I inherited some foam!

[Jdholmes]

Saweeeet. I have been saying for some time now that I would put my foam in when I had the finances to and take the risk until I could swing it or find a deal.

Well, the waiting paid off! The photo studio corporation my wife manages for is closing down a bunch of studios across the nation and the props that were too heavy to ship are being given away or thrown out.

They have these foam blocks for kids to sit on and use for different posing and tonight when I was helping my wife get rid of some props I spotted them. There is more than enough for my boat!

Check it out - from what I can tell I think it is closed cell. It has more weight to it that open cell and is fairly dense to compress. The picture with my finger in it I am pushing down as hard as I can with my finger.

Free closed cell foam?!? Love it! What do you think? Can you confirm closed cell?

 

[jigngrub]

I'd do a water test on that stuff first, it looks too rough to be closed cell... but it might be.

 

[Captain Ahab]

Sink a piece in a tub of water for a week - then take it out and see if it weighs the same a "dry" piece


Looks like it is open cell to me as well

 

[BOB350RX]

Sink a piece in a tub of water for a week - then take it out and see if it weighs the same a "dry" piece


Looks like it is open cell to me as well

+ 1 on that check it first

 

[JasonLester]

I'd agree. Do the check and see....if it is ...SCORE!!! if not oh well.... I hope it is for you ...I like free!

 

[FuzzyGrub]

Looks like standard packing foam. I think it is open cell, as well. Test it before using it.

 

[Jdholmes]

I will do that.

Not all closed cell looks smooth like the extruded polystyrene stuff, so it could still be closed cell. I will try the test.

Either way it will do for now. I will wrap it in plastic as has been suggested here for any foam...

 

[Jdholmes]

One of the reasons I am leaning towards closed cell the most is the density of it...open cell typically should be less dense and easier to compress.

 

[Jdholmes]

This is an example of polyethylene foam, which is also a closed cell foam. It is used primarily for vibration dampening, shock absorption, archery targets etc. and is listed as being impervious to mildew, mold and rot...

Polyethylene is apparently also used for pool noodles, which is what I thought this stuff looked similar in consistency to originally...

To me the stuff I have here looks very similar to this polyethylene stuff.

 

[JasonLester]

Yeah it does look more like the cut end of the pool noodles do. Test it and let us know. And my address is...... Lol

 

[dyeguy1212]

I'd bet itll take on water.

 

[gillhunter]

Jd,

I think this is what you have. The open cells that you see on the sides is where it has been cut to size from a larger slab.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=11&ved=0CK0BEBYwCg&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bpf.co.uk%2FPlastipedia%2FPolymers%2FExpanded_Polypropylene_EPP.aspx&ei=0HiQT_X8Lea36QHMhcGPBA&usg=AFQjCNFTwst6QddswIN5Lgh3_Q39xsGUrw

 

[Jdholmes]

The link doesn't work...can you repost?

 

[gillhunter]

Jd,

I think this is what you have. The open cells that you see on the sides is where it has been cut to size from a larger slab.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=11&ved=0CK0BEBYwCg&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bpf.co.uk%2FPlastipedia%2FPolymers%2FExpanded_Polypropylene_EPP.aspx&ei=0HiQT_X8Lea36QHMhcGPBA&usg=AFQjCNFTwst6QddswIN5Lgh3_Q39xsGUrw

Jd, Just tried it and it worked fine. If it doesn't work for you this time google Plastipedia and then expanded polypropylene

 

[Jdholmes]

Thanks, gill. It appears you are right on one of the blocks. The rest of it, I am fairly certain now, is the polyethylene product which should be equally as impervious to water as the pool noodle flotation.

It is good to know what the other one is, though - it is supposedly resistant to water as well...

I have started testing the other stuff just to be sure. One test I have read, is to cut a small piece off and crumple and ball it all up before putting it the water - basically trying to destroy the cellular structure. If it is open cell, the idea would be that destroying the structure would cause it to take on water much more quickly than if you just set it in the water.

They do this in home shows to try to show people that open cell is not as good as closed cell...they throw a piece of open cell in the water and people watch it sink and as a result think that open cell absorbs water at an exponentially faster rate than it actually does.

So far the piece I have thrown in earlier today appears unaffected.

 

[screech]

I work in the tech industry at a big data center I have found that the foam that they ship the server racks in is all high quality closed cell foam. I have been stock pileing it to use in my next project. A good resource for free closed cell foam.