Gluing Foam

[Bob Widmaier]

I was using super glue to laminate different colors of foam and found that one particular sheet of foam, a tan sheet, would not stick. Other sheets stuck together just fine. I tried cleaning the tan foam with alcohol but that did not help. Any suggestions on the problem or a different glue to use?

Dr Bob

[kengore]

I have good results using Plio-bond, or some 3M spray adhesive made for foam products.

Super glues sometime won't work if the material is too porus, or sometimes if it's not porus enough. You might try and old model makers trick and lighty dust the foam mating surface with baking soda. This dusting will increase the surface area in the glue joint and help the bonding. It work well on balsa wood, might work for the foam

[oldfrat]

Zap-A-Gap is working fine for me.

[MNFisher]

I've used Zap-A-Gap on the tan foam (for hopper patterns) without any trouble.

[Buddy Sanders]

Bob,

I've had your problem with certain foams.

The 'cheap stuff' that you can buy at the discount or craft stores works just fine with super (CA) glues. I've bought some at fly shops that just won't be bonded with CA glues. It has nothing to do with the color.

Still, CA glues aren't ideal for this procedure unless you are laminating in VERY small quantities. It works, but you have to do it 'one at a time' which can be very time consuming and also give you lots of variation between flies. Fine if you are only tying a half dozen or so.

Faom sheets in 8 1/2 X 11 are 33 CENTS each at WalMart. A high quality contact cement that comes with an applicator brush in the lid is about $3 at the same store.

So, figuring a three layer body, you can buy enough foam to make 7 different 'color patterns', plus the glue, for around 10 bucks. This will make at least 2,000 1/4 inch by 1 inch long hopper bodies, assuming you'll 'ruin' about 10 % of them.

All you do is 'paint' the contact cement on the sheets, let it dry, then stack them. Takes about one hour to glue ALL of them (7 'stacks'). They are permantly bonded, will hold up to any abuse very well, and all you have to do to get the bodies is cut them.

The sprays work very well also, but the good ones (you need the 'good' ones if you are going to get the foam wet) are pricey. If you decide to go this route, MAKE SURE to protect from overspray and NEVER spray this stuff in a room where you may some day decide to put epoxy guide wrap finish on a fishing rod....(lesson lerned the HARD way).

Faom is a great material for flies, especially terrestial patterns.

Good Luck!

Buddy

[Rick Z]

I use one of the foam sprays and the foams sheets from Wally World.

Works for me.

Rick

[RickB]

One of the recent issues of Fly Tyer magazine had an article on making multi colored foam bodies by gluing together foam sheets. The author suggested that regular contact cement was the best option.

[Bob Widmaier]

Thanks for all the advice. I am headed to the craft store for some contact cement and some more foam. I got a lesson in the attraction and durability of a foam dry fly while fishing the Yellowstone River this past summer. A foam fly is the fly of choice there and low maintanence for all day fishing.

Dr Bob