Who uses blue or pink foam?

[Alan Gorham_]

Hi all

I've recently needed to buy some Blue foam and found it's not as easy to buy as it once was.

I used to buy single sheets of blue foam called Dow Floormate 300A styrofoam from my local branch of Sheffield Insulation as was (now SIG) but they advise me this is no longer a stock item and instead can order a more dense pink foam but I have to buy it in packs of 10 sheets for around £150 a pack.

In the last couple of weeks I was able to buy some Dow Floormate from BalsaMart which was convenient but expensive, but it looks like I have cleared them out as they no longer have any stock.

Further research has shown that manufacture of Dow Blue Styrofoam has stopped. Does anyone have a source for remaining stocks or can suggest an alternative that I can buy in less than 10 sheet packs?

[eflightray]

A quick look on the web found ---

Panel System, Sheffield.

They do 'Floormate', also if you scroll down their page to the 'Full Product Listing - Modelling Foam' they do a 'Blue Craft Foam'.

Still not exactly cheap.

Ray.

 

Edited By eflightray on 27/03/2019 10:23:26

[Alan Gorham_]

Yep, seen them but they don't sell in small quantities like I mentioned in my first post!

[Andy Meade]

If you need to buy in bulk then I'm up for a sheet or two. I'm sure we could get some more buyers together?

[Denis Watkins]

You were right about supply Alan, this was on the website

There are significant changes underway in the supply of Styrofoam the market leading extruded polystyrene. During 2018 Dow Chemical will cease the manufacture of blue Styrofoam and replace with a new improved product called Xenergy Styrofoam. This product will be grey in colour and offer the same mechanical properties but will provide improved thermal performance. The process of winding down stocks of blue Styrofoam is already underway with some grades already exhausted such as RTM, these will be supplied in the new improved grade of Xenergy. Other grades will be phased in over coming months. Full technical data sheets on the new improved product are available to download

[Alan Gorham_]

Posted by Denis Watkins on 27/03/2019 10:51:39:

You were right about supply Alan, this was on the website

There are significant changes underway in the supply of Styrofoam the market leading extruded polystyrene. During 2018 Dow Chemical will cease the manufacture of blue Styrofoam and replace with a new improved product called Xenergy Styrofoam. This product will be grey in colour and offer the same mechanical properties but will provide improved thermal performance. The process of winding down stocks of blue Styrofoam is already underway with some grades already exhausted such as RTM, these will be supplied in the new improved grade of Xenergy. Other grades will be phased in over coming months. Full technical data sheets on the new improved product are available to download

I know, I've read that!

[Alan Gorham_]

Posted by Andy Meade on 27/03/2019 10:38:26:

If you need to buy in bulk then I'm up for a sheet or two. I'm sure we could get some more buyers together?

That's an option I was hoping for. If we could get a group buy together soon-ish it would be easy for me to bring poeple their sheets to the Orme or the Bwlch.

If it only turns out to be you and me, would you want 5 sheets?!

[PatMc]

Alan, dunno how close this place is to you it might be worth your while calling in to see if they can help. I got a load of useful blue foam off-cuts from them for free some time ago.

[Alan Gorham_]

Pat, thanks for that suggestion. Driven past them loads of times, but I've only ever seen piles of white foam there so never thought about calling in. I'm not averse to travelling to find what I need.

I'm looking to build a large airframe so I need sheets rather than offcuts, what size of offcuts are we talking about?

[PatMc]

Each off-cut was only big enough to make a pair of single wing panels of around 30" half span. I made a couple of slope kippers & wings for a thermal glider of around 100" - 120" span with them.
The stuff I got was given to me as samples, I was told to help myself from a pile scrap left overs from newly cut blue foam but they would sell to me if the samples proved OK.
I think they'ed have been happy to sell 5 or 6 sheets if I'd wanted but I never got around to needing any more & no one else in the club were interested at the time. This was about 10 years ago so things may well have changed.

[Andy Meade]

Al - I'd be interested in any supply I can get hold of for blue foam, but probably a max of two sheets at the moment. Whatever other scrap and offcuts you can get would still be useful to me. Keep us updated!

[Alan Gorham_]

Pat thanks again. I've looked at their website and they appear to offer a different type of insulation for flooring, but I'll still ask them because they are local.

Andy - Ok, I'll let you know. Do you have any preference on thickness? I've been using 50mm recently but that was to make a radial cowl plug.

