New Padding Solution ... YES!!!!

itsjust4fun91

New Member
So, I know I took longer than I had promised on getting this thing figured out, but we had people come into our house and rip out all the duct work and insulation and replace it, which ended up taking 3 weeks instead of 4 days. I not only couldn't work on this, but couldn't pump either. It sucked to say the least. So I apologize for not getting this done sooner. Anyway on to the good news

The new padding works like a dream. I first want to point out that this wouldn't have been possible without my husband whose a gem with inventing things to fix things. This was his idea to start with and I added the silicone.

First things first this is a very easy, very cheap fix. It consist of a 4 foot length of plumbing insulation foam from lowes for 3.98, and two tubes of silicone from walmart for 4.97 each. If someone does not have a caulking gun to use the silicone tubes, then you would need to add in those cost but you can get them for a couple of bucks at lowes or walmart also.

I have tried them out and they don't leave a mark and what was pink was gone within 5 minutes with no sign of pumping. the pink area was not in the area above the breast where the domes have been leaving indents. That looked completely untouched.

I feel pretty confident that indents and red ring marks will be a thing of the past with this padding because it also changes the dynamics of the pressure that usually came along with pumping with the XL cups. There is none now. The only sensation you will feel is the tug on the breast to whatever degree you decide to pump them. You cannot feel any pressure on the upper chest or ribs. It lets the pumping only center on the pressure tug of the breast.


This will also help those that have problems with getting suction or holding it due to the width of the XL cups. The foam used measures 3/4 of an inch thick, but the stamp on the side says it's 1/2 inch. I'm guessing that when it's curved into shape it seems thicker than if it was layed out flat which is probably the what they go by, so look for 1/2 and the stamp says 5/8 ID X 1/2. It does compress some on the inside of the cup when you pump, but it was a breeze to get them pumped, no loss of suction when moving around at all and they stayed in place perfectly even while unloading my dishwasher. I will first post a picture of the finished product, then post a reply with the details of putting them together and more pictures.

In order to make this padding you will need to get the plumbing foam insulation from a hardware store. It's cheap and comes in 5 foot sections. It also is presplit down the side so you won't have to worry about cutting the slit for the rims to sit down inside and it had a preglued inside with a plastic cover that will help you stick it to the cups. You will find it in the plumbing section sometimes on the same isle as the camping tape and other insulation products depending on how they organize their store.

You will need to fit it around the rim to get an idea of where to cut it. It's best to cut too much and slowly slice away the excess little by little until they meet nicely. Don't panic if it doesn't fit perfectly, you can fill it in with the silicone and still get your suction. And with the foam being 5 foot you do have extra for a do over.

Once you have it cut to your satisfaction you will leave the foam on the rings and while holding it in place, begin to fill it pretty heavy under the rim inside the foam so that you can see the silicone rising up on both the inside and outside of the rim . I only filled mine half full inside the foam to start with so it could dry well. I then took a piece of regular scotch tape and taped a piece over where the two ends of the foam met to hold it while it dries. It could hold on it's own in about 3 hours. I let that dry overnight, then the next day removed the plastic from the preglued edges that are on the foam and finished filling the inside of the foam to cover the rim top . I then pressed the edge against the cup inside and out. if if the foam edge doesn't stick firmly to he cup don't worry, just fill it in with silicone. I used my finger and applied it heavily to each edge to hold it firmly to the cup and to seal it. after doing that I used my finger and applied a very thin coat to the entire foam ring. I only did this to ensure my lotion not messing up the foam, but it might not be required. A thin coat takes a couple of hours to dry, so I did the bottom first and sat them propped up upside down to dry, then flipped them over and did the sides and the top. I let dry for 24 hours before using them. So you are looking at roughly two days of drying time, from start to finish.

