Man... imagine the possibilities...
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Old Nov 28, 2004 | 02:31 PM
  #13  
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You can cut and shape the foam with the laser as well. Works great. Ultimately, I think your best results will be achieved by forming the vinyl to the original emblem using heat, then maybe spraying some sort of stiffener on the back, then filling the void with silicone.
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Old Dec 8, 2004 | 02:20 PM
  #14  
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I had to get some help from Hollywood on this one. My brother'* girlfriend used to do graphics work for some movie studios in CA. I asked her to call up some friends in the special effects department to see if they could give me some help. They led me to exactly what I was looking for. Liquid foam...

It comes as a two-part kit that is mixed 1:1 by volume. I also bought a release agent that didn't seem to work very well. Here is parts A & B ready to be mixed along with the plaster mold:
DSC01219.jpg

Here it is after 10 minutes in the mold. The foam is self-skinning and expands 6 times in volume.
DSC01222.jpg

Here is a cross section of the unused portion that was removed from the cup. The density of the foam is rated at 10lbs/sq foot although it does seem to be denser than that:
DSC01224.jpg

The release agent sucked. It was more difficult to remove the foam from the plaster mold (which received a coating) than it was to remove from the cup. Some of the detail and sharp edges stuck to the mold but overall a sucess for the first run:
DSC01225.jpg

I've already sent the door panels to be embroidered because I wasn't completely happy with the results. Since I think the foam will work well for this application, I'm going to continue to refine the process.
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Old Mar 1, 2005 | 10:05 PM
  #15  
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I am only bringing up an old topic because i want to know how it turned out? Did you finish? did it look how you wanted?
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Old Mar 2, 2005 | 09:10 AM
  #16  
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The foam mold actually came out pretty well but I wish I sealed the surface of the plaster before starting. The foam really stuck to the plaster and the shapes weren't as sharp as I'd hoped. I got a little impatient to do the door panels but wasn't totally satisfied with the whole imbossing results. So I decided to go with embroidered door panels instead.

DSC01314.jpg

Maybe one day I'll fart around some more. One thing I wanted to try is to repair a worn seat bolster foam as I know that this can be a problem with our cars. I went so far as to tear out some foam from a spare seat but have not tried to fill it in yet.

There are lots of possibilities with liquid foam rubber. I just lack the creativity to come up with something unique using the stuff. It'* really cool to watch it expand too.
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Old Mar 2, 2005 | 09:30 AM
  #17  
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Like everything else you have done, some badass work there. I think I like the "Bonneville" lettering better than the emblem [would have been]. Just seems to flow, you know?

Speaking of repairing seat foam.. how can do you that? My driver'* seat is pretty dead.. but I fear if I replace it, it won't match the rest of the leather on the car. All the material is there, and if I stretch it out some, I am sure I could sew it back up [me mums got a HD Sewing Machine.. this thing sewed up my entire Slip Cover for my couch in just a few hours]. However the problem would just re-occur because of the foam being worn out, to the point it is just metal under there.


-justin
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Old Mar 2, 2005 | 01:01 PM
  #18  
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I have a theory that the 2-part mixture can be brushed onto a foam cushion to fill in voids and perhaps reshape all together. There is a short working time once the two parts start reacting so I figure that one could mix 1-2 oz of each part, stir for 45 seconds, then brush, brush, brush. Anticipating the amount expansion would be the tricky part so I thing layering would be the best.

I'm still in home improvement mode which has not left much car time. I might be able to get back to you with some results in a couple of days.
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