Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with foam

Foam Bookmarks, the fewer the better!

librarylis — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 13:17:35 -0800

Can you help me find these foam bookmarks in quantities of less than 72? I need to find foam bookmarks--preferably in quantities of five or less!--for a gift.

As these bookmarks will be replacements of ones lost on a trip recently, she has a specific image of what she wants in mind already. These bookmarks are exactly what she had, but 72 bookmarks would last her the rest of her life.

The name of a manufacturer might help narrow my googling down, but really what I want is to know if anyone, anywhere sells foam bookmarks in the style noted above, but in smaller quantities.

The birthday in question is before Christmas, so bonus points for something I can go out and pick up (in the greater San Diego area) rather than order online. This is not a deal breaker, though.

What malleable substance can be shaped like clay for craft projects but turns out lighter like styrofoam once hardened and dried?

kookoobirdz — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:39:10 -0800

Does this substance exist? Arts & crafts people or hardware store people: for a craft project, I want a material that is malleable like clay but winds up lighter-weight like styrofoam/polystyrene once it has set and hardened. Maybe it it's dispensed from a tube or can? I want to make some creative and whimsical frames for some irregularly sized/shaped art, which is too fun for regular frames. I'm looking for a material that is malleable like clay that I can form into fun shapes, which then dries and hardens and is lightweight like something approaching styrofoam, or at least a lot lighter than clay.

Have you ever seen somebody make a frame out of clay spirals? They roll the clay into long thin tubes or strips and then roll those up in to sweetroll spirals. Then they glue those spirals to a backing and/or to each other so that a border of those spirals squished tightly side by side goes all the way around whatever they're framing. Often they paint them and glue on other stuff.

I want to do that, but I don't want something as heavy as clay. I want something that is maybe sprayed out of a can or probably something thicker that is squeezed out of a tube like toothpaste or like caulk from a caulk gun. I want to aim and twist and prod and shape that stuff into various shapes and designs, the spirals are one example, maybe with some wavy tentacles to go along with them, and then leave it to set or dry. At the end of it I want something that is rigid and lightweight and holds its shape. Ideally the finished product would be lightweight like styrofoam and have a smooth surface that accepts paint nicely. A bit heavier than styrofoam is fine, particularly if it's stronger than styrofoam.

I understand that thanks to silly old physics, I may have to give up one or more of those qualities to get the others, but just shoot for the closest thing you can think of. It doesn't have to squirt out of a can or tube, that's just how I was thinking I might get a material that's lightweight.

I've found Versi-Foam, but it's more like spray insulation and requires a framework and special equipment and then sculpting and sanding. I'm looking more for something that can be dispensed in a more limited and controlled way that will stay in its toothpaste-like tube shape if I do nothing else to it. It's hard to imagine, but if it could be not so sticky like caulk, that would allow me to do other things with it than leave it in the tube shape. Basically I want something with the malleable properties of clay that winds up very lightweight.

Arts and crafts people in the house, or even hardware store materials people, what substance am I looking for?

Best Tempurpedic Alternative

gogomickey — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:46:30 -0800

Does anyone know of the best alternatives to a Tempurpedic matress? They are just too expensive for me to justify purchasing, but I love the way they feel. I have been researching memory foam mattresses, but it is very hard to filter out the hype and get real information. First hand accounts from the hivemind would be greatly appreciated.

Foam top mattress way too hot

Majorita — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:09:45 -0800

How can I make my foam-topped mattress less hot? It was fine in the winter, but now I find myself sweltering in bed. I hate it. Just now at 6 pm: Sitting on my sofa? Not sweating. Lying immobile in bed? Sweating.

I already sleep with my feet sticking out from under the sheets but it's still too hot. I use high thread count, cotton sheets. Would a wool mattress pad help? Maybe a featherbed between me and the mattress? I searched the archives and found this thread which mentions a wool mattress pad. This Google search result suggested using a poly mattress pad, but I'm currently using one and it's not much help.