Hugs, Mel
 

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itsjust4fun91

New Member
For anyone that hasn't used a caulking gun, this is what they look like. they're about 4 bucks or so
 

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Zenity

Guest
That is sooooo cool! Thanks for posting it and give your husband an special treat! You guys rock! :D
 

itsjust4fun91

New Member
Thanks Nadar, I told him he should be pleased to know that he will be helping women all around the world grow breast. That put a smile on his face! LOL

Also one other thing about this design, Anastasia brought up something that I had not thought about on the breastnexus forum, but I wanted to post it here as well as I'm sure it will come up. She asked about the distance this puts between the cups and it's effect on cleavage. So far, I haven't seen a difference in the type of swelling this has made for me, But for anyone wanting them closer together, I would think it would be pretty simple to fix. Once they are dry, it would be a breeze to shave off some of the foam on one side of each of the cups and then seal it with more silicone. That should put them closer together for those that want to. If it doesn't work, you can redo them. Even though the silicone holds fantastic, it can be scraped or peeled off pretty easily if need be. That's one of the reasons I chose it, in case repairs were ever needed.

Mel
 
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Zenity

Guest
Bummer! Tomorrow is a holiday in my country... Can't go shopping all the supplies! lol!
 

itsjust4fun91

New Member
while the creative juices are flowing i want to add to the idea for putting them closer together. once a side on each cup was shaved, the flat sides of the foam would be perfect for gluing them together and sealing them. then i would suggest using something such as the thin strips of rubber used for rehabilitation exercises to wrap around the foam padding to tie them together and make them even more secure. the rubber is strong and would grip the foam so no sliding. you would then have the perfect set of cups! sorry this post is all lowercase. i had to switch to my phone to post due to a storm. mel
 
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Zenity

Guest
I was thinking on using the bra that I adapted for NB.... I am sure that would help to keep them in place and as close as possible.
Good one

I am so impatient that I am checking it out on the internet. LOL! It this works and keeps the cups sealed Lucy will have an excellent source of padding for the cups ;)
 

itsjust4fun91

New Member
One more thing. When looking online to find the foam tubing, it seems there are two different types of the insulation one is a very thick hard foam that is black and then the other one that is what I used, which is so soft it almost feels like memory foam. The one that you need has a very smooth soft outter shell that looks like rubber. I have attached a close up pic I found online that lets you see what I'm talking about. If you look at insulation that the outside looks like foam then it's the hard stuff with the same feel of those swimming noodles the kids play with in pools.

The of the brand names that makes the one needed for this is armaflex. I saw some on ebay and some on google shopping
 

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chloespeaks

Guest
The Creativity of the Noogleberry ladies continues to astound me. Thanks for sharing and such detailed sharing too of pics and technique. This is on my list of to try when I move up (if I should ever get to the XLs).

I heart itsjust4fun91!!

Chloespeaks
 

Anastasia916

New Member
Well while I went grocery shopping I went and looked to see if by chance they had this stuff at the only store on base here lol and to my amazement they had the silicone and cauking gun, but not the insulation stuff, so if I do it I will have to order it lol but right now the rings and indentations aren't a problem for me, so I'll wait a bit and see how it works out for you ;D then if it works out well I'll order it.
 
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tavia

Guest
HMM IM TEMPTED TO BUY THIS STUFF, IT WOULD BE NICE TO NOOGLE THEN PUT ON A NICE BRA AND TOP AND BE ABLE TO GO STRAIGHT OUT WITHOUT WORRYING ABOUT RING MARKS,
ESPECIALLY FOR SUMMER
 
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tavia

Guest
ok could i just buy the foam and wrap it around the dome and pump?? ya know for times that i want to pump then go out??
 

itsjust4fun91

New Member
i'm once more replying with my phone so i can't see the images to say if that is the right stuff but once i get home i'll look on the computer. as for using it unglued...i tried that to start with when my husband told me about the stuff, but i couldn, get a seal. hindsight i wonder if i had used a glue and sealed where the two ends connect so that it was just a ring to stretch over them might have worked but i just didn't think of it at the time. mel
 
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