GM Foam, Inc. New Product Notice

News

We recently purchased two Sunbeam Mixmasters (Heritage Series, 350 watts). This is a good mixer, and has a very heavy-duty motor. But, to our horror, THE SMALL BOWL IS TOO LARGE!! It doesn’t seem like much (the old bowls are 6” in diameter, and the new bowls are 6-3/4” in diameter), but this creates an incompatibility with our Small Sunbeam Bowl Instruction Sheet.  ----->Read More

Want CREAMIER Foam? ULTRA SOFTENER ™ is your answer!

We have heard about people adding raw Castor Oil to their foam batches to increase the “creaminess” of the finished pieces. While knowing that this will work, it makes us uncomfortable to add an acid (castor oil is not really an oil—it is a fatty acid) to an alkaline system. Rather, we prefer to add a pH balanced castor oil product, our Ultra Softener. This foam additive will make the creamiest, softest luscious foam you have ever felt. Use 2 to 10 gms/150 gms Latex Base. The Ultra Softener will slightly retard the gel time, so you may need to add a minute or more to your usual schedules. Available in 4-oz, 16-oz, 1-gallon. Not all distributors carry Ultra Softener, so call first, and ask your distributor to carry it for you. On request, we can offer a trial size of 2-oz, but once you’ve tried this wonderful foam additive, you’ll be a believer, too! We have become true believers, and use this all the time.

Cell Choke™

“Cell Choke™” is a foam latex additive that produces finer cells, and makes softer foam, even when not whipped to higher volumes. Normally, finer cells in foam make it thick and hard to pour. With “Cell Choke”, the foam still pours normally, so there is less need to worry about trapping air bubbles. The cured foam ends up softer, too. Use 2 to 5 grams Cell Choke™ per 150 grams High Grade Latex Base.  Here’s how it works: Cell Choke™ causes a different kind of frothing action. The cells will be smaller, and the overall look of the foam is shinier. Since it causes a bit of extra frothing action, take care to not overwhip. You may need to turn the mixer’s whip speed down a bit earlier to achieve normal height in the bowl. At normal whipping height, the finished foam piece will be softer than usual, and the cells will be finer. Also, since Cell Choke™ has a slightly retarding effect on the gel, you may want to add about 30-seconds to your running schedule.

MICAD™

"MICAD™” is a foam latex additive that allows whipping to greater volumes while still keeping the cells fine. Very soft foams can be achieved using this additive. Normally, high rise foams tend to get thick, and the cells become large. With this additive, the cells still remain small, and the foam remains pourable. Use 2 to 8 grams MICAD™ per 150 grams High Grade Latex Base. There will be greater frothing action, and the foam will rise higher in the bowl, producing a softer foam after curing. For those of you who enjoy pushing the limits, you can make a mixture of additives to achieve EXTREMELY soft foams that move and wrinkle just like flesh. This is especially useful for animatronics and large pull-over masks. Since all of GM Foam’s additives are compatible, you can use them in conjunction with each other. We have made consistently excellent pieces by using the following formula in a Sunbeam Mixer:

High Grade Latex Base 150 grams  Speed  Accumulated Time 1 1 8 4 4 10 height is ½” from rim 1 13 add gel  1 14-½ OFF Foaming Agent 32.5 grams   Curing Agent 15 grams   Cell Choke 3 grams  MICAD  8 grams   Flow Increaser 5 grams Gelling Agent  16 grams

Even at this height (7-1/2 volumes) the foam still pours, and has very fine cells.

We use this type of formula in a Hobart 1200 gram batch (8 times the 150 batch). Normally, a 12 batch (1800 gms Base) is used in a Hobart to reach almost the top of the bowl. We use an 8 batch, and whip it to the very top of the bowl—a 9-1/2 volume rise. This foam still pours into an injector, and shoots beautifully into molds. The cure is very snappy, without any hint of cell tack. For softness, this foam is like nothing we have ever seen. It is velvety and supple, and moves exactly like flesh—if you push it sideways with your finger, the foam actually bunches up and creases like skin. (For ease of pouring, we actually prefer an 8-volume foam, which traps less air when filling the injectors.)

For those of you who want to try this batch, use the following: (70° F, 50%) humidity)

Base  1200 gms Speed  Accumulated time (minutes) 3 5 2 9 1 11------pour gel at 11 1 13 OFF 4 to 6-minute gel (In a cooler room, e.g. 66°F, run until 16 minutes.) Foaming  260 gms Curing  120 gms Cell Choke 24 gms MICAD  64 gms Flow Increaser 40-50 gms Stabilizer  8 gms  Gelling  110 gms