Heat Forming of Foamboard

[Desert48]

I've been working on a Simple Scout, and got to thinking about cleaning up (tidying?) edges. Got out my trusty covering iron and grabbed some scrap pieces to ruin try. After trying a few diferent settings, it looks like 155C gives good results with Adams readiboard. This also fuses the edges as it melts the foam. See the attached pictures. I think if the iron was much hotter, the paper facing would scorch, so be careful. Also, thin edges seem to get almost brittle, so a small edge radius would be better than a knife edge. When I get it into the air, we'll see how this affects durability. Give it a try - don't get burned!

 

[rockyboy]

Nice tip! I'll have to remember that for my next build.

Thanks!

 

[wilmracer]

Very interesting! In the past I've pulled the paper back a bit, sanded and then reapplied the paper but this looks much cleaner.

I suspect the brittle issue could be addressed with a trick I use on balsa trailing edges. The trick there is to put a thin strip of 1/64" ply between two strips of balsa and then sand so the trailing edge is supported by the ply. In this case you could run a razor down the centerline of the foam, insert the ply (or thin CF strip) and then use your sealing iron trick to taper the edge to the ply. I bet that would give you a super crisp trailing edge that would hold up to a LOT of abuse.

 

[FoamyDM]

Using the information above - some of us don't have monocote irons. I have used a regular iron set to the one below cotton. Wool I think.

Base on the table from here, it's nearly the same thing:

Ironing Temperatures in Celsius and Fahrenheit

If your iron uses a different scale or you want to know more exacting temperatures for ironing different types of fabric, follow these guidelines:

• Linen: 230 °C (445 °F)
• Triacetate: 200 °C (390 °F)
• Cotton: 204 °C (400 °F)
• Viscose/Rayon: 190 °C (375 °F)
• Wool: 148 °C (300 °F)
• Polyester: 148 °C (300 °F)
• Silk: 148 °C (300 °F)
• Acetate: 143 °C (290 °F)
• Acrylic: 135 °C (275 °F)
• Lycra/Spandex: 135 °C (275 °F)
• Nylon: 135 °C (275 °F)"

 

[Gazoo]

Looks nice. I just finished a cub where I tapered the edges of the wings and tail surfaces with a clothes iron. Finding the right temp, tapering the curved sections and working with the bulky iron were a challenge.

I also brush painted the edges with Elmer's glue after tapering to seal the paper on.

 

[Michael9865]

I used this on my glider. I can't remember where I saw it, I definitely didn't invent it. It definitely had me nervous as I did it.