Hi All, I am working on N layout (2.5x5.5) and I have attached eva foam sheet (10mm thick) to base board plywood. Than i used thermocol for landscaping (hills, elevations etc). Soon I figured out that the thermocol (or plaster of paris) are not really going well with eva foam sheet. The bond is not as strong as I expected. I am using PVA glue. Is there any suggestions on glue or compound that goes well with this combination ? Thanks in advance MK Sent from my GM1901 using Tapatalk
Not sure what adhesives are available in India, but you want a foam-safe construction adhesive. Something Americans use is called Liquid Nails for foamboard. https://www.liquidnails.com/products/interior-projects-foamboard-adhesive The stuff I linked has great strength, fairly fast grab or set time, and will work much better than PVA gue (white glue/school glue.
I don't know what EVA foam is, or what its composition is. So I can't help you with that specifically. However, blue and pink foam boards have a plastic sheet bonded to each side. This sheet must be removed before it can be used with layouts. Nothing sticks to the plastic sheets, or if it appears to, it will come loose quickly. Furthermore to bond anything to foam boards, you must use an adhesive that states "For Foam". For instance the Liquid Nails brand has the "For Foam" in large letters on the tube. Other brands of adhesives have the same warning.
I sticked Expanded Foam (Thermocol) to my base (EVA foam - Gym sheets) with kind of PVC (Fevicol SH - Meant for Wood) though they seems sticked in place if I pull EPS with little force it is moving. What I did is covered the whole with POP mixed with paper. It seems it is good now. I do not know about durability.. Sent from my GM1901 using Tapatalk
Hank- I used some of the blue (2") in the last house I owned. It did not have any covering. In fact I still have some from that project, I saved for layout use. Those pieces in my locker downstairs. No coating at all.
Interesting. I'm currently using a bunch of 1/2" blue foam for the museum layout and every one has a plastic sheet on each side. Maybe 2" is manufactured differently than 1/2" and 3/4"??? I will say that I have to look very hard to see it. But once I start a corner, it peels off as a single sheet.
Thanks for confirming this. I was cutting my 1/2" pink foam sheets to size this afternoon and noticed the clear plastic sheets for the first time. I pulled the sheets both sides, then wondered if I should have done that. I can use the clear plastic sheets for drop cloths when I paint the top of the foam boards. Will next look for Liquid Nails Projects & Foamboard Adhesive or Loctite Foamboard Adhesive. Too, I'll need to round up some books, bricks and weighty boxes to press and hold the foam in place while it dries.
I used bathtub caulking on the half inch blue and one inch pink insulation foam. It sets up over night and has a very strong bond, it destroys the foam if you try to pull it apart. Joe
Yep, same here. DAP adhesive caulking at Home Depot in the squeeze tube packaging (red color). Around $4 a tube that lasts quite awhile. Get the clear version and you could use it also for gluing cork to foam and track to cork. Comes out of the tube white but dries clear so you know when it's dried. It's water based so clean up is easy. The key to gluing foam to foam is putting enough weight to keep the two pieces together while the glue is drying.
Looking around the train room I found the perfect weights -- old LP records. My wife and I should have more than enough to press the panels flat, perhaps enough to collapse the train table.
An alternative, and a method that I use, is using T-pins to pin down cork and track. They are typically used for building balsa RC airplanes back in the days when people actually build thing! They "stick" well to cork and foam and leave TINY, barely noticeable holes and are reusable. https://www.towerhobbies.com/product/t-pins-nickel-plated-1-100/DUB252.html
I also used DAP All Purpose latex caulk to put two layers of foam board together. Have done this on two layouts with good results. Books and photo albums where my weights of choice. Probably some pics of that happening near the beginning of my layout thread.
Oh shot! I shouldn't have thrown out all that potting soil I had. I could have put it into gallon size zip-lock storage bags for nice flecks-able weights.
Get a bag of sand at Home Depot or such for under $4 for like 20-25 lb. Separate into Zip Loc heavy duty bags.
I could get four large trash cans full for less than the cost of the Zip Loc bags. I've got just the landlord for that. But shot! I got rid of those at the same time. And Home Depot is too far. Will Wally's Word do?
