Posted by Tom W Clark on 07/08/13 - 7:43 AM
#14
The thing that always worries me about letting existing foam dry out is that the closed cell structure of the foam is already damaged.
Not necessarily. There is a notion that the closed cells of the foam in Whalers are 100 percent closed, but that is not true. I suspect the foam with water in it has suffered some break down of the cell walls, but it is not a black and white distinction. Microscopic examination of formerly waterlogged foam and never-waterlogged foam shows it looks much the same.