Closed cell foam in LA?

[KyleNewton]

Hi everybody,

Does anyone know where I can get some closed cell foam in LA (preferably Long Beach area) to make some floats for my strobe arms? thanks

Kyle

[Kevin Lee]

Hi Kyle,

For the past 5 years, I've been using Divinycell to achieve near neutral buoyancy for my underwater rig. It is a robust material which is used, I understand, in ship hulls, submarines, aircraft, etc. It certainly makes it easier to manage the equipment underwater, especially when focusing. And it eliminates wrist fatigue, making dive photography much more enjoyable.

Google "Divinycell" and you'll get a lot of sources. Surely, there's a supplier somewhere in LA. I've fetched my supply from an aircraft supply store in Corona. Here's their website:

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/c ... llfoam.php

I'd recommend the tan color (a 1"x10"x12" sheet is $18.00) and is sufficient for neutralizing a rig. For some tips on mounting, feel free to check out this link:

http://www.ocdiving.com/gallery2/main.p ... d1006ed041

I've seen some pre-fabricated "floats" that slip on strobe arms, but I haven't tried them. Probably your local scuba shop can help you find them, if you don't have the inclination or time to make a buoyancy system yourself.

Hope this info is helpful. Good Luck.

K;-)

[bvanant]

Hi everybody,

Does anyone know where I can get some closed cell foam in LA (preferably Long Beach area) to make some floats for my strobe arms? thanks

Kyle

I too have been using Divinycell (I prefer the black version) and get it from Fiberglass Supply (via mail/UPS). They are great, and have all the various grades. Also take a look at STIX (4th Generation) flotation arms; they make both arms and floats that go over ULCS type arms. The STIX stuff is not Divinycell; it is much tougher but has no compression that I can see at depth. Great stuff either way. I use the STIX floats on my strobe arms and I made a custom base for the bottom of my housing from the Divinycell material.
Bill

[KyleNewton]

Thanks Kevin and Bill -- now to spend more $

Kyle

edit: Oops I forgot to ask what kind of adhesive do you use or is it just zip-ties? Also have you ever considered coating the floats in epoxy or something to avoid chipping?