Thread: Expanding Foam

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I was pulling my 10th skull out of its mold last night to find holes that needed to be filled. Not a huge deal, just stick some foam in those areas and when its dry you can cut off the excess.

So it got me wondering. What kind of expanding foam do you use and why?

Here is what I have tried:

Great Stuff (found everywhere) - Seems to work pretty good but its not the most cost effective at $3 to $4 a can.

Fill and Seal (Menards) - More cost effective at around $2 a can, but it seems to leave air pockets.

Some green can (Wallmart) - Forget the name of this stuff but its suppose to be environment friendly. Runs about $3 a can and does the same thing that the Fill and Seal does.

I've used the Great Stuff, and the green can. (no menards here)

The primary use I've had for the foam is to keep my skulls up on the posts. But I did build a big pupmkin out of Great stuff.

Here you can see the green can in the background, some skulls getting foamed, and one on a post.



My comparison:

Both Great Stuff and the green can accellerate their curing with some water. Spritzing some after spraying the foam will cure them quick if you need, but Great Stuff takes considerably longer in my experience. The Green can will fully cure in 30 minutes if spritzed with water. Great stuff is an hour, sometimes longer, depending on thickness. Otherwise the inside is a gooey mess.

Great stuff is more dense, and a bit more "spongey". This makes it great for adhering the skulls to the posts, as the foam stays tight.

The Green Can is roughly half the cost. (and all I could find last year in October) It expands just a tad more, and thus is even "cheaper" with the number of a can will accomidate. It is a very rigid and brittle foam. I took to cutting a slit where I needed the post to go, otherwise the skulls would not stay put.

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If I make another big Pumpkin, I'll try the green can stuff. The Quicker Cure, and the more rigid nature, theoretically, would make it easier to get the stuff on a form (my great stuff one got EVERYWHERE), and should be easier to carve. Plus, my Great Stuff pumpkin has misshapen over the years. The more rigid green foam stuff might do better in that department.

For foaming the skulls so they stay on the poles, however, Great stuff is MUCH superior. The cost is more than made up by the fact that a Great Stuff filled skull can be re-used every year, where as I'm going to have to re-foam all those green can ones this year (about 100).

Consumer advisory!!!

The unintentional application of Great Stuff Expanding Foam to any part of the anatomy that is even REMOTELY covered in hair WILL result in hours upon hours of picking, scraping, tweezing, and scrubbing with various chemicals that will remove several layers of skin tissue, but NOT the product itself. DO NOT allow a huge, paper mache pumpkin covered in wet product to roll back onto a pair of hairy legs.

Originally Posted by rookiespooker

consumer advisory!!!

the unintentional application of great stuff expanding foam to any part of the anatomy that is even remotely covered in hair will result in hours upon hours of picking, scraping, tweezing, and scrubbing with various chemicals that will remove several layers of skin tissue, but not the product itself. Do not allow a huge, paper mache pumpkin covered in wet product to roll back onto a pair of hairy legs.

lmao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
.

Originally Posted by RookieSpooker

Consumer advisory!!!

The unintentional application of Great Stuff Expanding Foam to any part of the anatomy that is even REMOTELY covered in hair WILL result in hours upon hours of picking, scraping, tweezing, and scrubbing with various chemicals that will remove several layers of skin tissue, but NOT the product itself. DO NOT allow a huge, paper mache pumpkin covered in wet product to roll back onto a pair of hairy legs.

LOL, funny stuff! I was just filling a few mache skulls last week when I got distracted and ended up foaming part of my finger Even though I washed it off right away and used an array of cleaners it still left my skin sticky for three days. Paint thinner seemed to work the best though.

I've always used the green can at walmart. It was cheaper. The great stuff out here was 599 a can the last time i checked, the green was about 1/2 the price.

My friend used some in a black can once...DAP brand maybe...it is soft and kind of squishy . It didn't get any holes and paint never ate it. It's close to foam rubber I'd say.

Originally Posted by RookieSpooker

Consumer advisory!!!

The unintentional application of Great Stuff Expanding Foam to any part of the anatomy that is even REMOTELY covered in hair WILL result in hours upon hours of picking, scraping, tweezing, and scrubbing with various chemicals that will remove several layers of skin tissue, but NOT the product itself. DO NOT allow a huge, paper mache pumpkin covered in wet product to roll back onto a pair of hairy legs.

Hahahaha

Luckily I shave my legs

Originally Posted by Bubbels

I was pulling my 10th skull out of its mold last night to find holes that needed to be filled. Not a huge deal, just stick some foam in those areas and when its dry you can cut off the excess.

So it got me wondering. What kind of expanding foam do you use and why?

Here is what I have tried:

Great Stuff (found everywhere) - Seems to work pretty good but its not the most cost effective at $3 to $4 a can.

Fill and Seal (Menards) - More cost effective at around $2 a can, but it seems to leave air pockets.

Some green can (Wallmart) - Forget the name of this stuff but its suppose to be environment friendly. Runs about $3 a can and does the same thing that the Fill and Seal does.

What material did you use for a mold and what did you use for a release agent?

Originally Posted by the morbituary

What material did you use for a mold and what did you use for a release agent?

Plaster Paris and Vaseline.