Everyone can work with foam!
We are happy to help you on your way with the tutorials below..
What do you need?
- Foam, obviously
- A paint stripper, also referred to as a heat gun. This device blows hot air to allow the pieces of foam to stick together. Sticking foam together does not require any glue.
- A sharp knife: a utility knife will do.
- a cutting mat for under the foam when you are cutting. This helps you better cut the foam and it increases the lifespan of your knife. Moreover, it prevents scratches on your table.
- An iron or aluminium lath.
- Fine gloves. This is not strictly necessary, but the hot air is really hot. Without gloves, you will experience this in no-time. Use gloves of fine material that still repels heat, such as leather
and then?
Foam is stuck together by means of hot air. A glue gun works too, but that requires yet another purchase. Moreover, it consumes more time and can sometimes be a mess.
How do you stick foam together?
By simultaneously heating the sides you want to stick together, and pushing them against each other.
How warm should the air be?
- In most paint strippers, you can’t regulate the temperature. You can use almost any paint stripper. Depending on the type of device, you can decide to change the setting.
- Paint strippers where you can regulate the temperature should be set to 300 to 400 ° C.
- Hair dryers are not recommended, because the temperature usually doesn’t get high enough and because it disperses the air too much.
How long should you be heating?
Less than a second, really not long. If you heat too briefly, the materials won’t stick. If you heat too long, you’ll ‘burn’ the foam.
