polyethylene foam density?

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polyethylene foam density?

Postby Zuloo » Thu Apr 26, 2012 4:17 pm

hey guys, i ordered some 2.2lb density foam from foambymail and the stuff i got breaks down under the pressure of my fingers. so im wondering what is the best density to use? or better yet, does anyone know where edhellen gets their foam from?
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Re: polyethylene foam density?

Postby Dangus » Thu Apr 26, 2012 5:21 pm

Zuloo wrote:hey guys, i ordered some 2.2lb density foam from foambymail and the stuff i got breaks down under the pressure of my fingers. so im wondering what is the best density to use? or better yet, does anyone know where edhellen gets their foam from?

http://www.foambymail.com/PE2-_1/polyet ... 2-2lb.html yes?


I typically use 2.2-3# PE like this for shields and I've had no real problems like your describing. Typically it is wise to get a sample of foam, before ordering, as not all foam is made the same.
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Re: polyethylene foam density?

Postby PhotoJoe » Thu Apr 26, 2012 8:42 pm

Are you sure you got polyethylene not polystyrene?
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Re: polyethylene foam density?

Postby Zuloo » Fri Apr 27, 2012 3:26 pm

http://www.foambymail.com/PE2-_1/polyet ... 2-2lb.html
i ordered that at half inch thick, after asking the guy and telling him what im using it for (swords btw, not shields, thanks for the advice anyway) he responded that alot of bel peeps buy the minicel sheets at 2 to 3 pound density. thoughts?
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Re: polyethylene foam density?

Postby Dangus » Fri Apr 27, 2012 4:32 pm

Zuloo wrote:http://www.foambymail.com/PE2-_1/polyethylene-foam-sheets-2-2lb.html
i ordered that at half inch thick, after asking the guy and telling him what im using it for (swords btw, not shields, thanks for the advice anyway) he responded that alot of bel peeps buy the minicel sheets at 2 to 3 pound density. thoughts?

Yeah, you ordered shield foam. In half an inch thick it wouldn't really have any striking surface usages that I could think of. Minicell is what I get, usually crosslinked EVA blends.
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Re: polyethylene foam density?

Postby Black Cat » Fri Apr 27, 2012 10:37 pm

Dangus wrote:
Zuloo wrote:http://www.foambymail.com/PE2-_1/polyethylene-foam-sheets-2-2lb.html
i ordered that at half inch thick, after asking the guy and telling him what im using it for (swords btw, not shields, thanks for the advice anyway) he responded that alot of bel peeps buy the minicel sheets at 2 to 3 pound density. thoughts?

Yeah, you ordered shield foam. In half an inch thick it wouldn't really have any striking surface usages that I could think of. Minicell is what I get, usually crosslinked EVA blends.

If you do any other fighting styles besides Sword and Board, I guess you could always use it to make a buckler or small shield. It would be a PITA at that thickness, but you would have very fine control over exactly how big you make the buckler. Just glue it up like you're making an all-blue foam shield.
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Re: polyethylene foam density?

Postby Zuloo » Sat Apr 28, 2012 3:21 pm

thanks for your help guys, i got some samples on the way
what density do you prefer dangus?
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Re: polyethylene foam density?

Postby Dangus » Sun Apr 29, 2012 2:29 am

Zuloo wrote:thanks for your help guys, i got some samples on the way
what density do you prefer dangus?

3# if I can get my hands on it, usually 3in thick. If I have to use 2.2, I get use a 2in thick blank and cap both sides of the face and the rim with blue foam, for sturdiness.
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Re: polyethylene foam density?

Postby randy » Sun Apr 29, 2012 8:32 pm

You can use 1/2" for sword fry's. Just need to put some MC underneath the 1/2" foam first. Not sure how long the swords will last under constant use. I built a few glaives using this design and haven't had them blow out yet, but they don't see much action.
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Re: polyethylene foam density?

Postby Arrakis » Mon Apr 30, 2012 1:16 pm

3 or 4 pound for boxes, 2 pound for blade layers, if you're asking about swords.

That's for minicel/microcell/MC.
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Re: polyethylene foam density?

Postby Zuloo » Mon Apr 30, 2012 5:23 pm

thanks guys, thats everything i wanted to know
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Re: polyethylene foam density?

Postby Zuloo » Mon Apr 30, 2012 5:48 pm

another thing, how much weight does that add to the blade compared to the blue foam from walmart
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Re: polyethylene foam density?

Postby Alric » Tue May 01, 2012 12:26 am

The 4lb foam? About an ounce, less if you use a routed fry.
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