GS tip I found out today...

postal · #1 (**permalink**) 08-28-2008, 01:56 AM

I started foaming my 54? corner unit today- sorry no camera...

I had a really old bottle of GS that expired in 2003.... new bottle. It wouldnt spray, so I put on the safety glasses, put it in a cardboard box, took a nail and a hammer to the bottom edge of the can.....

It worked great- really fast!!!!!! but great.....

Anyway.... I got a thick layer of foam in on one side- No choice- couldnt stop the spray.....

I let it sit for about 30 minutes and checked on it. It skinned over real nice but the thick sections were still soft under the skin...

If you press a part of the foam... it plumps up in other areas...

You can pull it a little here... squish a little there..... You can change the size a decent amount after it skinned but is still squishy inside.....

I put the tank on another side so the foam was vertical- taped on a weight here to pull this out... used a piece of pvc tubing to squish this in- etc.... I left it that way for another 30 ish minutes, and the changes I made are now permanent since the soft foam inside cured to the dimensions I wanted. ( I also stabbed the thick sections with a wire clothes hanger to get them to cure faster as well)

Neat little trick I never read about anywhere, so I figured I'd pass it along.

BTW- I used GS and touch n foam black pond foam- The touch n foam is definetly a denser foam- also cures faster and more ridgid.

So far I'm quite pleased with how the tank is turning out- wish my camera was working to show you the changes in the foam..

MtuPup · #2 (**permalink**) 08-28-2008, 09:48 AM

that is excellent...now i know what to do with all the half used cans I've got laying around that I can't use the nozzle. Where'd you find the black pond foam?

postal · #3 (**permalink**) 08-28-2008, 07:42 PM

Actually- the tip I wanted to pass along, was that you can let the foam skin over, and push/pull it to refine the shape.

I would never tell people to puncture a can with a nail- yeah, I did it- but I'm not telling people to do it.

I got the touch n foam black pon and landscape foam at a local hardware store- Not a chain store.

Fisherman 1991 · #4 (**permalink**) 08-28-2008, 09:39 PM

You didn't tell us to puncture the can, you just implanted the idea in our heads...

I kinda found out the same thing about GS when the hide I was building for my BP got flipping upside down in the wind and flattened out. I turned it right side up and placed it over an appropriate sized bucket and pushed another one on top, forming a concave shape. Well sort of. The foam was a bit too dry and it was still to flat to use. But you get the point.

Good tip though.

fisherman

MtuPup · #5 (**permalink**) 08-28-2008, 10:03 PM

it's ok, if i can stick my hands inside of transformers pumping out 480 volts all day, a little pressurized can explosion doesn't scare me...

and in the event that I do hurt myself I'll take full credit for my own stupidity

Athen · #6 (**permalink**) 08-29-2008, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MtuPup

it's ok, if i can stick my hands inside of transformers pumping out 480 volts all day, a little pressurized can explosion doesn't scare me...

and in the event that I do hurt myself I'll take full credit for my own stupidity

well said my friend, well said... spoken like a true electrician =) lol i myself am an electrician with the US Navy and i have my hands in places sometime a normal person would never even give the slightest consideration to

postal · #7 (**permalink**) 08-29-2008, 05:29 PM

Good ol "3 phase shuffle!!!" hehehe!

I worked on 3 phase gear in the Navy too.....

If anyone tries puncturing the can.... at the very least, wear safety glasses.

Green Ghost · #8 (**permalink**) 08-30-2008, 11:10 AM

I only brag about putting my hands in warm, moist places

and as far as puncturing stuff goes.... well you get the picture....

matt smith · #9 (**permalink**) 08-30-2008, 11:29 AM

you electricians are all alike,j/k im a heating tech by trade. i run into some pretty crazy stuff myself. just remember its not the volts that kill you its the amps. and for the record just 10 amps hurts like you wouldnt imagine

froggsong · #10 (**permalink**) 08-30-2008, 03:09 PM

Wow, that GS tip was AWESOME!!! I did the foaming on the floating landmass I am creating for my newt just a little bit ago, waited until it skinned (I will wait a couple of minute longer next time), and pushed it around until it was like I wanted. It flatened it out in some places more than I expected, but it may expand it back up some as it cures. I don't think I will have to carve it at all unless I have to do a little bit on the back to keep it from completely touching the glass (so it will be able to float up and down with the water level without any problems). I prefer it that way, because it is easier to recover if you need to later if the silicone is on the skin. This os going to turn out so nice. The best part is, I don't have to carve out the stream I put in, since I was able to just mold it to my liking. One of the best tips I have seen yet. I'll post a build log (with a picture of how I molded it) tonight after I get the silicone and peat moss and rocks on it.