Polyethylene Packaging Foam *update with pics*

[bobojuice]

Hey everyone,

I'm new here and I need some advice. I'm working on a project for halloween and I'm using some Polyethylene Packaging Foam (from what I can tell) and I need to know how to paint the stuff. I do of course have another option if painting is going to be too much of a pain, but that's the other question, what kind of glue could I use to adhere plastic to this foam stuff. I know some foams will melt when you add certain chemicals to it.

Thanks

*edit*

Here's a quick couple of pics of what I am working on.

 

[division 6]

Re: Polyethylene Packaging Foam

When in doubt use acrylic paint.
If you need a surfacer under it Gesso, it's also water base and normally used for prepping canvas for paint.


Without seeing the material it's kinda hard to know the type of glue to use.
If nothing else experiment on scrap.

 

[bobojuice]

Re: Polyethylene Packaging Foam

Looks just like the stuff on the right. -->

 

[division 6]

Re: Polyethylene Packaging Foam

Gorilla glue may work.
CA
PVA
Probably Barge contact cement.
3M #77 spray adhesive

 

[bobojuice]

Re: Polyethylene Packaging Foam

Thanks a bunch. I'll try it out and see which one works best. Once I'm finished I'll post the results.

 

[Shade]

Re: Polyethylene Packaging Foam

When in doubt, use contact cement. That stuff will hold for ages.

 

[division 6]

Re: Polyethylene Packaging Foam

I forgot to mention that the Gesso gets hard once dried,
If it needs to be flexible there are acyclic based primers available.
Lacquer based primer would probably have to be tried on scrap to see if it will eat it first.

 

[bobojuice]

Re: Polyethylene Packaging Foam

So just kind of an update. I tried the contact cement and it was a no go. Probably because of the way this stuff is. I'll explain. I'm using long, thin strips of the stuff to mount to something. The bottom, top, and front and back are all unfinished and raw. The sides are finished and have some type of coating on them and a "smoother" finish than the raw sides.
I tried mounting it with the contact cement from the raw surface to the object im mounting it to and it didn't take hold. Probably because of all the tiny holes. I bondoed(sp) it up and found that it came right off, and the bondo even peeled off the sides, due to the slicker surface. However, it stuck to the raw surface hard as a rock. I didn't test the contact cement with the finished side, so that's still up in the air.

TL;DR - Bondo holds (raw) poly foam to things better than contact cement.

Also, I had to shave off a thin layer off the entire finished side. :/

 

[exoray]

Re: Polyethylene Packaging Foam

Well if it doesn't melt the foam as suggested above "3M #77 spray adhesive" it will glue just about anything down, including the hair on your arms when you use it from the over spray Every hardware store will carry it... If that isn't strong enough you can get the industrial strength version 3M Hi-Strength 90, but that is likely overkill as the 77 will be far stronger then the foam itself already...

By the way it's a contact adhesive, that means you get one shot at laying it down right, as soon as it contacts the other coated part it's stuck... If you need to align the foam before placement, get a bunch of cheap plastics straws and lay them down on the surface first, set the glued foam on the straws and then remove one straw at a time as you guide the foam into place... If straws are not long enough you can use 1/4" wood dowels, they just cost more...

 

[bobojuice]

Re: Polyethylene Packaging Foam

Yeah, somewhere in my post I forgot to mention that I was able to adhere the foam to the surface with the bondo, so my problem is solved. Just kind of an FYI that bondo holds to unfinished foam pretty well.

 

[bobojuice]

Updated with some pics of my project.