How do I Put Foam in Plastic Barrels to Float Them?
Filling a plastic barrel with expanding urethane foam will produce a highly buoyant float which may be left in contact with water for weeks or even months at a time. Such a barrel is ideal for making a do-it-yourself floating dock, buoy, party barge or flotation aid for use on a lake or pond. This process is explicitly for filling a single barrel with foam, but may be expanded for making many floating barrels simultaneously via the use of larger batches of foam. Remove the top of the 55-gallon drum. Following the specific instructions on the container of urethane foam, mix the two components in a bucket and pour the foam into the open plastic drum. If more than one batch of foam is required, wait 15 to 20 minutes in between batches to ensure good adhesion. The volume of a 55-gallon drum is approximately 7.4 cubic feet, so use an amount of foam that will fill that volume (a 16-pounds kit for 2-pounds density foam). Wait one hour after the barrel has been filled with foam. Make a bead of
