spyder foam
 

Hey Everyone,

I'm thinking of trying "spyder Foam" as a core material in my fuselages since I have not been able to find Herex/Airex thin enough here in the U.S. I've been using 1/32nd balsa which works good but its to labor intensive IMO. Anyone have any experience with spyder foam?

Thanks,

Todd Schmidt

P.S. If anyone knows of a supplier of 1.5mm to 2mm Herex/Airex please let me know. The thinnest I've found is 1/8 inch Airex.

RE: spyder foam
 

CST has Rohacell 51 down to 1mm (.04in.) which I think a lot of guys use for a substitute for balsa or Herex sheets. [link=http://www.cstsales.com/Rohacell_51_IG.html]CST Rohacell[/link] A lot of your European high end sailplanes and F5D composite racers are constructed with this stuff.

As for experience with it, it is on my "to do" list. ;)

RE: spyder foam
 

Thanks Scott, I've looked and unfortunately 48" is long as they offer, I need 60" long.

Todd

RE: spyder foam
 

You can glue Rohacell, although it is difficult to work with, balsa was easier for me.

RE: spyder foam
 

Hi Just a FYI

I received good service from Clarasonic in Thailand

240mm by 800mm 1mm sheet R51 rohacell (got 150)  ended up around $6.00 AUD  similar USD pricing
http://www.clarasonic.com/index_en.htm

Very responsive to shipping requests to get the best freight options.

cheers jeff

RE: spyder foam
 

Thanks Jeff, I emailed them for a quote. I need 1.5mm 1650mm x 457mm. I'm making several 2M pattern fuselages this winter and hopefully this will be the ticket I'm looking for. ;)

Todd

RE: spyder foam
 

Thailand? Sheez! Glad you found a source, hope it pans out for ya....
I am surprised that there isn't a stateside supplier... they would certainly get an uptick in business from this crowd.

RE: spyder foam
 

Todd, let us know how it goes with getting the product and the prices for shipping. I would like to get some 1mm - 250mm x 1250mm sheets for some wings in the future, and it looks like the Thailand company is less than 1/4 the US prices. Might be worth it if the shipping is decent.

RE: spyder foam
 

Hi Scott,

I ordered 4 pieces of 1.5mmx18"x59" and they were $37.59 each. Shipping was $75.00 using Thia postal. I really wanted 65" long stock but Thia Postal will only ship 59" max. I could have used UPS or Fed Ex but shipping would have been twice as much. Clarasonic has a U.S. rep and he gave good service through email. If this works out I will order additional stock.

I did get the Spyder foam and layed up some parts with it as a core. I like they way the stuff works, you can sand it like balsa and it hot wires very good with good smooth surface after the cut. It also does'nt take in a lot of resin so it should make a light stiff part. I'll post a pic of the part and weights after I get it out of the mold.

Todd