Foam Repair Help

[Rob Barrett]

Hi, I;ve got one of the (e-bay) SAPAC Red Arrows BAE Hawk's and have broken and lost a small section of the aileron. This is made out of white foam - can anyone offer me any help on where I can purchased a very small piece to allow me to carve and repair ? How difficult is this to carve / shape ? Any assistance would be gratefully received. Kind regards, Rob.

[leigh hodson]

hi rob try some depron. can be bought on ebay and from most model shops. really easy to work just make sure you use fine grit wet or dry to sand it and you will get a smooth finish. depron is loads stronger than polystyerene too.

[Rob Barrett]

Thanks Leigh but I'm just a little concerned that depron has a different mass and consistancy to the already used white foam thus the plane may end up out of balance ? Is white foam actually available to buy ? I've looked at some polystyrene packaging etc... BUT this appears really hard to work (and get a smooth finish) due to the gaps between the 'little white balls' and its apparent lack of consistency ! I'd be grateful of your thoughts ? Cheers, Rob

[leigh hodson]

White foam is available from builders merchants. The only problem is the quality. It tends to be very weak. its fine if you glass it or sheet it or use it for wing cores, but i wouldnt trust it without reinforcement. The foam used in moulded models is exactly the same only the beads are subject to greater pressure in the mould and expand less, this means stronger, higher density foam. The foam used for packaging is usually far more dense than the stuff from builders merchants, so keep looking if its only a scrap you need.

If you need a good finish b and q stock polycell no sanding filler. if the pot feels empty when you pick it up its the right stuff. lay it on thin press into the gaps and sand when its dry. then another skim to get it really smooth. Use some acrylic varnish to seal it before painting. Make sure you use wet or dry paper to sand your foam and very gentle pressure.