I'd like something that I can launder regularly because I don't have access to a clothesline or any other way of airing it out/exposing it to direct sunlight.

How no more sideways beer foam?

chococat — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 15:54:28 -0800

Is there a trick to having my bottle of beer NOT foam over when I open it? The reality of our fridge is that I have to stack the bottles of beer on their sides on the bottom shelf. It doesn't happen every time but it seems like one out of every 6 bottles or so will foam over when I open it; unnoticeably at first, then the rush of foam splattering onto the floor when I'm about two-thirds of the way from the kitchen to the couch. I know the solution is to store the bottles upright but the size and layout of our fridge prevents this.
I don't care so much about the physics of this problem, more I'd just like to know if there's a quick solution to avoid the foam and still have my beer in a timely manner, like "run it under the tap for 3 seconds before you open it" or "toss a small bean into the bottle immediately after opening."

Something better than the (packing) peanut gallery.

hellogoodbye — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 08:03:36 -0800

I need to buy packaging/shipping foam from a brick-and-mortar store in Northern VA. Is there such a place? We are shipping a heavy piece of electronic equipment (at work), and we need something sturdier than bubble wrap to pad the sides of the box. We've gotten bubble wrap, boxes, and packing peanuts from Wal-mart, UPS, FedEx, and the like before, but a source for foam would be ideal both for our immediate shipment and for future ones. I know there are online sources for foam, but the shipment is somewhat urgent, and I'd like to buy something along the lines of these.

Oh, we can probably cut it ourselves, so we don't need something custom made.

Throwing a party, where can I get a foam machine?

Blandanomics — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 07:14:08 -0800

Throwing a party, where can I get a foam machine? Hosting a party on Friday in the Philadelphia area. Cant seem to find a place to get a foam machine (either online or brick and mortar). Any recommendations/suggestions?

Help me buy a foam mattress on a budget

fermion — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:12:16 -0800

How can I find the best foam mattress on a limited (<$400) budget? I'm in the market for an inexpensive mattress--$400 is about my upper limit, but I'd be happy if I could find something workable for less. The extra money could go toward a fancy mattress topper.

Ideally I'd like to get a foam mattress--not memory foam, just plain old foam--but I'm having a lot of difficulty figuring out how to comparison shop effectively. I went to a local foam supplier, and they offered to sell me a full-XL-mattress-sized slab of foam for $330; they tell me foam of that particular grade will last 5-7 years. But then I find something like this foam-based futon mattress that seems like a much fancier product for a similar price. Is it really a better buy? Are there other places where a basic polyurethane foam mattress can be had for less? How can I figure out which mattresses are worth the money?

Dried Foam is nasty.

god hates math — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 11:15:23 -0800

Help me remove some nasty, dried upholstery foam from a Church pew. I have a church pew with an upholstered seat. The upholstery is old, torn up by my cats, and ugly, while the wood underneath is gorgeous. So, I'm ripping it up.

The bad news: There's a 1"-1.5" layer of upholstery foam underneath the upholstery, and it's dried to a hard crust. It doesn't come of easily, and when it does, it basically turns to dust. I've scraped about a third of it off so far, but I'm looking for a better solution for the rest. Please tell me there's some sort of chemical that will dissolve all the foam? Something that will re-dampen the foam enough so that I can tear it off in big chunks? I just don't want to spend hours scraping this stuff off.

[Consumer Filter] Memory Foam mattress recommendations?

gnash — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 20:31:23 -0800

What are your memory foam mattress recommendations and experiences? Considering purchasing a memory foam mattress (Tempurpedic in particular). Like Tempurpedic (at least the pillows) but a little hesitant to drop almost 2k on a mattress.

I'd like to have anyone's thoughts re: their experience w/ Tempurpedic (or other) memory foam mattresses. Are there any Tempurpedic like alternatives that are almost as good but cheaper?

You know in the movies when they have a briefcase with a pistol in it, and it's embedded in some sort of foam that's cut out so that it hugs the gun perfectly?

