HOW OUR FOAMIES ARE MADE
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When I first started making foamies, one thing I never asked, was how long did it take to make a foamie. Maybe a year later I was horrified when George told me 4-6 hours. Time not only spent on production but also set up, break down, buying material, mistakes, gummed up paint guns, etc. I wouldn't have taken this on if I would have known that, haha!
Like most people, I foolishly thought the process wasn't too involved and that I could get it down to about 20 minutes or so. While I knew it was great to be able to make foamies at home and still be there for the kids, $3-4 dollars an hour wasn't gonna cut it. I have been like a madman since then trying to constantly improve the product at the same time I make the production process more efficient. Three Years later, I'm happy to report we've overcome most limitations with solid engineering and am proud to sell a superior product that will last a long time and hold up. Click here If you would like to see how we've evolved our to our current product. |
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A huge Paulownia log I recently cut
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THE LUMBERWhile I could easily make foamies out of pine 2x4's from any local hardware chain, I choose to use only specialized lumber that is perfect for foamie making. Most lumber I get I harvest myself. I cut down the tree, help off bear at the sawmill. Stack and dry lumber, even kiln drying where necessary. I have experimented with over 30 species of lumber and now use 4-5 species which are optimal. If you would to know more about the lumber we use please click here:
http://www.foamiefriends.com/lumber.html |
MAKING BOAT HULLSOur hulls are transformed from rough sawn lumber into specifically sized blocks of wood that are then cut horizontally and vertically on bandsaw before undergoing a long sanding and finishing process.
http://www.foamiefriends.com/hull.html |
Boats just finished painting with Urethane Auto Paint in the paint booth
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Finished bodies in paint booth
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MAKING THE HEADWe start with those foam balls kids shoot. We take them and transform them in foamie heads. We first dip them in a flesh custom flesh colored rubber dip multiple times before dipping on helmet color. They are then taken out of paint booth where faces are hand painted. They then go back to paint booth for lacquer finish. To see the complete process click here:
http://www.foamiefriends.com/head.html |
Dipping head in lacquer finish
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MAKING THE PADDLE
Blades just finished with Rubber dip and awaiting lacquer finish
ASSEMBLY |
We start with 6 pound minicell and have it water jetted to our design specifications. We then cut a hole into the paddle blade to receive a chop stick for our finish process. After finishing it is removed from chop stick and epoxied to a solid fiberglass shaft which is so strong I can not break. You can see the process here: http://www.foamiefriends.com/paddle.html
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Taking the individual components and assembling them into a durable product takes some work. From adding the spine to weighting the body and boat then to assembling the boats with 2 part epoxy. We want our product to hold up to abuses and have come up with a process that is proven. To see the process click here:
http://www.foamiefriends.com/assembly.html |
Attaching Bodies to Hull with 2 part epoxy
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