Expanding Foam....

[gcthompson]

I've never used this stuff before and it all went pretty well until clean-up. I had the smallest pea (can't have been a few mm across) on a tool and absent mindedly cleaned it in the sink...

Few hours later....

Honey, the sink appears to be blocked......

Had to dismantle the entire pipework under the sink to remove the huge blob of foam which filled up the pipes.

That stuff is evil, Steve McQueen would tremble in his boots fighting monsters made out of this.

 

[wingcoax]

Always read the instructions. It does say water helps expansion and adhesion.

 

[wotan]

Also wear gloves, it's absolutely horrible stuff to get on your bare skin.

Wotan

 

[1john]

and even worse to get off!!

 

[wotan]

and even worse to get off!!

Quite

 

[geraldthehamster]

and even worse to get off!!

Quite

You can't even turn your back on it:

http://oscarthecat.fotopic.net/p62575131.html



Cheers
Richard

 

[looneyfitter]

nail varnish remover or acetone eats it for brekkie mate

 

[Donkmeister]

and even worse to get off!!

Quite

You can't even turn your back on it:

http://oscarthecat.fotopic.net/p62575131.html



Cheers
Richard

That is classic!

Is this why most spray cans have the instructions "after each use, invert can and spray until nozzle is clear"?

 

[wingcoax]

Try one of the new ones, you can bend the nozzle back and fix to a peg and re-use at a later time/date.

 

[oompah]

Try one of the new ones, you can bend the nozzle back and fix to a peg and re-use at a later time/date.

I have a can in the garage with the nozzle cleaned and bent back its been there since early spring how long does it stay useable?

 

[looneyfitter]

Try one of the new ones, you can bend the nozzle back and fix to a peg and re-use at a later time/date.

Top TIP dont bother with the cans and straws....Buy a proper foam gun... Only 15notes, uses half as much foam, 50 times more contollable and the foam seems to be stronger/plyable

 

[wingcoax]

Not tried past 2 months yet.

 

[looneyfitter]

just noticed in the pic.. it is a propper foam gun..... must have exploded with heat

 

[johnheritage]

Try one of the new ones, you can bend the nozzle back and fix to a peg and re-use at a later time/date.

Top TIP dont bother with the cans and straws....Buy a proper foam gun... Only 15notes, uses half as much foam, 50 times more contollable and the foam seems to be stronger/plyable

100x agree. The price has started coming down on those straw cans, but the control is just amazing with the guns versus the cans. It's huge. But you have to get one with a dial on it. Mine was free with the cans, or about £10-15.

As for it getting down the drain, open the u-bend first and have a look for it. A real good look with a torch.

I do A LOT of at home chemistry using things that university staff have to get special paperwork for. I also pour acetone rinses down there quite regularly and have never noticed a problem.

Acetone works great on PVC for cleaning it up. It will get PVC frames looking new with a quick wipe.

There are also foam eaters for dissolving cured foam - toolstation.com carries one of them. I'm not sure what's in those though - haven't checked, yet. It's most likely designed for brick and PVC, so check it against a bit of the pipework before trying that. Anyway, you won't need a foam eater, just poke the big lump out and it'll flow again.

I also haven't checked if strong sulphuric or caustic will dissolved cured foam. Those are the common drain openers. And I've never had the gun near drains, so I don't have any need to check that.

If you're cleaning a gun or can, you need the solvent cans. They're £4-5 a can, but B&Q don't sell them, last time I bothered looking. I found a set of rollers in there today for £8. I'd bought a set that are LITERALLY identical from toolstation.com half an hour before for about £1. That's almost an order of magnitude difference.

For any environmentally conscious members, I can assure you, I don't pour random chemicals down the drain.

 

[johnheritage]

and even worse to get off!!

Quite

You can't even turn your back on it:

http://oscarthecat.fotopic.net/p62575131.html



Cheers
Richard

That is classic!

Is this why most spray cans have the instructions "after each use, invert can and spray until nozzle is clear"?

My gun says, leave the can connected, remove nib before next use.

The guys would build composite boat hulls use absolutely blistering amounts of this stuff. Provided you don't let the solvent boil off (e.g. through leaks in the seals), it'll stay gooey. The gun looks like another part of the can to it.

I had some builders round recently, who are pretty good, but one of them (who makes jokes about what I'm doing) told me how he removes the foam cans and squirts solvent through after each use. That won't hurt, but it's also not necessary. It takes A LOT of solvent through to get it running clear, and a can of solvent isn't super cheap.

My biggest problem with the gun has been finding somewhere that sells the plastic tips that go on the nozzle, for reaching into tight gaps.

Added to that, at one point I bought a trade pack of 12 Siroflex cans. Three of them failed. Due to nothing related to the gun or care, only the seals on the cans leaking. And yes, I keep it spotless. I wear a new pair of latex gloves on each use.