Glendale — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:30:52 -0800

You know in the movies when they have a briefcase with a pistol in it, and it's embedded in some sort of foam that's cut out so that it hugs the gun perfectly? What's that stuff called, and where can I buy some?

Wherefore foams?

smackfu — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 20:53:53 -0800

What is the point of foams in modern cooking? Is it for taste, or presentation, or just to be innovative?

How long does it take a couch to stop offgassing?

sebastienbailard — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 21:27:18 -0800

How long does it take a couch to stop offgassing? I assembled a new Ikea Karlstad sofa five days ago, and while the odor has decreased a bit, it still smells. Worse, there's some VOC that irritates my nose and throat after I sit on it for half an hour or so, which is rather worrying. (My wife gets the same 'acrid feeling' too.) Bonus questions and info:

Are Ikea Karlstad couches especially bad? (I purchased mine up here in Ottawa, Ontario, if regionalization matters).

Are my cats in danger? They're in love with it.

Am I going to die, Doc?

Any guesses what chemical it is, and would it be the foam or the particleboard?

Good uses for an old memory foam mattress topper?

ShootTheMoon — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:54:47 -0800

I have an old 3" memory foam full size mattress topper laying out in my garage. Looking for some DIY projects or ideas as to what I can do with this foam, as opposed to tossing it out or trying to sell on craigslist. The only idea I have so far is to chop it up and convert it into a pet bed. I am not sure what material I could use though, as my dog has, in the past, chosen to pee on new pet beds, and I dont think pee and memory foam would mix well. Any ideas?

Is it even safe to throw away the stuff, or should it be recycled?

I wash my ears regularly, I swear...

allkindsoftime — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 11:59:23 -0800

How do I wash / clean foam earplugs (specifically, these ones) without completely ruining them? I have a hearing "problem" in my right ear (see here). Thanks to it, I've been carrying foam earplugs for years (these kind, not the ones above). I usually cut them about in half and only use the rounded end in my problem ear. When they get too grimy from use, I just toss them, because they are cheap.

The ones I linked to in the headline, however, are not cheap ($25 / 10 pair). And for some reason they seem to be of lesser quality than your average foam earplugs. These ones are sleeves for my Shure E4C headphones, and as I use them frequently, it seems I have to replace these more often than once / month, which seems rather fast to me. I'd like to be able to clean them somehow, but to date, scraping them off with my fingernail to get an extra couple wears out of them seems the only way to go.

As I know from years of finding "washed" earplugs that I left in my jean pockets when they went through the laundry, earplugs absorb all the liquid and then lose their pliable shape and are basically useless when you try to wash them with soap / water.

I realize this one is a stretch, but if anyone has any other ideas, I'd love to hear them...

Steamy milk, coming right up.

mrhaydel — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 11:50:29 -0800

What's the best tool (besides an espresso maker) to generate some nice, foamy milk for cafe au laits? The girlfriend and I love our cafe au laits.

Now, traditionally, they're made with steamed milk, but I'm under the impression that the only way to get steamed milk in the home is to have an espresso machine, something which I'm not keen on purchasing just for that purpose.

So, I figure the next best thing would be frothy, foamy milk (right now we just heat up the creamer/milk in the microwave to almost near boiling).

What about those "milk frothers" I see? I know they come in both manual and electric varieties, from all different kinds of brands. Does anyone have any experience with them? Any particular model you might recommend?

Alternatively, if there are truly just milk steamers out there that you can buy separately, I'm open to that too.

Thanks Hive Mind!

Where do I get foam for my cans?

russmail — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 09:09:07 -0800

I need to replace the approx 3" diameter foam discs on my Beyerdynamic headphones - the ones that sit between the baffle and the driver. There's no information on the Beyerdynamic site, and I had this problem with Sennheiser before - these things are damn hard to come by (I know that Sennheiser make spares, but finding the ones that fit your cans is another story). Can I just make my own? Where would I go to buy thin foam that would feel nice pressed against my ears on a daily basis? Any other suggestions?

