Thread: Styrofoam Hardcoat

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I've been trying to find something to hard coat styrofoam to give it a fiberglass like hardness but everything has been too messy/toxic (fiberglass) or way too expensive (Smooth-On).... I think I may have finally stumbled onto a workable solution for hard coating styrofoam and if you read the manual maybe an alternative to monster mudding certain projects involving cloth....I just got a news letter from Hot Wire Foam Factory that interviewed Steve Morrone

http://hotwirefoamfactory.com/custom...evemorrone.htm

He mentioned that he uses a product called StyroSpray 1000 for hard coating so I looked it up and found it here

http://www.industrialpolymers.com/styrospray.html

What is appealing to me is it can be applied in a regular hopper gun (about $50) or brushed/rolled on...After several coats it gets very strong similiar to fiberglass.....They don't have any prices but I found a quote in a forum from last year that says it costs $52. 38 per gallon and is sold in 2 gallon kits for 104.76....

This is a quote about coverage "The weight of this product is 9.21 pounds per gallon. If you apply 1 gallon per 50 square feet of surface area as we recommend for high durability applications, you will cover 50 square feet, 32/1000 of an inch thick."

That seems to be a fairly large area of coverage for the money....By the time you buy Smooth On's special gun and the cartridges, there is no comparison....I may have to give this stuff a try....I thought I would pass on this info as it's obvious the multibal uses a haunter could get out of this.....ZR

Forgot to mention they said you could use this on paper mache also....ZR

I want some...wonder if they deliver to canada. That stuff is awsome...not to mention some of thier other products.

Nice find. I actually like using the eps foam, this can really open the door for some cool stuff. Thanks!

Thanks for passing this along! I have been hoping to find something like this for quite awhile.

ZombieRaider, I have used Styrospray on a recent project, You can get a sample kit of 2 quarts(1 qt. resin, 1 qt. catalyst) for around $30. I bought their primer as well. I really like the product but there are some drawbacks I would like to pass along. You can't thin this stuff with anything without messing up the chemistry. It goes on as stated, brush, roller, hopper, but you better put it on in a very thin film. This stuff will run! I used a brush to do my haunted harp and you can see it here; http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...aunted%20Harp/
I didn't try a roller, but I would worry about air bubbles. The material "flattens" really well, meaning brush stokes disappear.I used 2 pound foam which is much firmer than the typical white foam or pink foam. Put on 3 coats and can still dent it with my thumb. I probably have no more than .012 - ,015 thickness. At the recommended thickness, it will gain much more hardness but I would guess you'll have to put on many more coats. They will send you a sample square of coated 1 pound foam, and a square of 1/4" coated plywood if you call and ask. It dries really fast and I would certainly recommend it to anyone. Just beware that painting a horizontal surface is much easier than a vertical one. It shrinks noticeably, so if you coat only one side of a thin board, it will warp it. Best to coat all sides and let it tighten up on the object. These are just things I've experienced first hand and wanted to share.

indianaholmes....Thanks for your insight on this product.....I spray alot and have many years experience and the general rule is thin coats work best....If it's too thick, not only does it run but you can run into other problems depending on the characteristcs of the medium not to mention extended dry times.....Interesting that it still dented after 3 coats....What did you use for clean up?.....It said on their site about some kind of biodegradable orange stuff but I didn't see anything for sale on their site....The harp looks great btw....Thanks again for your input....ZR

My bloody pentegram-thing is all made from pink foam, and sheathed in fiberglass joint tape with Bondo over top. I stapled the tape to hold it in place until the Bondo cured (minutes).

It's hard as a rock.

A gallon at Lowes is 20 bucks.

ZR,
I went out and measured the thickness on the two samples I got and they come in at .055 and .065 on the foam sample. Both coatings are very hard but like the documentation stated, .032 would be sufficient. Remember, .032 is about the thickness of a credit card. The mixed material reminds me of a slightly thinned Elmers glue. Very sticky and hard to atomize. I do not believe that putting this stuff on real thick would be a problem. It requires moisture from the air to cross link. Actually, the thicker the coat the better because it has a chance to flatten out. Hey, for $30, this stuff is great. Give it a try. I think you'll like it. Clean up is easy with any hot solvent. Acetone, MEK, I didn't try alcohol. Anyway, good luck.

Bondo is definitely hard stuff when cured but it's not that great for retaining fine details.......I'm looking for something that will retain all the detail of the foam and can be sprayed on....Most systems are incredibly expensive, I've seen them from $7500 to about $1200 just to get started....That's not going to happen for a hobby...This is the first product I've found that is in a realistic price range $200-300 to get started on a considerable sized project...ZR