Uses for alloy foil..

Here's a picture that may be useful to foam carvers. It's that alloy foil again. Here it's allowing two pieces of foam to be taped together with tank tape*, while the foam glueing them together cures. No tape will stick to bare foam, but the foil skin is another matter. It'll peel off with the tape later.

Note also the woodworking clamp at the bottom of the picture, they're a bit heavy, can distort the foam structure, but otherwise they're great for holding foam pieces together while curing.

I've already peeled the foil off the rest of these panels, the foam is in tension inside the foil and will take on a curve if one side, or a large part of one side, is peeled off. Can be useful, can be a pain!

* Tank Tape
Originally called "Tape, Black, Waterproof". For covering the rivet tails inside aircraft fuel tank bays in aircraft, to stop them making holes in the bag tanks

Hence 'Tank Tape'

Later used in the music industry, controlled by the Gaffa, due to it's cost and attractive nature.
Hence 'Gaffa tape'

Also inevitably in motor racing (Colin Chapman said it was structural) where it mainly got used for holding ducts into bodywork.

Hence 'Duct Tape' And later, amusingly, 'Duck Tape'

Uses for alloy foil..

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Clamps

I am familiar with the names duct tape and gaffa tape. Tank tape is new to me - thanks.

For a lighter alternative to the woodworking clamps, they often sell packs of plastic clamps for peanuts in Aldi, Lidl or B&Q. They look the same but have very little strength. Not a problem with foam, but the lower weight is useful.

Clamps

Good thought, I'll keep an eye open for plastic clamps. Aldi have sold simple spring loaded clamps before, but they're much too strong for foam, any clamp needs to be hand set - and then they'll mark the surface as the foam pressurises the joint. If you look pretty much at the centre of the picture above, at the top edge of the line of tape, you can see the circular mark where this has happened. I use pieces of wood to spread the load where possible.

Some form of clamping is essential, otherwise you'll be trapped in the workshop holding foam together for long periods. Here, there's a clamp doing that, while I write this...