Pink or Blue foam

[Figure.N9ne]

Originally Posted by Voyager2lcats

Here is something else that is perfectly acceptable for building. BluCore doesn't meet building code insulation standards so it's scarce. However, Dow replaced it with something just as good (maybe better): Bluelinx 1/4" x 48" x 50' fanfold sheathing. Here's the link: http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...il=&lpage=none

You can probably get it in smaller sections if you talk to the building materials department at Lowe's. Blue foam is foldable/bendable to 90 degree angles with the "grain"- great for skinning formers and sheeting wings. You won't be sorry. Pink foam is generally rigid, but is nice for blocks that can be sanded to shape. There is also a green foam that is similar to BluCore, but I have never seen it other than on a build thread.

have you used the bluelinx foam? how does it compare to blucore for building? its the first fan fold foam i've been able to find thats available in south florida. 50 ft of foam for $33 sounds great

[Voyager2lcats]

Yaniel, I am going by Lowe's this weekend. I searched the online site and it tells me which local stores carry it. It's in my link that you read. I like that it is more "malleable" than the original blucore, because I want it to skin fuselage and wings over Rediboard formers. Yes, the price is excellent.

Originally Posted by Yaniel

have you used the bluelinx foam? how does it compare to blucore for building? its the first fan fold foam i've been able to find thats available in south florida. 50 ft of foam for $33 sounds great

[Figure.N9ne]

Originally Posted by Voyager2lcats

Yaniel, I am going by Lowe's this weekend. I searched the online site and it tells me which local stores carry it. It's in my link that you read. I like that it is more "malleable" than the original blucore, because I want it to skin fuselage and wings over Rediboard formers. Yes, the price is excellent.

that link was very helpful, when i looked and saw a store in south florida actually carried it i was amazed. im scared that you say its more malleable though, as i want to use it for flat profile foamies. how do you think it'll compare to the standard blucore for that purpose?

[Voyager2lcats]

Supposedly it is slightly less dense than Dow BluCore. I haven't used it yet, so I will defer judgement until I build my PT-19. I think it will require carbon fiber or bamboo for wings and tail surfaces and probably on running the length of the fuselage if you build it entirely of Bluelinx. Just my best guess.

Originally Posted by Yaniel

that link was very helpful, when i looked and saw a store in south florida actually carried it i was amazed. im scared that you say its more malleable though, as i want to use it for flat profile foamies. how do you think it'll compare to the standard blucore for that purpose?

[Jezmo]

Originally Posted by Voyager2lcats

Here is something else that is perfectly acceptable for building. BluCore doesn't meet building code insulation standards so it's scarce. However, Dow replaced it with something just as good (maybe better): Bluelinx 1/4" x 48" x 50' fanfold sheathing.

You can probably get it in smaller sections if you talk to the building materials department at Lowe's. Blue foam is foldable/bendable to 90 degree angles with the "grain"- great for skinning formers and sheeting wings. You won't be sorry. Pink foam is generally rigid, but is nice for blocks that can be sanded to shape. There is also a green foam that is similar to BluCore, but I have never seen it other than on a build thread.

Thanks for the link Voyager, I found it at a Lowe's just a few miles from my house.

[Voyager2lcats]

I just got back from Virginia and am still off from work, so I stopped by the local Lowe's and picked up some of the Bluelinx foam for $37.00. That's a lot of foam, people, but it looks very nice. I will post again after I start building my Fairchild PT-19 Cornell (thanks again to Grasshopper!).

P.S. Here is a re-post of the GreenGuard foam that Alpea suggested; It looks good too:
GreenGuard® XP14 Siding Underlayment - 1/4 in. x 4 ft. x 50 ft. - Fanfold

[Rickochet]

Here is my basic take on foam. I currently have some original Dow Blucor 1/4" fan fold, some Dow 1/2" Duramate foam (8' x 4') both from Lowes and a 4' x 8' sheet of 2" thick pink Foamular 150 from Home Depot.

Lowes blue foam - the only thing the Blucor and Duramate have in common is the color. The Blucor density and the Duramate are totally different. The Blucor is much stronger and snaps when you break it. The Duramate is much softer and has very little strength. The HD pink Foamular is very much like Blucor and is much stronger than the Dow Duramate. The only thing I use the Duramate for is for a pin board for balsa kit building.

So my preference when I need 1/4 FF is the Blucor. I have not tried the HD fan fold or PB III. For thicker foam for blocks or wing cores I prefer the pink over the blue.

I have not seen the Bluelinx yet but the Lowes link says I can order a single bundle and pick up at my local Lowes.

[Voyager2lcats]

Okay, I have just finished a pair of wings from Dow Protection Board III (Bluelinx) with Dollar Tree foam board as the formers and spar. Result is beautiful: Bluelinx bends very nicely with the grain (you have to do it slowly and sometimes even then it will crack, but is easily reparable with Gorilla glue). I think it is perfect for skinning your foamy scratch builds- both wings and fuselage. Peel the outside "onion skin" covering and you are in business.

[BluefoamMan]

The difference between the pink foam and the blue is the R-factor and the density. I use the blue for all my planes.
The blue foam can definitely be painted. I use Rustoleum Flat paint and it doesn't seem to eat the paint, however, I try not to do to heavy of a coat.
Hope that helps.

[crash_out]

The colors are simply trademarks of their manufacturer. Dow is blue, Owens Corning is pink. Each foam is rated differently by its density/compression strength. Locally, I don't have a lot of choices. 2" Foamular 150 has 15 psi compressive strength. Dow has many different product names, but for our purposes it boils down to the compression numbers. The only blue I can get locally is 1/2" and 3/4" thick, rated at 15 psi-the same as the Owens Corning Foamular 150. One Lowes in a 50 mile radius carries a 1" thick Dow "straightedge" that is rated at 25 psi. I can go 150 miles NW and pick up a sheet of OC Foamular 250 (25 psi compression).

When fan-fold became popular, I could get it with the plastic skin on both sides. About 5 years ago, I bought a bundle that only had skin on one side. Now, at the very same Lowe's, the only fan fold they have has no plastic skin at all. It's not the greatest stuff, especially for flat foamies.

I really wish I had a local source for Dow Hi-load 40 or 60. Most DLGs use wings made of that higher density foam. And having held and cut it, I can tell you it's a WORLD of difference between it and the regular 15/25 psi foam.

[road king 97]

I got my 1/4 inch or 6mm blue dow fanfold from my siding company close to my home .They sell it for underneeth siding when installing it for a little more insulation. It is strong but it weighs more than dollar tree foam so i have been building with both . My wing was built from dollar tree foam and the slowly toon plane was built from blue dow fanfold. joe

[road king 97]

My slowly toon plane was built from blue dow fanfold i got at my local siding company .The wing is out of dollar tree foam and is a lot lighter . joe