Spray foam stove pad for snow camping?

[USA Duane Hall]

I was walking around in the Lowe's in the town where I work, after work today, trying to get some more ideas on a UL stove pad/board. I really wanted some of that dense sheeting that goes on roofs, but could only find the expanded styrene (Styrofoam). In the same aisle, came across some Great Stuff spray foam for sealing around windows, electrical outlets etc. Grabbed some of the more expensive stuff that slows the travel of fire, thinking it would be more heat resistant than the regular. We'll give it a try this weekend maybe. Hoping to make a mold, lined with foil, I don't have any titanium foil. I have an old blue ccf pad, but it likes to stay curled. I don't think the spray foam will be too durable, but I'll give it a try. May poke a piece or two of cedar shim in the mold before spraying to give some internal strength.
Duane

[David Thomas]

Wood inserts in foam-core construction can give very high strength- and stiffness-to-weight. It is how surfboards are constructed. Cedar singles thin cuts of spruce are also very good. I often use 1/8" plywood ("door skins" – sometimes literally the facing off of hollow-core doors I've snagged for free) as inserts in foam-core construction. I haven't used spray-in-place foam for that, I suspect it will work well. I've bonded polyisocyanate foam to 1/8" plywood with Gorilla glue or with a two-part epoxy.

If the hot side is getting too hot for the foam, you can try a few layers of foil on that side.

Wood itself is pretty heat- and fire resistant, so maybe a layer of 1/8" plywood on top with a foam beneath. Or just the 1/8" plywood by itself.

If you're ever dumpster-diving, grab the door or side off of an oven. The insulation inside obviously handles very high heat very well.

[Tad Englund]

Duane, David is right about the 1/8" ply, that is what I have used for year now with great results and no heat stains. I did coat it with a thin coat of urethane to keep the water/moisture out.
A thin layer of foam with a veneer could be lighter, but I don't think by much and the structural integrity of the ply makes up for the minor weight penalty.

[Bob Gross]

I use a thin piece of Masonite, less than one square foot.

–B.G.–

[David Thomas]

You could oil the 1/8" plywood with a vegetable oil instead of the urethane and also use it as a cutting board for cheese, bread, veggies, and wild foods. When it gets ugly after many trips, toss it out. 10" x 10" would cost about $0.65. If you want one and can't find it, PM me and I'll mail you a chunk for free – I always have scraps around the garage. It's about 1 gram per square inch (just to totally mix up measurement systems), so 8"x8" would be 2 ounces.

[Marc Eldridge]

+1

[Roger Caffin]

> David is right about the 1/8" ply, that is what I have used for year now with great
> results and no heat stains. I did coat it with a thin coat of urethane to keep the
> water/moisture out.
+1 – summer and winter, wet and dry.

Cheers

[peter vacco]

perhaps not foam, but the burn-proof cloth used by welding contractors to keep sparks form damaging windows (welding sparks do that) wieghs not very much, and simply will not burn at temps less than molten metal, where even then it only chars.

comes in pink, called salmon cloth, and a dark grey. it's stiff enough to hold up the stove, and rolls up nicely like heavy canvas. it is not water proof by any means, and after years of use, my chunk has yet to fravel at the edges.

just an idea.

[USA Duane Hall]

I've read about a few of you guys pads by searching, did not know if you still used the same. I have a neighbor who does all sorts or wood work, I'll see if I can catch him and get a thin piece off of him as I only have thicker pieces or plywood around. Will likely return the spray foam. Thank you for the replies, looks like lots of fresh snow here in the Sierra, looking good. Ski resorts opening this weekend in the Lake Tahoe area.
Duane

[Paul Magnanti]

Here's what I use and have had good results:
http://www.pmags.com/dirt-bagger-winter-stove-platform

Did a trip last year with Andrew Skurka (I was asst guide and comic relief) and we used the heck out of it for 6 people over multiple meals.

[Don Selesky]

I've done a variation of that – a section of CCF pad covered with strips of aluminum tape. That way the aluminum stays glued to the foam.

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