Homemade RC
Junior Member
Is Elmers foam board the (mostly) same stuff as the speed build kit stuff?
Foam board questions
- Thread starter Homemade RC
- Start date
SportyModder
Active member
Elmer's is heavier than the speed build stuff. The brand used to make the speed build kits is Adam's. Iirc.
tamuct01
Well-known member
There's generally 3 brands of foam board that people use:
Adams: Sold at Dollar Tree, this is the brand used by the Flite Test kits (up until they released the water-resistant stuff). Pros: lightweight and paper peels easily for certain construction techniques. Cons: Paper peels easily and will delaminate with age or any amount of water.
Elmers: Sold at Wal-Mart and others. Pros: More durable and longer lasting than Adams because the paper is actually glued to the foam. Cons: Heaviest of the foam boards may make some craft more difficult or unflyable.
Ross: Sold only at Wal-Mart. Pros: A medium weight board with glued paper. It seems to last longer than the Adams board for durability. Easy to paint and will withstand some moisture (not water-resistant, but paper won't fall off when spray painted). Cons: Seems more brittle than Adams board and may break upon impact rather than crush. Paper can be a hard to separate from foam making some building techniques more difficult.
I have personally used Adams and Ross boards, and now prefer the Ross since it will take paint better and last longer.
Adams: Sold at Dollar Tree, this is the brand used by the Flite Test kits (up until they released the water-resistant stuff). Pros: lightweight and paper peels easily for certain construction techniques. Cons: Paper peels easily and will delaminate with age or any amount of water.
Elmers: Sold at Wal-Mart and others. Pros: More durable and longer lasting than Adams because the paper is actually glued to the foam. Cons: Heaviest of the foam boards may make some craft more difficult or unflyable.
Ross: Sold only at Wal-Mart. Pros: A medium weight board with glued paper. It seems to last longer than the Adams board for durability. Easy to paint and will withstand some moisture (not water-resistant, but paper won't fall off when spray painted). Cons: Seems more brittle than Adams board and may break upon impact rather than crush. Paper can be a hard to separate from foam making some building techniques more difficult.
I have personally used Adams and Ross boards, and now prefer the Ross since it will take paint better and last longer.
Homemade RC
Junior Member
Ahh thanks, thats why FT scout weighs over 2 kilos!!!
Gryf
Active member
Actually, I use the Elmers board for power pods. It's a bit heavier, yes, but if it can make the pod more durable, I figure it's worth it since the pods frequently take the main impact. :-0
Another nice thing about the Ross board is that it's a really bright white, and looks nice... Especially with markings on it. Nice contrast, etc.
Gryf
Another nice thing about the Ross board is that it's a really bright white, and looks nice... Especially with markings on it. Nice contrast, etc.
Gryf
I made my power pods tougher too, until I had to rebuild a fuselage that was shredded because a solid power pod was driven through it. Now I make my power pods the sacrificial piece with regular weight DTFB, and use credit card reinforcements on my fuselage where the skewers hold it all together. I've found it's a lot easier for me to build extra power pods and have them on hand compared to replacing the fuse.
tamuct01
Well-known member
I leave the paper on unless directed in the plans to remove it on certain parts (to create smooth curves, etc.) The Ross and Elmers paper is glued on, and can be difficult to remove. The Adams board paper is only held on by the heat of manufacturing (is what I was told), and is by far the easiest to remove.
Depending on the application you can try soaking the paper to remove it, or gently sanding the foam/paper residue after removing it dry.
Depending on the application you can try soaking the paper to remove it, or gently sanding the foam/paper residue after removing it dry.
Have never been one to build a second version as heavy as the first. Where I leave the paper on is when I fold it over. Once attached I dampen it and peel it off. If it is an outside panel and needs more strength I cover it with packing tape. Ironing it on. I bet it saves 40% of the weight of the airframe.
To remove the paper from Elmers I soaked it and scrubbed it. It polished off the best with one of those pot washing sponges. Never made the plane that I wanted to at the time, used it to make my two tone Ellipsio
To remove the paper from Elmers I soaked it and scrubbed it. It polished off the best with one of those pot washing sponges. Never made the plane that I wanted to at the time, used it to make my two tone Ellipsio
OutcastZeroOne
Fly, yes... Land, no
There is a 4th option. Royal EcoBrites Foam Board. its 4mm thick and is made from recycled materials. I think it is actually a softer variant of depron. I have used it on a few models and its a good material. It isnt so easy to bend as it is really 2 layers of 2mm material glued together but it dose make from more precise builds. Its also stiffer then the Adams Readi-Board, but also much more expensive.
davidhyams
New member
Since I have a few free moments waiting for glue to setup, I thought I would share some of my experiences using DTFB to construct small and medium size aircraft. I need to be up front and say that I really like using DTFB as my primary building material because of price, availability, and versatility. I have several boxes of the original white (purchased from my local Dollar Tree store) as well as the water resistant light brown (purchased from Flite Test). I also maintain an ample inventory of EPP and Depron foam sheets in various thicknesses, but I much prefer using DTFB because of the extreme versatility when it comes to flying weight (AUW) options and finishing techniques. Here are some of the techniques that I have been using to affect AUW and finishing choices.
