Ideas on Spray Foam Products

[kantuckid]

I'm prospecting for info on foam sprays to use in log corner joints. The Meadowlark Amish builders in MT use foam in the corner I'm copying from them.  I've used the original Great Stuff spray foam which has improved some since 1979 but now I see many other choices. Some use a gun/tool and there are gun cleaners to, but I've only used the one original brand plus same brand of foam for windows & doors

The challenge is that the stuff sets up before I'd use a full can with the Great Stuff like I used before, plus it's pricey. I'm working either solo or me and a helper so slow is it. 
I cross posted a similar comment in the build thread of another member to see what he's using.

Suggestions of products to consider are welcome. 

[sprucebunny]

Great Stuff has a new applicator thingy that restarts very well. They say 30 days. It also looks like it would be contolable. ( I was letting it off in a hole in the wall )

[Raider Bill]

I used cases of low expansion foam when I built my ICF house.
Used a gun and ran cleaner through it each night.
Can't remember the name but it screwed unto the gun.
Got me thinking if I still have it.
Was easy to use and stuck to everything.

[Gary Davis]

I have an applicator that holds the cans and the spray stays good for months does not need to be cleaned  

[kantuckid]

Please give me some brands to look at that have holdover time to use up each can? Thanks!
I noticed one type comes in a box with applicator on a tube.
I used low expansion Great Stuff directly from the can but even that was over 15 years ago so been awhile.
My application expansion isn't a large factor for log corners as they'll be cinched down tightly as I go.

[Raider Bill]

I have an applicator that holds the cans and the spray stays good for months does not need to be cleaned  

Doesn't the nozzle plug up? That's what happened to mine so I cleaned it every night.

[tawilson]

If you screw the adjustment knob all the way in it should close off the nozzle opening.
I keep a can of acetone open and dip the nozzle in and wipe it off as I'm using it to help prevent the foam building up on it.

[kantuckid]

Brand names? ;D

[Gary Davis]

spray foam applanator gun 

[Don P]

Another way of doing that, we would drill a 1-1/16" vertical hole in the end intersection of the assembled joint. Several pumps of caulk and drive in a 1" peg.

[kantuckid]

Thanks for these posts, I'm still looking at options. 

The product that catches my eye so far is: Great Stuff Spray foam, the version with that's reuseable for up to 30 days called "Smart Dispenser".
 It costs more per can but makes sense overall. Menards has the lowest price I've found but too far away.  Amazon and Lowe's are similar prices. HD shows none.  
Caulks are of course the other choice, unless there's another brand of spray foam that's designed to not set up in the tube. I'd rather not pay out $50 for a tool I'll use one building only. 

[ttf5003]

I've been using a great stuff pro gun for years. You can leave a can attached for months. I open it up once every month or so when I think about it and shoot some into my attic. You can spray the tip off with the acetone cleaner they sell. The adjustable dial makes it so much faster and easier to apply. There's never any on my hands either.

If the tip gets too much build up on it I just take a utility knife and shave it off. Amazon link below:

Great Stuff Pro Gun

[Don P]

We were unloading a log home package out in NE somewhere. While passing down a box a can got loose and I got a shot of foam up the sleeve of my T shirt. We were busy and I forgot about it until I took off the shirt later and screamed like a girl. No need to shave that side  :D

[kantuckid]

Regarding Great Stuff: I've had lots of things on my hands and skin over the years but it is the worst of the worst. Paint removers that leave scars on upper forearms (above rubber gloves) are a close 2nd? ;D 

When it first came out in late 1970's I suppose, the cans had to be used upside down, so up on ladders it could be very awkward and between that and the "here comes more" aspect, it was nasty "stuff". I had clothes hanger wires poking at the straws back then-nasty nasty. 

Later today I'll look at the pro gun link, thanks for the tip. 

[barbender]

I can't remember the brand name of the gun I bought, it was from Home Depot. I've seen they still carry it recently. It is a game changer for foam application versus the old style cans. A can goes WAY farther because of the controllable application. You can dial the right size bead, and it is almost like welding. I insulated my rim joist around wood  I joists with 2" eps foam board, and sealed the edges with the foam gun. Worked great! I haven't used mine in 5 years, left a can on it and I wouldn't be surprised if it fired back up. I know I've left them for 6 months to a year before without issue. 
 
 Now all of that said, spray foam is not what I would use to seal logs. Logs move around, a compressible tape or using a caulking product made for logs (think stretchy) would be a better choice, IMO.

[kantuckid]

I can't remember the brand name of the gun I bought, it was from Home Depot. I've seen they still carry it recently. It is a game changer for foam application versus the old style cans. A can goes WAY farther because of the controllable application. You can dial the right size bead, and it is almost like welding. I insulated my rim joist around wood  I joists with 2" eps foam board, and sealed the edges with the foam gun. Worked great! I haven't used mine in 5 years, left a can on it and I wouldn't be surprised if it fired back up. I know I've left them for 6 months to a year before without issue.

Now all of that said, spray foam is not what I would use to seal logs. Logs move around, a compressible tape or using a caulking product made for logs (think stretchy) would be a better choice, IMO.

I have bought and will use log home tapes for the walls. My home built in 1979-80 I used the first editions of Norton log home foam tapes which have become the norm. Log corners is the foam spot in mind-inside the joint.

Should I consider a caulk product like Woodsman Caulk , sold by log building suppliers? I'm using it inside a corner joint as a sealant, not as an exterior log joint caulk/chinking product, which I might do later on. It's said to stretch and maintain a seal.

Thanks for the foam tool tip.