How to choose an isolon for making flowers?

A creative person knows how to find application for the most unusual things and materials. For example, often craftswomen buy izolon to create growth flowers, which is designed for heat and sound insulation of premises. However, it is difficult for a simple layman to understand by what criteria the masters choose the appropriate type of material for their work.

Izolon for making flowers differs from its construction or conventional counterpart, which, in addition to porosity and pattern, can have a foil coating. Today it is widely used for interior decoration, photo zones, festive halls. It is a synthetic material with a roll form of release, produced in widths of 1 and 1.5 m. It is produced in our country at the Izhevsk Plastics Plant. The average weight per square meter is 0.12 kg for dense varieties and 0.07 kg for thinner ones.

Isolon itself is produced not only for large artificial flowers, but also for making slippers, various rugs and even puzzles... However, the option that is used for growth flowers differs in thickness: depending on the type of material, it can be from 1 to 4 mm for standard options and up to 8-10 mm for non-standard ones. Izolon is in great demand among masters of growth floristry for a reason: it is unique due to its characteristics and does not change its properties at a fairly wide temperature range.

Izolon of the PPE type is nothing more than a cross-linked polyethylene foam, which is obtained by foaming a porophore reagent. It is for this reason that PPE does not contain harmful gases (in particular, freon).Its strength is higher in comparison with IPE, it can serve for about a hundred years. However, it also costs more than other analogues.

The material for making growth flowers is different. It can be conventionally divided into the following types: PPE NR, PPE-F, PPE-R and Isolon 500. Outwardly, this material is characterized by a smooth surface, it is pleasant to the touch and can have a noble satin sheen.

This raw material does not get wet, it is used by professional craftsmen who produce large flowers to order. It is frost-resistant, allows you to form curvilinear convex-concave shapes of any degree of complexity. It can be used even when creating flower arrangements in kindergartens. Izolon is soft and warm to the touch, it stands out for its pleasant tactile sensations, and the finished flowers from it look beautiful and realistic.

Isolon is the name of the trade mark, the very material for creativity, which is called isolon, is correctly called PPE. This abbreviation stands for polyethylene foam. Its specifications may vary depending on the number of foaming cycles. That is why the properties of the finished material are different.

Izolon has many advantages, for example, this material:

• characterized by high density and tensile strength, making it difficult to tear;
• convenient in cutting not only with scissors, but also with a cutter, which allows you to create even and clear cutting lines;
• it is considered an environmentally friendly raw material for the manufacture of something, moreover, it is antiallergenic and does not provoke the appearance of allergic reactions;
• it is inert to combustion, it melts and is light in weight, and therefore does not make large flower arrangements heavier;
• does not grow moldy, resistant to water and moisture, the formation of pathogenic microbes;
• adheres well to each other and other craft materials;
• can provide for toning with pastels, due to which it is possible to give growth colors a greater similarity with real ones;
• differs in low vapor permeability, high rates of flexibility and elasticity;
• does not have a persistent chemical odor, does not emit toxic substances into the air, and therefore does not harm either humans or the environment;
• allows staining with various dyes (including rubber-based, as well as acrylic enamel).

The uniqueness of the finished Isolone products is the fact that they can be wiped with a damp cloth (except for tinted fragments). At the same time, the service life of flowers will be long, because the izolon shape can hold for more than one year in a row. This material has a certificate of quality and compliance with the required standards. However, in addition to the advantages, ornamental raw materials for growth flowers have several disadvantages, for example:

• despite the assurances of manufacturers, sometimes it suffers from transportation;
• not every type of material is suitable for creating large flowers, and therefore the choice must take into account the thickness of the raw material;
• isolon attracts dust and becomes electrified, which is why it must be stored in plastic bags, and the crafts themselves must be processed with a special composition;
• It is not a universal raw material for flowers of different sizes (the larger the flowers, the greater the thickness of the isolon should be).

As for the disadvantages of working with the material, in order to achieve a better result in the process of work, you have to use a construction hairdryer. It is more powerful and allows you to give cut-out blanks to the required shape. Another disadvantage of working with isolon is the need to strengthen the base in complex structures.

In contrast to the construction analogue, izolon for needlework has several basic shades. For example, you can purchase roll products from suppliers in the following colors:

• white and black;
• turquoise and sky blue;
• emerald and mint;
• orange and yellow;
• coral and red;
• warm pink;
• peach and powdery;
• muted blue and deep blue;
• cold turquoise and silvery gray;
• olive gray and rich green;
• lilac and purple;
• chocolate and cocoa shade.