For light weight builds, I peel all the paper off the DTFB parts after cutting. The paper does dull knife blades but it is easier to trace design templates onto the paper rather than onto the foam. I also get cleaner edges by cutting the foam with the paper on. To really keep the weight down, I either lightly paint the foam with water based acrylic paints using an airbrush and then cover with a 1.7 mil clear laminating film (I use New Stuff from Aloft Hobbies) … Or cover the foam with strategically placed colored packing tape. By strategically placed, I mean that I align the strips of tape in the direction I want to add strength. While the colored packing tape, or paint and laminating film combination adds weight, the DTFB is much stronger and looks pretty good too. With the paper off, the tape or laminating film has a pebble like texture which I admit is not optimal for up close appearance sake, but you can’t tell when the planes are in the air.
For medium weight builds, I leave the paper on the DTFB or remove the paper after cutting and replace with printer paper from a laser or inkjet printer. This is a technique I borrowed from Rasterize that really adds awesome details to the finish model like panel lines, rivets, insignias, and camouflage. I glue the printed paper onto the foam using 3M super 77 spray adhesive, I apply the adhesive to the back of the paper to avoid melting the foam. I apply a very light coating of oil based polyurethane to the paper if I’m going to spray the surfaces with water based acrylic paint. If I want to add strength, I apply clear or colored strips of packing tape or laminating film. I do not use laminating film if I’ve peeled and replaced the paper because the heat to apply the laminating film can cause the 3M super 77 spray adhesive to debond which can cause bubbles and wrinkles.
When weight is not important, this is especially true for my larger and faster designs, not only do I leave the paper on, I cover all the surfaces with laminating film and then apply colored packing tape or fiberglass reinforced packing tape as needed for strength. I have had several DTFB planes go into the ground at 50mph plus and survive. This is also probably due to the carbon fiber and/or wood reinforcement I add to larger DTFB designs.
As far as doubling up DTFB goes, for rugged designs as well as laminating KF2 or KF4 airfoils, I like to use Beacon 3-in-1 or BSI Foam-Cure adhesives. I usually make sure all the edges get enough glue to prevent any gaps as well as smeared stripes of glue in the direction in which strength is needed. I add pressure (sandwiched between hard surfaces with weights) to all laminated parts during the curing process to ensure the glue becomes one with the foam. I almost always remove the paper from the DTFB when laminating (doubling) surfaces. Adding pressure while curing takes care of the curvature problem when removing paper from one side of DTFB. I have found that many of the DTFB sheets I purchase from the Dollar Tree store come slightly warped. Applying heat and pressure to these sheets seems to get the sheets to lie flat again. I cover the warped sheets under pressure with an old heating blanket for a couple of days and then let them cool down in a low humidity area of my house. OBTW, electric space heaters can really lower humidity in a closed in space but make sure not to start a fire.
Well this turned out to be much longer piece than intended, so I apologize to anyone that had the courage and ambition to read this far. As I said, I really like using DTFB for building prototypes as well as regular everyday flyers. I have some 3+ years DTFB planes with well over a hundred flights that still fly pretty good, creases and all. Good luck and I hope some of this information is useful. I think the parts I had glued are cured by now.
For light weight builds, I peel all the paper off the DTFB parts after cutting. The paper does dull knife blades but it is easier to trace design templates onto the paper rather than onto the foam. I also get cleaner edges by cutting the foam with the paper on. To really keep the weight down, I either lightly paint the foam with water based acrylic paints using an airbrush and then cover with a 1.7 mil clear laminating film (I use New Stuff from Aloft Hobbies) … Or cover the foam with strategically placed colored packing tape. By strategically placed, I mean that I align the strips of tape in the direction I want to add strength. While the colored packing tape, or paint and laminating film combination adds weight, the DTFB is much stronger and looks pretty good too. With the paper off, the tape or laminating film has a pebble like texture which I admit is not optimal for up close appearance sake, but you can’t tell when the planes are in the air.
