The Foam/rock Projects Here Thread

[mikelaubach]

2-part 20-minute finishing resin from Bob Smith industries is used by a great deal of folks to seal the foam from physical disintegration and to "glue" the sand to the foam.

At the very bottom of this page:
http://www.bsiadhesives.com/Pages/hobby/epoxies.html

 

[james3370]

i bought the z-poxy 2-part finishig resin that has been mentioned in several of these threads. i got mine on ebay since i was getting more than one "kit", it was cheaper by the time shipping was figured in...... to find the auction, put this # in the search box : 320301140138

hobbyinc.com also has it HERE. that is the cheapest i found it online....like i said, unless you buy more than one & then the ebay auction ws a tad cheaper

 

[hotwired99]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13847963#post13847963 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by maddmaxx
hotwired99 what the brand name for the epoxy that you used to glue the sand to the foam...

I used a 2 part epoxy paint from Aquatic Eco-Systems.
http://www.aquaticeco.com/subcategories/3048/Epoxy-Paint-1-Gallon
<a href="http://s193.photobucket.com/albums/z189/hotwired99/Rockwork/?action=view&current=standbuild163.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z189/hotwired99/Rockwork/standbuild163.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
I used the light gray color.
<a href="http://s193.photobucket.com/albums/z189/hotwired99/Rockwork/?action=view&current=standbuild168.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z189/hotwired99/Rockwork/standbuild168.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
The guys at AES said that you can just sprinkle the sand on when the foam is still wet and sticky. But mine was already dry so I used the epoxy paint to make the sand stick and to seal and help protect the foam from breaking down due to light and time.

 

[~sp0ok~]

good work

 

[weakspleen]

I'm liking the nano builds. Thanks for sharing.

 

[marinelife]

I thought the black did not need coated?

 

[hotwired99]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13849472#post13849472 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by marinelife
I thought the black did not need coated?

I had read that too. But this is what the Technical data Sheet says on the black Handi Foam.

"When cured, polyurethane foam is permanent, chemically inert, non-reactive and stable for an indefinite period of time. Cured foam should be protected against UV rays (i.e. sunlight) by painting or staining to prevent long term discoloration or degradation."

So I figured I would use epoxy paint just in case. Cant hurt I suppose.

 

[james3370]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13849472#post13849472 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by marinelife
I thought the black did not need coated?

it is mostly used to stick the sand/crushed coral to it.....but it also protects it from the immense amount of UV light that it will get from the lights.

yes it says it is UV safe, but i would think in the confined area of a tank being as close to the lights as it is, it will probably break down if not coated.

i care to err on the side of caution cause i don't wanna spend all the time associated w/ making a nice wall only to have it fall apart from UV cause i was too cheap to pop for $50 worth of epoxy & lil bit of time to make it protected....i'm just sayin

 

[marinelife]

Ok cool, I will have some West Systems epoxy left I can add a layer over the foam.

 

[maddmaxx]

i too heard that the beckett pond foam (black foam) does not need to be coated, and that you can apply the sand directly to it....i would feel better using an epoxy to adhere the sand to the foam.....so i think z-poxy is the way to go....and im also guessing the 30-minute curing time is the one to use cause it states use with foam...

 

[CoRPS]

Newest update to my rock wall:

Thread here

 

[maddmaxx]

lookin good

 

[GreenReefer77]

Anybody no where to get dry rock currently? marcorocks and bulk reef supply are both out of stock and with fiji and tonga shut down I'm not sure where to get some.

 

[mikelaubach]

Wow, I just got 20 pounds in from bulk reef on Friday from their large holiday sale. Guess I was lucky!

 

[james3370]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13899084#post13899084 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GreenReefer77
Anybody no where to get dry rock currently? marcorocks and bulk reef supply are both out of stock and with fiji and tonga shut down I'm not sure where to get some.

i ordered 80lbs of rock from bulk reef supply sat @ 1.35/lb......

Rock Clearance (50% off normal price of $2.69 a pound)

Everything is 3-6" . We are unable to take special requests on this clearance rock you will get random pieces in this size range.

that goes w/ the (4) boxes of 40lbs each lace rock i ordered & received from premium aquatics last week....but i got it on black friday sale. had 20% coupon from them &they were offering free shipping. that's why i ordered so much.....figured i could pick & choose & then sell the unused
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...D&Product_Code=C-00370&Category_Code=Liverock

 

[GreenReefer77]

I don't know why I didn't think of PA. Have you have worked with that CaribSea rock? Is it drillable? I guess when I said bulk reef supply was out I meant that they wouldn't be getting anymore and all they had left was rubble. 3 - 6 inches is the biggest dimension and when talking to them on the phone they said it was small stuff.

I'm trying to build some free standing foam/rock structures so I'm looking for bigger pieces.

 

[james3370]

i got it but haven't used it yet....been getting mixed opinions onto whether it will grow coraline on it or not

looks to be very porous, so i'm not sure whether it would break apart when drilled or not.....

i'm doing a rock wall & a large cave-fillled structure in the middle. planning on placing several pvc bends &/or lengths of pipe in random directions & stacking rock around them to make 1 large structure w/ the various caves & pass-thrus in it, so small peices works fine for my situation

 

[GreenReefer77]

I assume you're talking about the caribsea stuff. I've seen it covered in coraline, but just never worked with it, and wasn't sure about whether it would hold up to a drill. Are most of the peices decent sizes or is it a bunch of small peices?

 

[james3370]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13900511#post13900511 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GreenReefer77
I assume you're talking about the caribsea stuff. I've seen it covered in coraline, but just never worked with it, and wasn't sure about whether it would hold up to a drill. Are most of the peices decent sizes or is it a bunch of small peices?

looked to be some pretty big pieces....i can get a pic later. it's in my garage & i'm about to head out for awhile

 

[GreenReefer77]

that would be great, thanks