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corafoam

Hand Lettering topics: Sign Making, Design, Fabrication, Letterheads, Sign Books.

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Doug Bernhardt
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corafoam

Post by Doug Bernhardt »

Has anyone been using this http://www.dunausainc.com/ material? Last week a sign friend/competitor needed some gold on short notice. It was Friday night at 6pm and had to gild a large order for Sunday/Monday end of day. I loaned him 10bks and on Friday past he dropped in with some sample of that material. It looks like our regular foam but is much different. Lack of "dust" is the most obvious but works really well with carving tools and is much more rigid. There are several densities also and the 20lb looked really good.
Danny Baronian
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Post by Danny Baronian »

Hi Doug,

never heard of corafoam, but by the looks of it looks similar to HDU that 3m makes.

You should check around your area for local manufactures of hdu. Years ago at Nancy and Noella's, there was a man there that manufactured hdu in Canada. If it were a good product, and dust free as you note for corafoam, it would be cheaper to buy in Canada.

Well, at least you'd save on shipping. With the US dollar down, purchase down here make more sense. Until you pay shipping and duties.

Danny
Danny Baronian
Baronian Mfg.
CNC Routing & Fabrication
http://www.baronian.com
joe cieslowski
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Post by joe cieslowski »

The "Real" sign shop in town has been using it for a while and they really like it. It's a bit different than HDU and cheaper. It seems to be much more flexable.......like it has "give" where as the HDU don't. Plus it's a lot cheaper! I've carved some samples and it doesn't seem to have that famous dulling effect. Paints good too.
They have contacts in Onterio and CA.

Good Luck!

Joe

ps That short Texan with the bad memory seems to like it too. ;)
Makin Chip$ and Havin Fun!
Raymond Chapman
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Location: Temple. Texas

Corafoam

Post by Raymond Chapman »

We have been using Corafoam for almost a year now...and like it much better than the others on the market. It is manufactured here in Texas (Baytown, near Houston) and uses a different method than other HDU products. It produces very little dust and routes extremely well.

The product began as an insulation material in the space and oil programs and they soon found out that sign folks were using a similar product. It is made in "buns" and then cut into slabs for our use. The densities range from 3# to 40# (I think) and the usual thicknesses. They are in process of building a new "slicing" plant to speed up production of their sheet goods and to improve the consistentity of their product.

It has a much smoother surface than other varieties and finishes great. Their 15# is equalvilant to 20# in other brands. We use mostly 20# because of its ability to hold fine detail better, and we do a lot of cut out letters, so the more dense material is less likely to be damaged by vandalism.

One of the negatives is the number of distributors they have. Most are in the eastern US, but with one I know in Long Beach. Here in Texas the only one I'm sure of is Laird Plastics in Austin. There may be some distributors in Oklahoma. You can buy directly from the plant in Baytown, but you have to purchase $5,000 at a time to have them ship it to you (but the shipping is free).

They have been very generous in donating samples for Letterhead and ShopBot gatherings.

For information you can contact Claude Hartdegen - 832-262-9539. They are very nice folks and will send you samples if you will give them a call.

By the way, I just use the product...I'm not a spokesman for them nor do I get any kind of a discount for telling folks about them. I just like their product.
Doug Bernhardt
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Post by Doug Bernhardt »

Yes...the stuff looks "real-sweet" from here and look forward to trying a sheet or three. The cut-off's my friend dropped off have been run through a few tools (not a hand router) and will do some serious tests next week. Am bunged-up right now at the shop (big job...everything going wrong) and as Ray here has been writing some terrific articles on dimensional signs in Sign-Biz...how is it for finishing? Does it seem to hold them well? Which ones are you using. I guess I'm wondering why any of the others exist at all? I have resisted their (regular HDU) use for all these years because of all the dust. I'd get home and find the fine particles everywhere!!...even in my shorts. I hate to think of where they migrated to!! ;=) I will add here that it seems to carve like wood, which I have a huge affinity for.
joe cieslowski
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Post by joe cieslowski »

This does seem to be one sweet product Doug, but nothing carves like wood! :)

Joe
Makin Chip$ and Havin Fun!
Raymond Chapman
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Location: Temple. Texas

Post by Raymond Chapman »

Well Doug, at my age I don't worry a lot about what goes on in my shorts.

One of the negatives of using HDU was the dust. It stuck to everything in the shop - including you, and it wouldn't blow off with compressed air. At the end of the day you were gritty from head to foot and had to shower it off....even if it wasn't Saturday.

Corafoam has a different make-up and produces very little dust. Our ShopBot makes small chips rather than dust and whatever dust may be present is sucked up in the dust collector. Hand sawing and routing produces small amounts but it doesn't seem to be as sticky.

The smoothness of the finish was one of the main things that attracted me. And it carves more like wood than the other HDUs. Recently I did some carving on 20# and found that it was very dense but held details extremely well. It was finished with a detail sander and I thought it turned out very smooth. It carves with a slightly "oily" feel rather than the grit of other types. Actually, I don't do a lot of hand carving, so my analysis is not all that precise.

Although it doesn't require primer we still prime with a water based primer from Coastal Enterprises and then finish everything off with 100% acrylic paints (usually Porter or Sherwin Williams). So far, we have experienced no problems with either Corafoam or the finish in our Texas sun.

