What glue for this foam?

[Damo666]

I want to make box inserts to protect some locos with this foam, but not sure what glue to use.

 

It's packaging from a printer from the office. It's a very open cell foam, so has some squishability, meaning that I don't have to be 100% precise with the loco shape.

 

Ideally I'd like a glue that won't take too long to set. I've used some mastic  sealant which seems to work, but it wakes a long time to cure and I'm concerned I might get some on the locos when templating the spaces.

 

TIA

 

[chris p bacon]

Maybe try a hot glue gun on some scrap bits.

[BR60103]

I would use Woodland Scenics foam glue, but then I've got a couple of bottles of it.

It's fast and flexible.

 

[Paul80]

UHU  Por is for foam so might also work.

 

As long as it does not melt I would use hot melt glue or the low temp version if it does.

 

Paul

[Mick Bonwick]

Take care with this stuff when using it for items with fine detail. Although it is squishable, the edges of open cells can remove bits when inserting and removing the stock. Experience talking!

[Damo666]

9 hours ago, Mick Bonwick said:

Take care with this stuff when using it for items with fine detail. Although it is squishable, the edges of open cells can remove bits when inserting and removing the stock. Experience talking!

Thanks Mick,

 

It is something at the front of my mind, as well as the possibility that the foam may disintegrate over time and cause damage to the models. (I came across a box in my parents house recently that had been untouched for about 20 years, the foam inside has crumbled to dust and left a sticky residue in the plastic box). I'm hoping this foam is more durable.

 

I intend to line the loco spaces with a textile that covered some Hi-Fi equipment. I figure that if it's good enough for the Hi-Fi manufacturer to protect their gear, then it should be kind enough for the locos.

[HLT 0109]

If you place each piece of rolling stock on a piece of tissue paper and the bring it up the sides so that you hold the item within the tissue paper, that will protect the item from snagging on the foam.  Best to use acid-free paper so that there is no reaction of it with the paint on the items.

 

Harold.

[Damo666]

On 07/07/2019 at 01:30, chris p bacon said:

Maybe try a hot glue gun on some scrap bits.

 

On 07/07/2019 at 07:31, Paul80 said:

UHU  Por is for foam so might also work.

 

As long as it does not melt I would use hot melt glue or the low temp version if it does.

 

Paul

Thanks Dave and Paul,

 

My Hot Glue Gun is too hot, melts the foam. Although where it does manage to join two pieces it's a nice secure bond. But I think I'll ruin too much foam to get what I'm looking for.

 

Ordered some UHU POR glue off Amz. Will have a go at this next weekend.

 

The mastic sealant was a disaster, I think the mastic I used as too out-of date and it wouldn't cure. (I had assumed that old mastic would just set hard in the tube like rubber, so when I opened the top and saw that it was still viscous I thought it was OK. Still, learned something new).

 

BTW, what is a low-temp hot glue version? Is it just the glue stick formula that is low temp, or does it mean needing a different glue gun too?

[Damo666]

Got the UHU PUR Glue last week, and started to fit-out my storage boxes.

 

These are the storage boxes I got:

 

I stuck some foam to the base as a cushion and then strips to separate the locos. (Although you can see coaches in the pictures, I only used these to judge the spacing I needed. If I dropped a coach it'll be a lot cheaper than dropping a loco).

 

 

I can get 6 locos in a box comfortably.

 

The ends have been cut to place as little pressure as possible on the couplings:

 

I'm not comfortable with foam touching the bodies, as I fear over time some degradation in the foam might damage the model's plastic or paintwork, so I will be covering the compartments with a fabric.

 

[HLT 0109]

Rather than lining the compartments, I suggest it is better to wrap the fabric (or something else benign) aroound the coaches/locos before putting them into the compartments so that any rubbing is between the compartments and the fabric rather than the coaches and the fabric.  That helps avoid snagging on fine detail.

[DIW]

I've found that Copydex seems to stick this foam quite well.

[Damo666]

1 hour ago, HLT 0109 said:

Rather than lining the compartments, I suggest it is better to wrap the fabric (or something else benign) aroound the coaches/locos before putting them into the compartments so that any rubbing is between the compartments and the fabric rather than the coaches and the fabric.  That helps avoid snagging on fine detail.

Yes, I agree, thank you. Your earlier post on this made me decide to get some archive paper and place the locos in this within the foam slots.

[BR60103]

Many years ago, a friend pulled a brass loco out of its box to show me.  The foam packaging had merged with the custom paint job on the loco.

I have a plastic loco that has gobs of foam sticking mostly to the metal bits.  The foam was like Peco track underlay.