Turning Foam Popper Bodies

[Gordon Bryson]

Anybody into shaping foam (plugs from flip-flops,laminated sheets, etc) bodies for popping bugs? If so, do you coat your popper with epoxy or some other material to finish it off? I've found the small rotary tools (dremel or other brands) can be fitted with an upholstery needle and the foam plugs shaped using fine sandpaper. They seem to work fine without further treatment, but for longevity some type coating would seem appropriate.

 

[Fish Bones]

That sounds like a pretty neat idea. I'd like to see some of your poppers.

 

[BigCliff]

This is one of those things that I plan to get around to once i've got a workspace set up in my garage.

To those who have tried this, have you ever tried the fairly hard foam that gets used in 4x8 sheets on houses? that seems like it might be ideal, although it might be prone to cracking when attaching to the hook.

 

[Gordon Bryson]

Cliff, I'm not sure the rigid foam that's in those panels would work as well as the flexible foam. While you need a rather dense foam to get a smooth shape, you also need a little felxibility so it will stay put on the device while you're doing the turning. I've tried some of the foam sheets sold strictly for fly tying and found the air cells in it are a little too big and leave a rough surface. Also, it is a little too soft to work with.

The dense foam in the cheap flip-flops that can be bought at Walmart, Dollar Stores, etc seem to be just about right. Foam gets it's density by the size of the air voids in the cells, and these work pretty well. I've also used some foam from kids toys such as pool floats, etc but again they don't seem to have the right density.

Steve, I'll try to get you some samples. If you like to tie flies and make any type lures, you'll find this process is rather addictive.