Foam Safe for use?

[Benjamin Maggi]

I wanted to line one of my rubbermaid containers with foam to protect my engines, but was worried about gassing from the foam. The foam is stuff I bought at Walmart and used for seat cushions.

Anyways, I know with guitars that you cannot use some types of foam with some types of guitar finishes because they will negatively react with one another.

Should I be worried about this with my trains? Has anyone else used this foam. It is the white stuff, comes in sheets, and is about 1 inch thick.

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Don't forget this is an international forum and i for one have no idea what rubbermaid is?

I just barely know about Walmart.

Ian

[Benjamin Maggi]

Be that as it may, do you know what "foam" is? Anyways, rubbermaid is a brand of container, and Walmart is a store. And neither in any way changes my question, or the possible problem underlying it.

[GearDrivenSteam]

If it worries you, why not try covering the foam with some sort of material? I can concur about the guitar statement. I have nine, and have run into that problem before. Stands to reason it could be true for other finishes as well. A heavy vinyl or maybe even denim material might work. In either event, I would seal the foam in plastic first, then cover it.

[Gary128]

I personally wouldn't trust any foam product for the very reasons you mentioned. I have recently opened a few N Scale rolling stock cars and one locomotive that I thought were safely stored away in their original foam lined boxes. The foam pressing against the paint produced some sort of a chemical reaction and the foam was literally glued to them...and sadly ruined the finish.
Even vinyl may case a similar reation so I now use paper towel between the foam and plastic model to separate them when storing. I also check them from time to time to just see 'how they're doing' :)
Good luck.
Gary128

[Anonymous]

Depends on the type of foam:

Polystyrene foams (hard stuff in your Eskie (ice box/cooler) releases various nasty chemicals such as di-isocyanate- a known sensitiser for those with or predisposed to asthma. The spray can foam used to seal gaps releases this too.

This is the same for foam rubber, which uses poly-urethane as a base, also releases di-isocyanate and releases these.

Nice to know that the "new car smell" is mainly di-isocyanate, and a whole heap of other nasty gases released from the plastic.

Like any material, if it is not made properly, it can break down more easily, and can interact with other materials, most likely the plastic and paint of you favourite (and most expensive) loco!

[Benjamin Maggi]

So what material would you guys recommend for protecting my equipment in travel? I would think that wrapping the foam in paper towel or cloth won't prevent the release of the gas that will damage the paint.

[bman36]

Hi there,

     I have a pile of old towels I use for packing. Any towels or dish towels my wife considers "unfit", I confiscate for such a use. I find that I can fit more in a given tub by using the towels. They take up less space. They also provide just enough cushion to avoid marring or scratching my rolling stock. If you do not have any old towels you can pick up dish towels at most "dollar" stores very cheap. They also take up little space when not in use. Hope that helps. Later eh...Brian.

 

[cacole]

Even the black foam that manufacturers are using to cushion models will deteriorate over time and stick to a model, so for long-term storage it's a good idea to put something between the foam and model.  I wrap the model in a paper towel or paper napkin before putting it back into the box, even if for a short period of time.

[Mike Dorsch CJ&M r.r.]

I like just leaving my locomotives all around the house . . .ex : on top of the TV , on top of the fireplace mantle , all over . That way I can enjoy looking at them at a glance whenever . My wife doesn't seem to mind too much . When there is the inevatable light coating of common household dust on them I take a 1" clean paintbrush and give them a light dusting . I think it adds to the overall weathering of them .

[Benjamin Maggi]

Well, I asked my guitar tech, and he said that "polyethelyene" and "polypropolene" foam are good because they are closed cell and inert. I just so happen to live less than a mile from a foam supplier here in Albany, so I will give them a call tomorrow.

[jasher817]

Use the foam as a shock absorber but use packing tissue paper  ( the stuff that is used in gift bags and such, you can find it in the gift wrap section at Wal-Mart ) between the foam and whatever you are packing. A lot of the stuff I unpack and put on shelfs have this set up, and some of my old N scale loco's had used this method.

[Capt Bob Johnson]

Ian, Got u this time, Rubbermaid is a Canadian, not US firm.   Big sellers all over the place,  you probably have thier stuff downunder there!   They make evrything from food containers to plastic garden sheds.  Just remember to burp the containers when you store food in them!  

[Anonymous]

Polyethylene is buoyant, making it popular for nautical uses. Most types of polyethylene are non-abrasive; serve as a thermal insulator; are inert to water, grease and solvents at typical temperatures; are CFC-free and ozone friendly, recyclable, odorless, and very lightweight. Many types of polyethylene are approved for use in the food industry.
Polypropylene is not as sturdy as polyethylene, but it has benefits that make it the better choice in some situations. One of these situations is creating hinges from a plastic, such as a plastic lid on a travel mug. Over time, plastics fatigue from the repetitive stress of being opened and shut, and eventually will break. Polypropylene is very resistant to this sort of stress, and is the plastic most often used for lids and caps which require a hinging mechanism.
Interesting site for plastics info-http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-polypropylene.htm