Home Depot Pink Foam; too Spackle and color?

Pink corning foam, isn't that XPS?   Like the blue dow foam I use sometimes, right?

I've only used it for rail buildups, but here's my experience...    For bonding I epoxy directly over it, no spackle since the pores are really small.   I also left the finish rough for maximum bondage.   I think I only went to 60 with the sanding.   Too fine a sanding and you're taking away the "tooth" for the epoxy to bond to.

If you don't like the color, tint over it.   I bet a red would work really well.   A blue would probably make some kind of purple.   When I did two layers of a dark red over the blue dow rails, it made a light purple after one layer, then a nice deep maroon after the laps overlapped.    I would be hesitant about spraying anything that might interfere with the bond of the glass to the foam.   I understand XPS is a great ride, but delam if you look at them funny.   My advice would be to keep your color in your lams, hide the pepto-pink that way.  :)

I'll be watching for the photos.

Well, the price is certainly right!

Doing a whole blank is outside my realm of experience, so hopefully someone else will chime in here as well.   But I THINK that XPS doesn't need or benefit from venting because of the mostly closed-cell structure.   I'm searching my memory banks here, but I'm also thinking I recall reading that xps boards can benefit from a post-shape/pre-lam "breathing time".   That XPS likes to outgas a bit, but if you allow some time after shaping before glassing, it will outgas into the atmosphere rather than under your lam.   Maybe even do it with some increased temps, in the sun maybe, to get the outgassing flowing. 

Again, I'm pulling this stuff out of the memory banks, so time may have corrupted the data I think i'm recalling.

Definitely treat it with care once glassed.   I think it was drewtang who talked about making xps boards for close freinds who could be trusted to baby them (and who loved them!), but wouldn't do them for off-the-street customers because of the heat sensitivity issue.

Hi Chilly,

  My first shaping attempt was with XPS. The board turned out pretty nice and rode well, but one day in a hot van going to the outer banks had it blistered like it was covered in boils. It sat for probably a week or two befotre I laminated it, so if there was any chance of the blank outgassing before glassing it should have been done by then.

   It's a great way to get your feet wet for a first go, but just don't expect too much of a life span.

Cost $12 for 2 sheets, plus $12 in glue, plus about 5 hours to template, cut and glue up.

Let me see:

2 SHEETS $12.00 = $12.00

5Hrs Labor x $25.00 = $125.00

Glue = $12.00

Cost of Blank = $149.00

Must be hard to shape with all those lines of glue?