For medium weight builds, I leave the paper on the DTFB or remove the paper after cutting and replace with printer paper from a laser or inkjet printer. This is a technique I borrowed from Rasterize that really adds awesome details to the finish model like panel lines, rivets, insignias, and camouflage. I glue the printed paper onto the foam using 3M super 77 spray adhesive, I apply the adhesive to the back of the paper to avoid melting the foam. I apply a very light coating of oil based polyurethane to the paper if I’m going to spray the surfaces with water based acrylic paint. If I want to add strength, I apply clear or colored strips of packing tape or laminating film. I do not use laminating film if I’ve peeled and replaced the paper because the heat to apply the laminating film can cause the 3M super 77 spray adhesive to debond which can cause bubbles and wrinkles.
When weight is not important, this is especially true for my larger and faster designs, not only do I leave the paper on, I cover all the surfaces with laminating film and then apply colored packing tape or fiberglass reinforced packing tape as needed for strength. I have had several DTFB planes go into the ground at 50mph plus and survive. This is also probably due to the carbon fiber and/or wood reinforcement I add to larger DTFB designs.
As far as doubling up DTFB goes, for rugged designs as well as laminating KF2 or KF4 airfoils, I like to use Beacon 3-in-1 or BSI Foam-Cure adhesives. I usually make sure all the edges get enough glue to prevent any gaps as well as smeared stripes of glue in the direction in which strength is needed. I add pressure (sandwiched between hard surfaces with weights) to all laminated parts during the curing process to ensure the glue becomes one with the foam. I almost always remove the paper from the DTFB when laminating (doubling) surfaces. Adding pressure while curing takes care of the curvature problem when removing paper from one side of DTFB. I have found that many of the DTFB sheets I purchase from the Dollar Tree store come slightly warped. Applying heat and pressure to these sheets seems to get the sheets to lie flat again. I cover the warped sheets under pressure with an old heating blanket for a couple of days and then let them cool down in a low humidity area of my house. OBTW, electric space heaters can really lower humidity in a closed in space but make sure not to start a fire.
Well this turned out to be much longer piece than intended, so I apologize to anyone that had the courage and ambition to read this far. As I said, I really like using DTFB for building prototypes as well as regular everyday flyers. I have some 3+ years DTFB planes with well over a hundred flights that still fly pretty good, creases and all. Good luck and I hope some of this information is useful. I think the parts I had glued are cured by now.
Hai-Lee
Old and Bold RC PILOT
Being at the other end of the Earth I am stuck with the heavier and well attached FB. There were many FT models that wouldn't balance without a fist full of lead in the nose. I hate adding dead weight!
I found out that the paper can be removed extremely quickly with heat, (I use and old clothes iron - see post on forums), and also that the paper, (both sides), made up about 70% of the weight of the FB.
Under another forum I did a build of a FT spitfire with and without the paper but on the one without the paper I used 1mm Balsa to plank the outer surfaces as I would a Balsa model.
The spit is still flying after over an hour of flight time without incident and it is so strong and rigid other FB users are retrofitting their own FB creations.
The Spit managed a weight saving of around 20% over the same design in straight FB.
When using the heavier FB and assuming you can remove paper successfully you can remove paper in areas where it is not required to provide strength as in fuselage rear booms and even on wing rear surface. Do not do a blanket removal but rather cut the paper in the areas you would fit lightening holes and then remove the paper only. Some paper will still be required for strength purposes.
By doing this carefully you will find that you can save a lot of weight and even get that FT design to balance using the heavier FBs.
Have fun!
I found out that the paper can be removed extremely quickly with heat, (I use and old clothes iron - see post on forums), and also that the paper, (both sides), made up about 70% of the weight of the FB.
Under another forum I did a build of a FT spitfire with and without the paper but on the one without the paper I used 1mm Balsa to plank the outer surfaces as I would a Balsa model.
The spit is still flying after over an hour of flight time without incident and it is so strong and rigid other FB users are retrofitting their own FB creations.
The Spit managed a weight saving of around 20% over the same design in straight FB.
When using the heavier FB and assuming you can remove paper successfully you can remove paper in areas where it is not required to provide strength as in fuselage rear booms and even on wing rear surface. Do not do a blanket removal but rather cut the paper in the areas you would fit lightening holes and then remove the paper only. Some paper will still be required for strength purposes.
By doing this carefully you will find that you can save a lot of weight and even get that FT design to balance using the heavier FBs.
Have fun!
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