bending eps foam can i get some help

General Discussion
1

how do i bend eps foam? i have read the posts on it but still havent been able to figure out how. also after i bend the eps how do i put a stringer in and what type of glue shpould i use to hold it in im making a 6"5 fish and i want a stringer.

can i get some help

2

for detailed instructions read Benny1’s post called $14 dollar Home Depot Board (its something like that) but hears the short version.

  1. Cut out the stringer in the shape that you want it.

  2. Neatly, cut the foam in half

  3. Use Elmers polyurathain glue (same as Gorrilla Glue but cheaper) and glue and clamp (or tape) together… Its the stringer that bends the foam and holds it.

  4. Plane down the foam to shape

  5. Spackle

  6. Epoxy

3

you dont have to spackle. you can and theres nothing wrong with it but you dont have to.

4

bending a single sheet may not work well. Yes the stringer will hold the rocker at the center but near the edges (rails) it will tend to flex back to a flatter surface.

When I talked about bending and glueing the rocker, I was glueing multiple (in my case 2) thinner sheets of EPS together and glueing it up so the the sheets form a rocker.

The alternative is to hot-wire cut the rocker out of a thicker sheet (single sheet or flat sheets glued together to make a thick enough sheet).

With either method you would then cut in half to add a stringer if desired.

here is my post from Nov gluing in the rocker. It is 2 1" sheets of 1# eps. The sheets were pre cut to 6’x2".

http://www.swaylocks.com/forum/gforum.cgi?post=181886#181886

5

Rocker table, out of ply sheet 1/4 and shimmed to rocker you want.

6

would shy away from any steam bending techniques. Epoxy pro team bends and the the rockers later get all out of whack. I saw a longboard reject that came from their…the tail looked like a dead yellow fin tuna!!

I’d get a really thick peoce of foam, mabe two glue togeter, then hotwire cut the rocker.

7

whats the best kind of glue to use to bond the stringer to the halves of foam

8

3) Use Elmers polyurathain glue (same as Gorrilla Glue but cheaper) and glue and clamp (or tape) together… Its the stringer that bends the foam and holds it.

9
Quote:
3) Use Elmers polyurathain glue (same as Gorrilla Glue but cheaper) and glue and clamp (or tape) together.. Its the stringer that bends the foam and holds it.

smear white elmers onto the foam, let sit for a moment to tack-up a little, smear on stringer, push together, clamp, wipe up extra.

I’d still sugest reading Benny’s “$14 blank” thread. Has good pictures of his process.