Oasis Floral Foam.....Where can I find a good deal?

[kcline40]

I'm sure this thread has been chatted to death. I have been doing a search on the forums to find more info on this subject, with little luck. The best search result had a link to another page, but it was broken. I figured it was because of the re-launch of the site. No big deal.

So I now ask for more info on Oasis Floral Foam. Any help with links to great purchases would be awesome. Also if you have used other types of foam as filler material. Please provide that info also.

I'm asking for specifics here, name brand, part # etc. Please don't just post "I used a 2 part foam from Home Depot, I don't remember what its called." ---- This will not help.

Thanks in advance, I'm hoping maybe by the end of this thread we can create a page we can pin to the body thread with the info available to easily find in the future.

 

[2old2fast]

Would help to know how much you need ...
dave

 

[kcline40]

How about enough to buy in bulk.

 

[2old2fast]

Google floral foam ....oasis floral foam ...6-12x9x6 bricks per case ....about $50
dave

 

[choppinczech]

If you just need filler material, I've had great luck with this wall insulation. You simply peel off the outside foil. At my Home Depot it comes in 1", 1 1/2" and 2". I think a 4X8 sheet of 1" was like $20.00.



I'd be surprised if it isn't the same as floral foam. Just in a beige color and more dense. They're all just industrial made polyurethane expansion foam made in block molds.

You know how it goes. Call something by one name for a reasonable cost. Call it something else at five times that cost.

You can easily stack this stuff using a 3M spray adhesive. And it carves like butter with sandpaper.

 

[butch27]

Are you using this instead of wooding the interior?

 

[Bowtie T]

Google floral foam ....oasis floral foam ...6-12x9x6 bricks per case ....about $50
dave

That's exactly what I used. one case did both side walls. If you are doing
behind the seat, you will need more.

 

[kcline40]

Actually I am using this to fill some open areas in the bed. I built a metal frame, so I could weld in my battery box. I plan to glass this in but I would like fill the middle of the frame I made. This picture is before it was welded together, but shows the areas I am looking to fill.

 

[Bowtie T]

That looks like 1" tubing. Yeah you would be better off to buy a sheet of 1" thick like Choppinczech said.

 

[kcline40]

If you just need filler material, I've had great luck with this wall insulation. You simply peel off the outside foil. At my Home Depot it comes in 1", 1 1/2" and 2". I think a 4X8 sheet of 1" was like $20.00.

I'd be surprised if it isn't the same as floral foam. Just in a beige color and more dense. They're all just industrial made polyurethane expansion foam made in block molds.

You know how it goes. Call something by one name for a reasonable cost. Call it something else at five times that cost.

You can easily stack this stuff using a 3M spray adhesive. And it carves like butter with sandpaper.

So this is what I bought. Please let me know if its wrong before I start to cut it up. I would like to return it if its not the right stuff. None of the insulation available at Home depot stated Poly Eurethane. Only Poli-Iso. So that's why I am asking for confirmation. Thanks

 

[choppinczech]

Looks right. Do a test on it.

Put a drop or two of fiberglass resin or body filler on an area. If it's the wrong stuff (a styrofoam type material) you'll know right away. It'll just melt.

 

[choppinczech]

Actually I am using this to fill some open areas in the bed. I built a metal frame, so I could weld in my battery box. I plan to glass this in but I would like fill the middle of the frame I made. This picture is before it was welded together, but shows the areas I am looking to fill.

Will your steel frame lift out for now?

You'll want to get that mill scale off and get the steel shiny clean, with a good scratched surface for anything to stick. Especially polyester resin or epoxy on steel. It's a mechanical bond. So it needs a clean scratched surface. I use 24 or 36 grit 2" grinding discs to really scratch it up good.

Or an easier way is to sand blast it. Any local powder coater could blast it for you.

 

[kcline40]

Yeah it can be removed still. Currently I am just filling the bed I have it all disassembled now. Trying to get all of the imperfections filled in the wood. So when I drop resin and mat/cloth. I have as little possibility of air bubbles as possible.

Also was wondering if this cloth is a good buy and if its an appropriate weight. Its from US Composites. I am running low on cloth. I think I will need at least 15 more yards to do it right.

 

[choppinczech]

That would be a good choice for cloth. 2X2 twill conforms to contours well.

I use 1.5 oz. mat almost exclusively. Cloth takes a heck of a lot of layers to get a decent build up.

3 layers of 1.5 oz. would do it. Around an 1/8" thickness.

 

[kcline40]

That would be a good choice for cloth. 2X2 twill conforms to contours well.

I use 1.5 oz. mat almost exclusively. Cloth takes a heck of a lot of layers to get a decent build up.

3 layers of 1.5 oz. would do it. Around an 1/8" thickness.

How many layers would you recommend putting on the firewall? I have 2 so far, I have no idea on the thickness of the cloth as it was donated. Is there a way to determine the thickness?

How many on the inside floor board?

 

[choppinczech]

Is there a way to determine the thickness?

The only way is to drill it and take a look. An easy repair.

I would get the glass on the firewall to 3/16" to 1/4". You could be there already. Are you also adding plywood to the inside?

How many on the inside floor board?

I would get some 1.5 oz. mat or a bias ply for the floor's inside and outside. It's so easy to wet out/roll out on that flat surface. Use cheap paint rollers and pan liners. 16 ounces of resin at a time.

This is a bias ply if you're not familiar with it already.


It's made up of 2 layers of woven roving @ 45° to each other, sewn to a mat. SUPER strong and a couple of layers top and bottom would do it.


Everybody has there own preference on the thickness of floors. I have 1/2" plywood with 3/16" of 12 oz. bias ply glass on top and 1/4" on the bottom. The strength comes from the glass. The plywood is just a backbone.

 

[choppinczech]

This is a bias ply if you're not familiar with it already.

More commonly called biaxial. There's also triaxial (3 layers of woven roving).

 

[kcline40]

Well I ordered from here today I may be able to call and change my order. Which of the following would you purchase?
http://www.uscomposites.com/specialty.html
Specialty Fabrics

I already placed an order for this:

The cost is very comparable. So that is not really the concern. Will I need less yards with the Biaxial cloth? I already put 8 layers on the bottom of the tub, 2 layers on the fire wall. I was thinking 4 layers of glass on the firewall. The entire body has wood as a "Back bone" including the firewall.

 

[fletcherson]

choppinczech, You are full of good info about glass! Thanks for sharing. Talented too from what I've seen.

 

[choppinczech]

8 layers of E glass cloth should be enough on the bottom. I would imagine it's around 1/4" thick.

I really like Biaxial material for large flat areas. It's designed for strength. The same way that plywood has grain oriented in opposite directions.

For your firewall and inside floor I would use 3 layers of the 17oz.

E glass just isn't designed for strength. It's old tech. When there wasn't any other choices. Used mainly for light weight heavily contoured stuff like canoes, surf boards and air plane parts. I do use it. But on something with lots of contours and where the final thickness is going to be like an 1/8".

If you had say small 6"X 6" X 1/8" thick laid up samples of both E glass cloth and Biaxial, the E glass would flex. A lot. The Biaxial would be very stiff due to the way it's made.

You probably already know this, but anywhere you're adding glass to existing glass has to scuffed up really well. I mean really well. Down to the fibers. To where there's no more glossy resin showing. Not fun, but very important. That's where we hear people's horror stories about de-lamination.