At the same time, the price of each shade of PPE material may differ. For example, white isolon is considered a hit of sales: the cost per square meter of such material is 89 rubles with a thickness of 2 mm and 99 rubles - with a thickness of 3 mm. Options with an adhesive layer are more expensive: for example, a meter of white roll material 2 mm thick costs 143 rubles today, with a thickness of 3 mm the cost is 175 rubles.

As for the price for material of 8 mm thickness, today it is 255 rubles per 1 m2. A meter of isolon for making flowers 10 mm thick in white costs 349 rubles. The price of colored material averages from 115 to 147 rubles per 1m2. Moreover, as a rule, the thicker the raw material, the larger it is.

When choosing material for making growth flowers, experts recommend paying attention to several criteria for a good purchase. For example, not every man in the street knows that Isolon today has many analogues and even surrogates.

For example, the scope of application also matters. Izolon, which successfully replaces foamiran, can be used to create large flower arrangements, individual elements of wedding dresses, decorate festive tables, buffets, decorate children's parties, store stands and even landscape design. You need to choose a material option based on this. At the same time, not only color, but also white isolon is suitable for decoration.

The first thing to know: the name "Isolon" is a manufacturer's trademark. The products of other companies are noticeably inferior to him in quality, properties and characteristics. A high-quality and real handicraft product produced by the trademark is nothing more than expanded polyethylene, which is shaped into a roll with an average thickness of 2 to 10 mm.

Regardless of the production method and the type of raw materials, craftsmen use mainly cross-linked polyethylene for their work. It differs from other analogues in a smoother type of texture, greater elasticity and durability.

Don't go chasing cheap stuff. PES of a physically cross-linked type is more expensive than its counterparts. In practice, although other materials are cheaper, their surface is distinguished by its roughness, which will not allow using such an isolon for work. In other words, a purchased cheap product may remain idle.

Today, the products of the Izhevsk Plastics Plant can be purchased from the manufacturer and its official suppliers. If you are offered, for example, such analogs as "Aksalut" or "Penolon", then they are noticeably inferior in quality to the isolon itself. You need to take products from trusted suppliers, asking them to make light copies of the certificate, which is the accompanying documentation for each type of isolon.

Considering the different possibilities of the material, depending on the size, colors, when choosing it is worth noting: the best material for creativity is a meter-wide isolon. Growing flowers up to 1 meter in diameter can be made from such products.A rolled analogue of one and a half meter wide allows you to create flowers up to 2 m in diameter. However, the shape of such a flower will hold better if it is made from denser raw materials.

The color scheme during the purchase is based on the preferences of the buyer. The traditional colors are white and green. Often, for greater similarity with natural flowers, craftsmen prefer to take material in related shades of the same color. Otherwise, the choice of color will depend on what kind of flowers you plan to do. The outer surface of the material is different (for example, it can be embossed with a pattern).

As for the density, its indicators, depending on the type of material produced by the trademark, can be 26, 33, 50, 100 and 200 kg / m3. Typical values ​​for typical creative raw materials are 33 kg / m3.

When buying a rolled isolon, you need to consider: the manufacturer cooperates with different companies and can deliver raw materials for creativity to different parts of our country. Delivery terms must be negotiated privately, which will allow the buyer to exclude the likelihood of any problems in the future and choose the desired product option for creativity. It is worth considering that smaller widths can handle domestic shipping more easily.

When choosing one or another type of isolone from a trusted manufacturer, you must take into account the remaining components to create flowers or flower arrangements. For example, in one case, these will be mountings on a wall or photo zone, in the other - floor supports. It is also necessary to take into account the type of glue when assembling individual flowers, choosing the necessary option. In addition, when buying, you need to remember: high-quality material must be safe. It cannot be taken from dubious organizations.

To ensure that the goods are delivered in the best possible way, you need to ask the seller about quality packaging that will not break during the delivery process. Do not allow the ingress of dirt and significant mechanical damage. Despite the fact that material often arrives without damage, the dishonest attitude of individual postal workers cannot be disregarded.

You should not look for products for creativity in hardware stores or try to save money on purchases by purchasing insulation (foam backing). The technical characteristics and properties of these materials will be different, as well as the scope of application. You will not be able to work with material that is not suitable for this. In addition, such savings can completely discourage people from doing needlework.

For information on how to make flowers from isolone, see the next video.