Silicone Valley
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Bulletins from Silicone Valley
Smooth-On has just recently released a new formulation of their silicone foam Soma Foama® and I think it will be a great new addition to the toolbox! The original Soma Foama was Soma Foama 15 (why it wasn't #1 I'm not sure but, I digress) and the new formulation is Soma Foama 25.
There are a few differences with the new formulation that really make it different but still worth having both...
The original foam expanded about 9X it's original liquid volume and the new foam expands about 4X. A lower volume of expansion means it will have smaller bubbles and a higher density. That's a great option because sometimes the higher volume rise can make a puppet feel hollow and bend like a garden hose - but a lower rise and higher density will bend and stretch the same as solid silicone but, with a lower weight.
The pot life (working/pour time) of the original formula was just 30 seconds! So that made it an exceptional challenge to get into your mold, close it and clamp it in time for the expansion of the foam to take place. The new formulation takes 90 seconds so, there's a little more time to play with.
The mix ratio of the original was uneven (something like 35/65 if I remember but, don't quote me) but the new formulation has an equal mix of 50/50 so, there will be no need to reset your scale.
Other than those differences, it's still the same ol' stuff so, you know what your getting and what you can use it for. But it is really nice to have the choice of a higher density foam.
There are a few differences with the new formulation that really make it different but still worth having both...
The original foam expanded about 9X it's original liquid volume and the new foam expands about 4X. A lower volume of expansion means it will have smaller bubbles and a higher density. That's a great option because sometimes the higher volume rise can make a puppet feel hollow and bend like a garden hose - but a lower rise and higher density will bend and stretch the same as solid silicone but, with a lower weight.
The pot life (working/pour time) of the original formula was just 30 seconds! So that made it an exceptional challenge to get into your mold, close it and clamp it in time for the expansion of the foam to take place. The new formulation takes 90 seconds so, there's a little more time to play with.
The mix ratio of the original was uneven (something like 35/65 if I remember but, don't quote me) but the new formulation has an equal mix of 50/50 so, there will be no need to reset your scale.
Other than those differences, it's still the same ol' stuff so, you know what your getting and what you can use it for. But it is really nice to have the choice of a higher density foam.