floral foam

[troy2000]

Originally Posted by Herman

Newspaper has the same structural value as flora foam. However, with a bit of packing tape and creativity it lends itself for temporary molds.

Another nice solution that I saw was a plumber that needed to solder a connection in a water pipe. The pipe kept leaking water, however. He took a slice of white bread, kneaded it into a ball, and jammed it in the pipe. This stopped the leaking, and he was able to make a nice joint. The water pressure after opening the main valve washes away the bread.

On newspaper again: I have seen boats being reinforced by rolled newspaper, with laminate over them.
For trailer moulds for dinghyes I used the foam tubes they sell for insulating water pipes. Cut them in half, and they make a nice former for a stiffener. Never had any problems, but I must admit the application was very low-tech.

Stopping the water with white bread is a time-honored trick. I learned it from a plumber myself about thirty years ago, and he told me he learned it from his father.

[Herman]

The only disadvantage is that it makes you hungry...