Testing adams board with hot melt laminate film sans paper

[RAM]

Not a lot of info yet but here are my preliminary numbers.

Adams Board (black) as is = 116g
Adams black, one side removed = 87g
Paperless Adams = 63g

Weight of both pcs of black paper = 59g

(numbers didn't quite add up so I re-weighed the paper and the bare foam several times)
Adding up the 2 pieces of paper (59g) and the bare board (63g), the weight is closer to 122g for an as is board.



I ordered this off of ebay - GBC 1.2 Mil Ultima Nap II 25" X 750' (1" Core) ($30 and free shipping)
Nap II is a lower temperature version of laminating film
The film is very tough but a tear will run easily (like normal packing tape)

Adams, paper stripped, one side laminated = 75g

Not bad. I only added back ~ 12 grams per side with laminate film vs the normal ~29 grams per side for the black paper.

Looks like a waterproof solution.

One thing, with the plastic laminate on the board is full of static just like it gets when you peel the paper off. It's winter here and the air is dry so it might not be as bad if the humidity was up a little.

I think there are paints that stick well to the laminate, and I know a Sharpie marker works.

I used a normal home iron to stick the laminate. It worked fine for a full board. I did notice the wavy lines we see on adams board needed more pressure from the iron to stick.

I only saw a little warping from the film shrink. This went away as I continued to iron over the whole board.

I don't plan on doing this after the fact (on a built plane) but as a first step.

I also think this would work well as a replacement for hot glue on some seams and for taped hinges.

They make thicker film but I went for the thinnest I could get. The film will stick to itself so I can double up where needed for strength.

So far, so good.

 

[adamd]

do you have any before and after shots? maybe the process? sounds like it would be great for amphibious aircraft.

 

[RAM]

do you have any before and after shots? maybe the process? sounds like it would be great for amphibious aircraft.

Sorry, no pictures. It's not very exciting , just peel the paper off ~10 seconds then iron the laminate on ~60 seconds, all done. The only thing I forgot to mention was that I used one of those laser temperature guns to check the iron temperature.

Laminating is not a new idea. This is someone elses video. You can see how easy it is to use.

 

[desert wings]

Strength

I am so glad you did this. I have some 1.7ml low temp film and have not got around to any testing. Could you add some strength tests to your post? Maybe see how much a strip placed over an open span will flex and/or fail with weight placed on the center compared to a similar strip with the original paper.

The big positives I see are the reduced weight, improved adhesion, and the waterproof nature of the covering. I think it is a win.

I have used laminate film over paper with minimal weight penalty - see pic below - but I like what you are experimenting with better as I think it will fly better.

 

[RAM]

I am so glad you did this. I have some 1.7ml low temp film and have not got around to any testing. Could you add some strength tests to your post? Maybe see how much a strip placed over an open span will flex and/or fail with weight placed on the center compared to a similar strip with the original paper.

The big positives I see are the reduced weight, improved adhesion, and the waterproof nature of the covering. I think it is a win.

I have used laminate film over paper with minimal weight penalty - see pic below - but I like what you are experimenting with better as I think it will fly better.

1.2 vs 1.7 mil is a big difference. I can tell you that the 1.2mil is not as stiff as the original paper on a full board. I wasn't planning on using it alone though. I can double it where needed for stiffness or impact resistance. I also plan on pinning some of the super thin drywall mesh underneath it (only where needed) to take care of flex.

I might go ahead anyway and do a bend test with just laminate. Always good to have more data rather than less . Anything I try will be posted here.