sintra description sound right?

Bubsy54

New Hunter
I found a seller on Ebay which says they are selling Sintra, but i wanted to make sure i was going to get Sintra and not something-like Sintra so i asked the seller if the brand was Sintra or something else. the response i received was this:

"Our Sintra/PVC/foam board has a foam board center with a PVC coating on top and bottom."

Is that an accurate description of Sintra or are they selling something else? i have never used Sintra before and their response did not answer my original question i asked them.

I was under the impression that Sintra was not just a PVC coating on top and bottom. i would think that this would lead to pealing when heated or painted. i could be wrong but this seems like standard foam kids use to make presentations in school (before powerpoint )
 
I have heard of Sintra being called expanded PVC foamboard so there is a possibility that what they have is correct. The foam is a tight closed cell type that gives rigidity to the material.

I usually get mine from sign shops. Call around some shops in your area that do vinyl decals/custom signs for businesses, cities etc etc and ask if the sell Sintra by the sheet. Chances are you will find someone close to you that you could buy from and this gives you the added ability to look at it before purchasing.

You usually have to buy a large sheet though. Last time I bought I think the sheet was originally 4 ft x 8 ft and cost me $40 plus tax. Even if it's more than you need if gives you the ability to mess up and not have to worry about it. It's easy to transport as well if you don't have a truck because if you take a utility knife you can score the sheet, bend and snap it into smaller sheets to fit in a car.

Call around and you may be able to even find a better price and not have to wait for it to be shipped.
 
Yeah everything worked out great. Picked it up today and it was even cheaper than they said, only $34 and that was after tax. The piece was consistent all through and not just pvc on top of foam

Sent from my SM-G900V
 
Sintra is a brand name. The material is "foamed PVC." It's very dense throughout the thickness, not like
foamboard you would pick up at a craft store.
 
Yeah everything worked out great. Picked it up today and it was even cheaper than they said, only $34 and that was after tax. The piece was consistent all through and not just pvc on top of foam

Sent from my SM-G900V

Awesome! Pretty good price as well!
 
I just wanted to double check to make sure I'm not getting screwed.

I originally ordered the pvc from this company. The brand was called Ex-Cell. I asked for Sintra but they said this was the same thing and priced me at $40. I went to pick it up and they charged me $34,so obviously i didn't question it. I went home and compared the receipt from pickup to the receipt I received online (from when I actually placed the order) and noticed the products had different company names. What I have is not Ex-cell which is what I was told was like Sintra but a brand called Elite Pvc.

I only noticed this after I cut the board in half to better fit in my house. I just talked on the phone to the guy who I spoke to in person when I picked it up and he said that both products were closed cell PVC and its basically comparing McDonald's fries to Burger King fries.

With all of your expert opinion on using this stuff, it's there any major difference across closed-cell PVC when it comes to making armor? Or am I just crazy and it is all basically the same?

I just don't want to try using this material, fail at it, and give up on the project out of frustration.

Thanks for all your help so far and for any future help on this matter!

Sent from my SM-G900V
 
A close up picture of the side would probably help. If it is pvc and the outer surface is the same as the inner surface you should be fine.
 
I think the best thing to do would be to experiment with it. As far as I have worked with Sintra these are the main features:

- When cutting has a very, very faint spongy feel (when compared to cutting styrene)
- Bends and conforms to different contours when heated (heat gun, dip in near boiling water, oven (not recommended as it produces fumes that are not good for you when heated/burned))
- Sands very nicely along the edges
- Glues easily with CA glues, GOOP, E6000, expanding polyurethane glues (ie Gorilla, Elmer's Ultimate etc)

Please also note that you can't heat it and form complex curves. For example you are not going to heat it and push it into the dome shape for the helmet. It is still a flat sheet and will only conform to what you could shape with say a piece of paper or poster board although maybe technically more limited since it is thicker than those examples.

Also make sure to wear a mask when working with this material. The sanding dust and fumes from heating are NOT good for you to breath in.

Just work with it. It doesn't take long to set up or try all the features I listed above. If all those work you should be good to go.
 
I just ordered a sheet from my local sign place and was offered a budget Sintra-like product that seemed very flexible for less than $40, and actual Sintra which was about $44. I went with the "real" stuff so I'll see what it's like.
 
uploadfromtaptalk1453653435820.jpg

Sorry, I've been away from home for much of the week. Thanks for the info. I attached a photo of the cut pvc sheet.

The sheet is 6mm thick, it's not super flexible but could be bent slightly when i hold it. From the attached picture, you can see the factory cut side which is rather smooth and the jagged cut I made (rushed the cut outside to get the piece to fit in my car). There is clearly a pvc coating on both sides of the sheet with, what I think is, closed cell pvc in the middle(it has a spongy appearance but it is not soft).

I think it'll work, but if anyone has any doubts please let me know. I won't be able to test it with a heat gun for quite a while.

Thanks again for everything

Sent from my SM-G900V
 
This thread is more than 8 years old.

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

  1. This thread hasn't been active in some time. A new post in this thread might not contribute constructively to this discussion after so long.
If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.
Back
Top