Here’s a question for all those engineering types and people who like to make a mess experimenting with materials.
I’m looking for a way to put a non-absorbant skin-like surface onto open-cell foam. I want the surface to be non-porous, able to be painted (with or without latex), and to remain flexible.
Have recently tried melting the surface with heat, but it just singes the foam and the burnt material then rubs off, leaving the normal open-cell surface exposed. I tried both direct heat with a soldering iron and indirect heat from a flame. No luck.
In the past I’ve tried painting with liquid latex, but open-cell foam absorbs a lot of liquid making this an extremely expensive operation. Also it doesn’t produce a smooth skin, you can still see the bubbles of the foam.
I’m wondering if putting on a coating of contact adhesive might work, perhaps followed by liquid latex. Has any one got some contact adhesive and can try this?
Any other ideas?
Perhaps some other substance to coat the foam with.
Or a different way of melting it. I can’t melt the surface with heat, but maybe there’s some way to melt it chemically. Anyone know a substance that will melt soft foam leaving a smooth skin?