[SR 71]

Alan have you tried the builders merchants, they may have some as I think it's used in buildings

I live in Cyprus and buy mine from builders merchants over there

It comes in 2400x600 50mm sheets

Tony

[Andy Meade]

Thicker the better really, but I realise there's a cost penalty. I shall be making a lost foam fuselage or three, so if it's thinner, I'll just need more!

[Alan Gorham_]

Posted by SR 71 on 27/03/2019 12:10:59:

Alan have you tried the builders merchants, they may have some as I think it's used in buildings

I live in Cyprus and buy mine from builders merchants over there

It comes in 2400x600 50mm sheets

Tony

Yes Tony I have and the same problem as mentioned in my first post: either they don't sell the "right" product, having moved to the new type of grey styrofoam which is denser and heavier than blue foam, or they won't sell individual sheets.

[Alan Gorham_]

Posted by Andy Meade on 27/03/2019 12:11:13:

Thicker the better really, but I realise there's a cost penalty. I shall be making a lost foam fuselage or three, so if it's thinner, I'll just need more!

Yep, I need to try making a lost foam fuz, which is why I need some more foam.

Maarten Werner who now runs Paul Janssens plans recommends BASF Styrodur for making lost foam fuz plugs, but I think he still uses white EPS for wings suggesting that Styrodur is too heavy to fly!

I've found that a 7 sheet pack of 60mm thick 1250 x 600 Styrodur for £95 delivered which makes it around £13.50 a sheet.

[Andy Meade]

I'm ok with 3 sheets at that price Al

[Alan Gorham_]

Andy, my preference is still to find some "old stock" blue foam, I want to build a model that would use foam construction "bread and butter" style, like a model boat hull and glassed hot wire cut blue foam wings.

So blue foam is my first choice. If I can't find any I will get some of the styrodur and make the fuse a lost foam epoxy moulding and use some of my white foam for the wings instead. I'll keep you updated with what I can find.

If we get Styrodur I'd be happy to keep 4 sheets out of 7 and you could have the rest!

[Alan Gorham_]

Just remembered that Balsa cabin used to (and still do!) list blue foam, for example:

**LINK**

I will ring them to ask their stock situ and carriage costs and report back.

[Andy Meade]

Posted by Alan Gorham_ on 27/03/2019 12:38:54:

Andy, my preference is still to find some "old stock" blue foam, I want to build a model that would use foam construction "bread and butter" style, like a model boat hull and glassed hot wire cut blue foam wings.

So blue foam is my first choice. If I can't find any I will get some of the styrodur and make the fuse a lost foam epoxy moulding and use some of my white foam for the wings instead. I'll keep you updated with what I can find.

If we get Styrodur I'd be happy to keep 4 sheets out of 7 and you could have the rest!

Ah ok, understood. Yes I don't care how heavy it is, as mine will be melted out with acetone. Last I checked, Balsa cabin etc. were fearfully expensive for foam.

[Alan Gorham_]

Comparable sheet size:

Styrodur £13.50 delivered

Balsa Cabin Blue foam £13.75 + delivery

[Andy Meade]

Not as bad as I remembered! Now, delivery....?

[Roo Hawkins]

Hi I have just found this post. I use a lot of blue foam. I purchased a pack of blue foam last August of 75mm. The last 2 packs they had but they were having 100 sheets in the next week. This is sig in Bedford. Dow are now doing it only in a grey colour and it has a different name can not remember what. Sig will only do it in £250 order. I only have 2 sheets left. Pink foam seem to have been stopped being made apart from the stuff on the back of plaster boards .

[Alan Gorham_]

Yes, Roo the grey stuff is Xenergy Styrofoam and I am asking if people know of any "old stock" of blue foam because I don't want to buy the grey stuff and certainly not in such large quantities.

My local branch of Sig have told me they are not able to source blue foam of any manufacture now.

Edited By Alan Gorham_ on 27/03/2019 14:13:09

[sharpy1071]

I get Blue foam in various thicknesses and odd shapes from a local industrial insulated roof supplier. I have to pick it up on a certain day of the week whereby the firm leaves it out before they chuck it all in a skip which I can't access.(H&S). It is used as packing sheets by the manufacturer for when the roof panels are delivered. I supply it to model aeroplane enthusiasts and some local model railway clubs and a shop locally here in Bournemouth. Maybe if people in different parts of England can find similar the supplier would be happy to give it away as otherwise it costs for a skip to be taken.