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Pink or Green?

Discussion in 'Foam Talk' started by rcav8r, Feb 2, 2010.

  1. rcav8r

    rcav8r Moderator Staff Member

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    HI All;

    Slowly getting back to the forum here, and see that BluCore is no longer available. I checked and in my neck of the woods, all Lowes has is the Green Guard. I can also get the pink stuff at Home Depot

    Given a preference, which do you prefer?

    THANKS
    Dave
     
  2. Anonymous

    Anonymous New Member

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    I still haven't run out of BluCore, so I haven't needed to learn which is "better". There's got to be someone here who has, though.
     
  3. ttraband

    ttraband Member

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    Isn't this a little like asking "balsa, basswood, or lite-ply"? Rather than a blanket preference, I would prefer to hear from folks who have used both the types in the survey and where they found them the most effective material for the task at hand - and what that particular task was.
     
  4. rcav8r

    rcav8r Moderator Staff Member

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    Yea that's what I was thinking... I read about it being discontinued a while ago. I though enough guys would have used both alternatives by now to have a preference. It's early yet so I'm sure we'll get some good responses. Poll shows a 50-50 split for those with a preference as of now.

    THANKS
     
  5. Jnida63

    Jnida63 Member

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    My experience with the green stuff is that it is very flat and cuts just fine, the problem I am having with it is the fact that it likes to curl up after a period of time.

    I have no experience with the pink at all, but the green is great for test gliders and to see if all your parts fit right.
     
  6. Evil-Tunes

    Evil-Tunes Moderator Staff Member

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    Location:
    Southern N.J.
    From my experience between Pink from Home depot and Green from lowes is.

    1. pink is 3/8 compared to Green 1/4

    2. Both are kinda like depron flat but snap easly. Blue would bend before breaking.

    3. Have found that for a wing the Pink cuts the wind better. Denser I would think?
    Pink for the wing and Blue cor for the body is a good combo.

    4. I have found the green tends to curl as above post after some time.

    5. Tape on the Pink will lift after some time. Check your hinge's often.

    I like to use the Green for test cuts. If you have a building supply co. near you ask them if they can get "Blue cor II P/P" under layment. P/P = Film on both sides. It costs alittle more than the lowes blue cor but well worth it.

    http://building.dow.com/na/en/products/insulation/hpulayflat.htm

    Cheers

    E-T
     
  7. Chuck

    Chuck New Member

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    This is a pretty late response to this thread. I have used the blue FFF, the pink FFF, and the green FFF. I find the pink and the blue to be similar and they act about the same. They are both "wavy" and this creates some problems while cutting and later results in wavy ailerons or other surfaces. Pink and blue are quite flexible and that can be a good quality. The green stuff from Lowe's, is a whole different matter. The green is straight and smooth,so it cuts nice. It almost seems more like cardboard than anything else. It is winter now and the green material becomes real brittle in the cold and will pop and break with little provocation. The green foam is very difficult to apply tape or decals to...nothing really wants to stick even after the foam is cleaned first. It sucks up paint like a sponge and it is hard (for me) to get a decent looking finish on green foam with paint or markers. Overall, I find green foam too brittle for my taste. I find the pink too wavy (and too pink) and I can not easily find blue anywhere so am almost exclusively Depron now and that is too expensive. A local lumber/building supply company in this area has the blue so I know it is still being made as they can order more. Problem is, they are quite expensive. Guess I will have to do like the rest of you and do the best I can with what I can get. In a nutshell, if you want to make any project that is relatively strong and looks pretty nice, avoid the green foam from Lowe's. It does not take much pressure to push your thumb through it. It breaks easily. Just my two cents worth!

    Chuck
    ...somewhere in Indiana...
     
  8. ttraband

    ttraband Member

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    Thanks for the benefit of your experiences. I can get pink at the local (orange) home center. We don't have a blue home center nearby, but that's where I found the blue foam most recently. Haven't tried the green yet, but I think I'd rather stick with pink and get better at painting/covering/finishing than risk green's problems with brittleness and curling.
     
  9. rcav8r

    rcav8r Moderator Staff Member

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    Thanks for the responses .... I finally picked up some pink, and ran a few test cuts. As mentioned it is wavy... REALLY wavy. I knew this going in, so I picked through the stash and picked what I thought was the straightest bundle of the bunch. All was well until I freed it from it's wrapping.... Then it went all wavy. I have been putting off adding a 3rd top roller, but I think I will need to with this stuff.

    If I cut more foam than I am now, I may try depron... I'll see how the pink goes. I knew it was thicker than the blue, but it sure seems a lot heavier than I thought it was gonna be.
    I just ordered a whole bunch of balsa for my latest project... Hope to be making w whole lot of balsa dust within a week.
     
  10. Chuck

    Chuck New Member

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    Rcav8r...how does the Phlatprinter do with balsa? I have not tried it yet. Also, would you use the same cutting bit? At the rate foam is increasing in price it will probably be cheaper to buy sheets of balsa before long. I will have to weight the rollers in my printer also because the blue and pink foams are too wavy and the drive roller loses traction and messes up the cut.

    Chuck
    ...somewhere in Indiana...
     
  11. rcav8r

    rcav8r Moderator Staff Member

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    Balsa cuts GREAT. As quick and easy as foam is I really prefer balsa, and I think I have cut more balsa/ply with my phlatprinter than I have foam. I use a 2 flute 1/16" end mil. Tried a 4 flute, and it made nicer cuts, but I had to slow the feed rate way down (as expected) I also picked up a bit kit from Mark and Trish and the 1/16" bit there works great too. I cut at 35ipm, and so far so good. Cut's aren't laser smooth, but plenty good enough. I have a mod on the rollers using rubber bands (I can dig up the thread for you if you want), and I now no longer need a fence for the balsa. I still need it for ply though even when doing multi-pass. The extra force on the wood causes dimples all over, but for me that is a plus... I usually use a tool called a wood pecker to make holes in sheeted surfaces so the gas from the iron on covering has a place to go, so there are less wrinkles... Now the Platprinter does that for me :)

    It is also mentioned in a few threads about adjusting the phlatscript for exact depth cuts. I really find this handy with the balsa/ply as the material is a lot more consistent, and there really isn't too much extra cutting depth on the bit. I basically make my material thickness the amount of the cutting depth of the bit, and adjust the tab thickness accordingly.
    I just have to remember to add in the 40% extra when making a cut file for foam, or else the bit doesn't poke through for 1/2 the cut.
     
  12. Chuck

    Chuck New Member

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    Wow! Interesting (and informative). I still have a lot to learn. Actuallyl, I have everything to learn. I did try to cut lite ply - the round motor mounts, and they did not turn out well for me. I need to get one of those 2=flute end mills you mentioned. The only other material I have attempted to cut was 4mm coroplast and the machine did a dynamite job on that material. I am guess it is the bit choice coupled with the correct speed that makes the difference. Thanks!

    Chuck
    ...somewhere in Indiana...
     
  13. Chuck

    Chuck New Member

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    Need some help. What is the best kind of bit to use for cutting EPP? Do I just use the standard or does something work better?

    Thanx,

    Chuck
    ...somewhere in Indiana...
     

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