Where do you get your substitute for Dollar Tree Foam Board?

AIRFORGE

Make It Fly!
Moderator
depron like polystyrene insulation, from uk b&q, this one is nice with tape covering and cytting and everything.
made a tiny trainer from the thing
Nice, clean, and shiny! 🛩️ (y)
 

Marzipan

Well-known member
depron like polystyrene insulation, from uk b&q, this one is nice with tape covering and cytting and everything.
made a tiny trainer from the thing
sure wish stuff like this was easy to get in Canuckistan. <_<
 

Piotrsko

Legendary member
Have you tried flooring insulation? Stuff is the appropriate thickness and sometimes even covered in a paper skin , but you can skin it easey peasey. Skin is what carries the flight loads, the foam just is a spacer.

I also use cardboard boxes for those gotta fly something right now moods with big wings. Been doing that since 1972
 

Mr Man

Mr SPEED!
Have you tried flooring insulation? Stuff is the appropriate thickness and sometimes even covered in a paper skin , but you can skin it easey peasey. Skin is what carries the flight loads, the foam just is a spacer.

I also use cardboard boxes for those gotta fly something right now moods with big wings. Been doing that since 1972
You sure? The paper alone is weak, and you can make planes out of foam without paper.
 

Mr Man

Mr SPEED!
Have you tried flooring insulation? Stuff is the appropriate thickness and sometimes even covered in a paper skin , but you can skin it easey peasey. Skin is what carries the flight loads, the foam just is a spacer.

I also use cardboard boxes for those gotta fly something right now moods with big wings. Been doing that since 1972
You sure? The paper alone is weak, and you can make planes out of foam without paper.
 

Mr Man

Mr SPEED!
Have you tried flooring insulation? Stuff is the appropriate thickness and sometimes even covered in a paper skin , but you can skin it easey peasey. Skin is what carries the flight loads, the foam just is a spacer.

I also use cardboard boxes for those gotta fly something right now moods with big wings. Been doing that since 1972
You sure? The paper alone is weak, and you can make planes out of foam without paper.
 

Piotrsko

Legendary member
Easy on the post reply button, pilgrim.

Yes you can make a floppy foam plane with no skins. But it needs an underlying structure to keep spread loads below what will bend/ crease the foam which results in failure. All the curvy stuff you built has something redirecting loads somewhere else

The paper cover only needs to be slightly strong in tension to transfer load moments into the foam resulting in a bend crease.
Take a sheet of paper, fold it accordian style to about 1" wide and try to tear it by pulling it apart perpendicular to the folds.
 
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Mr Man

Mr SPEED!
Easy on the post reply button, pilgrim.

Yes you can make a floppy foam plane with no skins. But it needs an underlying structure to keep spread loads below what will bend/ crease the foam which results in failure. All the curvy stuff you built has something redirecting loads somewhere else

The paper cover only needs to be slightly strong in tension to transfer load moments into the foam resulting in a bend crease.
Take a sheet of paper, fold it accordian style to about 1" wide and try to tear it by pulling it apart perpendicular to the folds.
Oh yeah, I was just saying you couldn’t make a swappable plane from just paper, it requires the foam. I once made a mini sportster without the paper, and it was light (72grams) but a bit on the fragile side. Imo, it could be good for indoor flying where there is no wind.
 

Houndpup Rc

Legendary member
I got some foam from Hobby Lobby yesterday! It's heavier but it's also a lot stronger feeling than Maker's Foam or DTFB and as a plus it's water proof! I think it feels stronger because it has really thick paper(almost thick as poster board) so I shouldn't have to worry about it wrinkling when painting. I will see how it works on my FT Goblin! As @Mr Man has said before they also have 1/2" foam there that I might have to get sometime to make a monster series! lol I always buy craft stores/Dollar stores out of their foam board!
 

Piotrsko

Legendary member
Betcha there's a label somewhere saying a cow named Elmer made it.

Thicker just generally means heavier, not necessarily stronger. I believe they use more air entrapment in their foam or open cell, so it isn't as strong. For our purposes, it is just heavier. Need to bend it to be sure.

Have you thought about asking your dollar store to special order you a full box? Mine will, used to be $20 bucks. Unless they hit it with a forklift, it had fewer creases
 
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Houndpup Rc

Legendary member
Betcha there's a label somewhere saying a cow named Elmer made it.

Thicker just generally means heavier, not necessarily stronger. I believe they use more air entrapment in their foam or open cell, so it isn't as strong. For our purposes, it is just heavier. Need to bend it to be sure.

Have you thought about asking your dollar store to special order you a full box? Mine will, used to be $20 bucks. Unless they hit it with a forklift, it had fewer creases
Oh they have a lot, but I don't like the pain of min waxing it when I want to paint it...And I can mold the stuff from hobby lobby and it dents WAY less easy. I know the edges are quite a bit tougher too!
 

AIRFORGE

Make It Fly!
Moderator
I guess it isn’t up north….🤔👍👍
All over the US.
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