[Wet Thumb Forum]-A Tutorial on Hardscaping with PU Foam

[Nillo]

Hi everyone,

I just finished a pdf article showing step-by-step explanations on my latest aquascaping experiment. It is entitled Let There Be Rocks: A Tutorial on Hardscaping with Polyurethane Foam. It is a PDF of about 2mb.

Let There Be Rocks by Shawn Richardson

Let me know what you think.

[Nillo]

Hi everyone,

I just finished a pdf article showing step-by-step explanations on my latest aquascaping experiment. It is entitled Let There Be Rocks: A Tutorial on Hardscaping with Polyurethane Foam. It is a PDF of about 2mb.

Let There Be Rocks by Shawn Richardson

Let me know what you think.

[JamesHoftiezer]

Chiclid lover's everywhere can appreciate this.

Its a really good documentation and I like the end result. How much tank volume did you lose to the background. It looks like 25-50%.

[Nillo]

I lost 25-30%. But I imagine some of that could be reclaimed if the PU foam was hollowed out for caves.

[aychamo]

Hey I haven't read it yet, but I want to thank you for putting the effort into this. I love reading these how-tos!

[JERP]

This is an excellent article. Can you recommend suppliers or specific part numbers for the black PU. Apparently, there are several kinds.

[aychamo]

Hey there;

Is the black silicon very easy to pull off of the glass? Do you really just "cut it and pull it"?

[skylsdale]

THe black silicon is pretty easy to scrape off. One word of warning is that the foam begins to fade over time, especially if it is above the waterline. The black will turn to more of a purple color, and the white turns yellow (all due to exposure to light).

[aychamo]

Hmm, that kinda stinks. How long of a time period are you talking about?

[bharada]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by skylsdale:
THe black silicon is pretty easy to scrape off. One word of warning is that the foam begins to fade over time, especially if it is above the waterline. The black will turn to more of a purple color, and the white turns yellow (all due to exposure to light). <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think that's typically why these foam sculpted backgrounds get covered in colored resin. That and to give the soft foam surface some protective coating.