Conditioning Shampoo

simplesharps — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 16:53:16 -0800

Why doesn't conditioner lather like shampoo? I love shampoo that gives a thick lather with minimal effort and always get disappointed when I can't achieve the same result with a conditioner. Am I missing something fundamental about it's properties that applies to all of these types of products i.e. moisturisers?

Are there any hair conditioners avaliable in Australia that foam like a shampoo but leave your hair feeling soft?

Replacement foam for a larger Pelican case

hobbes — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 11:18:23 -0800

Need to some replacement foam for a larger Pelican case. Besides Pelican's original Pick 'N Pluck foam, what are some other options? I know the Pelican foam is pre-diced, but I was wondering if I could find something similar (don't need it diced) and much cheaper. This is a large case too, so leftover packaging scraps are probably out of the question.

I'm in San Jose if there are any local shipping/packaging shops.

Thanks MeFi.

Where do I get a rigid queen-sized board for a foam mattress

sirion — Tue, 15 May 2007 11:10:18 -0800

Where do I get a rigid sheet of plywood, plastic or thick particle board to go under my queen sized (60" x 80") foam mattress? I'm in the Los Angeles area. I realize I can go to home depot and get a big sheet of plywood, but would prefer not to have to cut it to size myself if there's a simpler option. (Would actually prefer non-plywood, as hardened/thick particleboard or plastic sheets seem a bit easier to manage and move around without getting splinters and the like)

If relevant, a half-length sheet (60" x 40") would also be just fine.
Also if relevant, I'm trying to prevent the (3" memory foam on top of 6" polyurethane foam) mattress from sinking in the middle. It's currently sitting on a box spring. While I didn't think the material beneath the foam would matter much, I stuck some sheets of cardboard under my side of the bed, and noticed some improvements in rigidity (on my side of the bed), so it seems like this may well help.

How to make culinary foam

rush — Mon, 07 May 2007 13:35:35 -0800

How do I make culinary foam? I'm experimenting with some ideas culled from molecular gastronomy, and I'm having a tough time getting my foam to work. I'm using agar-agar and a whipper, but I can't seem to get it right. What is the right ratio of agar-agar to liquid? What are the right steps for producing foam with a good body to it? Any experienced advice would be greatly appreciated.

Looking for foam core board

photoslob — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 21:15:17 -0800

I'm looking for a source of cheap foam core board. Any suggestions? I'm looking for foam core board that is black on one side and white on the other. I need it in 4 ft x 8 ft sheets. The two large art supplies stores in my area can't get it. I've looked online and I'm not able to find it.

In case you're wondering I need it to make v-flats for a photo studio.

RMAs have me foaming at the mouth

reishus — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 06:00:25 -0800

What's the best way to RMA a hard drive without the original packaging? I have a Maxtor drive I have received an RMA for. I need to send it back to Maxtor but I don't have the original packaging. Their guidelines say that I must pack it in a secure cardboard box, padded by rubber foam with at least 2 inches on each side. The drive needs to be secure in the box and to not move at all.

I don't know where to buy such items or how to make sure they'll fit my hard drive snugly. Has anyone done this? Will FedEx do it for me? Any suggestions?

How can I make fake, wearable whipcream?

juniper — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 07:59:20 -0800

I need to fake whipped cream for a costume. (Ok, I'll admit it: I'm trying to dress my dog as a slice of pie.) Is spray foam insulation safe? It won't be in contact with skin or fur. Any other ideas?

How can I keep my mattress topper on top of my mattress?

adamwolf — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 14:32:32 -0800

My girlfriend recently purchased a foam mattress topper, for our extra-firm hand-me-down queen mattress. It currently resides between the fitted sheet and the mattress, but it creeps down the bed, night by night. The bed doesn't have a footboard, and the mattress topper ends up sagging off the bottom of the bed, and not reaching to where your head goes. This has become an irritation of mine. On a possibly related note, all of our covers end up falling off the bottom of the bed. The bed was free, but is the only solution a different bed with a larger footboard? Is that a solution?