The February issue of Sign Business will have a step-by-step article on some dimensional signs we did for a local city's parks department. Most of the examples use Corafoam and show our finishing process.
Doug Bernhardt
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Post by Doug Bernhardt »

Joseph....this might be the ticket to a sign that lasts a couple of hundred years. Ray....look forward to that article as I do all of yours. The finishing will be extremely interesting. I have always found the problem with HDU was (aside from dust) that it held the temptation to make everything perfect.....you know sand out any tool makes etc. This seems quite different in these respects. This summer I did a repaint of an old sign of mine that had taken a beating from the weather man as it was in a precarious place on the building....lots of water. I had applied mouldings that were foam AND wood...some carved details of white pine, and the body of it was overlayed plywood. MDO your way and differently named here. The foam was perfect....seams in the ply where water had gotten in were delaminating and soft and most of the pine mouldings etc were showing some wear. It goes without saying that I've improved my process a great deal since then but it was a good lesson on what works and doesn't. This material will/could be an excellent substitute for the "mixed media approach" of the past. You know, applied details and mouldings. More soon and thanx guys.
Ron Percell
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Post by Ron Percell »

Kristi & I 've used this on the last couple of monument signs.

Works just like the other foams, although there was a "fish" smell to it when we opened the containers and also when cutting the product, not bad for the cost savings.
Doug Bernhardt
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Post by Doug Bernhardt »

Well time for an update. The stuff finishes wonderfully as in few hair pockets and the "dust" is much more like real wood. So far I have only been able to get the 15LB version and await an order for the 20 with huge anticipation!!
Ron Berlier
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Post by Ron Berlier »

Doug Bernhardt wrote:Well time for an update. The stuff finishes wonderfully as in few hair pockets and the "dust" is much more like real wood. So far I have only been able to get the 15LB version and await an order for the 20 with huge anticipation!!
:arrow: Hey there Doug, read your Private Messages :!:
Ron Berlier
Wherever I go, there I am.
joe cieslowski
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Doodling With Corafoam

Post by joe cieslowski »

Always the question about holding detail......here's some doodling in th 15lb stuff. Probly more detail than you might want to put in a sign tho.

Image


And the MSDS.....seems like the only possible downside is to put it the sun fior a long time without paint. Like that's gonna happen.

http://www.dunausainc.com/MSDScorafoam.pdf

I'll bet the 20lb is someting really spaecial.......can't wait for your report Doug.

Joe
Last edited by joe cieslowski on Sun Aug 24, 2008 10:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
Makin Chip$ and Havin Fun!
Doug Bernhardt
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Post by Doug Bernhardt »

Hi Ron and Joe. I don't got no private messages but as mentioned am really pleased with it so far.
Mark Yearwood
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Location: Weatherford, OK

corafoam

Post by Mark Yearwood »

Doug,
we've been using their 20# for about a year and love it. The problem for us is availability.
We have to buy it direct and in big quantity to get it here from Houston. That gets expensive.

They are not having much success getting suppliers to stock it. I think if this product is worth using, we
need to tell our supply companies to carry it. They also need someone to market better to the industry.

We would use more if the service was there.
Doug Bernhardt
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Post by Doug Bernhardt »

Mark, I think you hit the nail on the head there. It is entirely possible that the originator of this material is a huge corp and the Corofoam is just a minor product line. I am trying to interest a few ppl (suppliers) in this and we'll have to see what happens. Have been waiting for a couple of sheets of 20LB for a few months now. Glad I only wanted it for stock.
Raymond Chapman
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Great stuff.

Post by Raymond Chapman »

We have the same problem of finding a place to buy it, other than getting it direct. It seems that the owners are Italian (not that's there's anything wrong with that) and not all that interested in the sign business. Recently there has been some turn over at the company and no one really is interested in marketing the product to the sign industry. We make up a small portion of their overall business, because the product was orginally produced for the insulation industry (and the space program). Use for signage was an after thought, more or less.

They do have a sales rep that is trying to get the word out to us sign folks, but he doesn't get a lot of encouragement from the head suits (just my opinion...no facts).

They are about 350 miles from me, but to get what I need (various weights and thicknesses) I will probably just make the trip and stock up with a load. In order to get free shipping you have to buy $5,000 at a time, but the cost is lower at that volume. Also, they don't take credit cards at the main office in Baytown, so you have to come up with the money upfront.

They also have a line of "seconds" that have some slight imperfection and is priced about 15% lower.

Of course, you can get it direct from them in Texas, but the shipping is a killer.

Great, great product...but just a pain trying to get it.
Doug Bernhardt
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Post by Doug Bernhardt »

I'm going to send this link to a supplier. I can't believe there isn't more interest and give that the previous points are most likely truths. I have to add though that very little Sign Foam...Everwood....Precision Board (and all the other names for more or less the same thing) has made it into my shop. It is just wayy too much dust and powder to live with. The Corofoam is different.
Doug Bernhardt
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Post by Doug Bernhardt »

Thought it was time for an update to a few things I've posted here. The corafoam has turned out to be quite a find. As mentioned WAYYYY less dust and is an excellent substitute for wood in more than one way. The mouldings I have been applying for many years are now replaced with this material. It means making them myself with a shaper ( you can add a fingers-worry factor here) but am sure the problem of deteriorization is over. It has alot less forgiveness in the carving part (am used to something with more fight) but above all it finishes extremely well.......in fact I couldn't believe how easily.
Aaron Taylor
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Post by Aaron Taylor »

I second everything that Raymond has said! Great stuff, great price, chips not dust and very smooth surface. I have used them all Sign Foam, Precision Board, Design Board and now Dunna's product Corofoam. New fav for sure. It's also easy on the router and does not cling to the rails on the router. Good Stuff!
Aaron
Brix Design
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