EP03 Foam camper destruction testing - stronger than you might think 

People seem to be over critical of your experiment. I think your video is great. It allows people to get a sense of how strong foam can be with different coverings.

It might not have all the metrics people look for engineering purposes, but tests like these offer a good intuitive understanding of material properties. Thanks for this vid. :)

The PMF would have done better if you had used the glue. You have to use titebond 2 glue and let it dry before you paint it.

You stCjed the brick differently on the fiberglass. Test FAIL.

Perhaps it's worth trying out PMF based on thin plywood.

I saw a guy use polyethylene landscape fabric with good results. The key is the multi-layer approach which puts one outer layer in tension and the other outer layer in compression. Using resin provides much more rigidity than primer, paint, or wood glue. Cedar strip canoes typically use 1/4" thick x 3/4" wide cedar strips with fiberglass cloth and resin on both exterior surfaces and the finished construction is quite rugged. Spar varnish is required to protect the resin from uv radiation.

"Today i will be baking a cake without following the recipe and baking biscuits doing it the right way! We'll see which one turns out better!"... If epoxy were stronger than Tightbond II, people would probably use epoxy.

Thomas Robert Hernandez Angela Clark Paul

I'm considering trying boat resin. If it works good, I'll have to make a video

You did not make the poor man's fiberglass a fair chance because you did it wrong you're not supposed to use paint as a bonding agent tidond 3 is what you should have been using

Primer and canvas is not PMF, it's more like really really poor man fiberglass, you should have used something like Titebond and canvas.

Had anyone done any tests regarding fire safety? If this turns into a dripping inferno of napalm whole you're asleep in it, I'm probably not going to use it. Even generating fumes in such an enclosed space would be an issue

Awesome build!! I am just starting on mine and was conducting my own foam tests. Found that the pink 1” foam from Owens, also at Lowes/Home Depot has a higher compression strength, do it holds up even better. And I have experimented with drilling a 1/8” hole every inch and weaving a fiberglass strand through the foam, and then laminating it, can cut the weight of the fiberglass cloth used significantly. A 2.5oz cloth came out stronger than a 4oz cloth without the weave. I guess the woven strands through the foam (a very time consuming process though!!) prevents de-lamination and buckling of the fiberglass away from the foam. I think for long-livety of my camper I will take the time to weave the strands through the boards. But thanks for your videos. Awesome info!!

So how would this have worked out using the epoxy with the linen? And would using linen save $$$ over the Fiberglass mesh?

bad test, with pmf, you need water proof or at least resistant wood glue for the base layer, then you dilute and apply a few layers on top of the fabric, then you paint it. This is not PMF.

I have been searching off and on for weeks to build a light and portable sound deadening enclosure for my RV generator. I saw a guy that built one from foam board, that was pretty effective for decibels. But I am concerned for strength and wear and tear over long term use. I have not come across the PMF. Do you have a method to wrap and tidy up the edges?

I thought that Poor Man’s Fibreglass was cotton canvas and glue and after dried, painted.

Great very basic tests! I think had you poked some holes (even shallow ones) into the foam board and then put primer on all sides (edges included), then the cotton material (or even window screen material), I think it would have been even stronger. Just a theory here, but makes sense in my head. Thanks again for the fun video and hope your project turned out well!

I saw where they used titebond glue or Elmer's wood glue. Then paint. I think the glue would give the strength. The paint is for water proof.

Good information, video...... Appreciate your time in demonstration.

Yes, you finally mentioned glue for PMF but on TOP of using the glue, if you use a perforation roller on the foam, then brush on the glue, then lay the material, let it dry, add another layer of glue, let dry and then paint with any good acrylic paint at least 2-3 layers (if you like, sand between each to get a smooth finish), THEN you actually have the PMF to put up against resin and fiberglass. Just saying!

Love it I am in the process of trying to build a slide in camper for my truck and using foam and fiberglass

Interesting results! Seems the compression strength of epoxy and fiberglass is what makes the difference? Neither outside, which is in tension, failed. Titebond 3 might have had better compression strength, but a lot of people seem to be using paint so I'd say this qualifies as poor mans fiberglass. In the comments you mention that foam crushes easily - but that's true for both fiberglass and cloth. More experiments would be required. Fiberglass and expoxy on one side and PMF on the other and test them both ways would be interesting to see, if anyone wants to give it a go...

With PMF, you really need 2 dropcloths made from canvas and titebond 2 with a layer of paint on the exterior, also when trying to carry weight (camper floor) you want to block out the design as the foam is still foam (I'd use a double 2 pieces 1/2" foam with two layers of canvas on it and then some 3 inch pieces of half inch foam wrapped in canvas glued upright between them to add weight strength). Basically a set of PMF joists glued between a PMF floor and PMF base/foundation.

Thank you for this comparison. I hadn't seen a video directly comparing PMF to fiberglassed foam. I am planning a teardrop camper build and I was thinking of making mine out of DIY composite panels. The panels would be made with 3mm Okoume/2" foam/3mm Okoume, fiberglassed on both sides. After seeing this video I'm wondering if the Okoume is even necessary for the extra rigidity. I keep going back and forth on using the Okoume or not because although it will add rigidity (and beauty) to the camper it also opens the door for potential wood rot.

Poor mans fiber glass is great for someone who is poor like me lmao

I was curious what a snowload would be bc I dont have a garage . Building one of those would negate poormans fiberglass 😂

Would be interesting to see a 1/4" ply on one side and the fiberglass on the other.

I thought poor mans fiberglass was glue not primer. I am confused.

If you laminate the foam with two inch thick steel, on both sides, you can stop that bb.