Foamy McFoam Face

[Angel Barracks]

What is this foam called that people use for making terrain out of?

I have seen it used for walls and people scribe brickwork into it, also bigger lumps of it for hills and the like.

Is it something you can get from diy shops?

[Norm S]

Are you referring to expanding foam?

it comes in aerosol cans with a tube attachment and the window installers use it around window frames when seating the frame.

If so, yes a DIY store.

It is HIGHLY sticky before it cures, so keep it away from ‘good’ surfaces. It expands several times the size of the original foam that extrudes and it then hardens as it sets. It can be cut with a craft knife. It is messy stuff to work with. When it sets, it may not have cured with equal density, so you can cut into a blob and find the centre weak or even hollow. It breaks down when exposed to UV light.

 

[Angel Barracks]

Norm S wrote:

Are you referring to expanding foam?

No, foam sheet?
Like this stuff here.

[Mr. Average]

Looks like extruded polystyrene.  Insulating foam – usually blue or pink in the US, depending on whether it’s made by 3M or Owens Corning.

Not to be confused with expanded polystyrene, which is packing material that breaks into those little spheres that get absolutely everywhere if you’re not careful.

[Patrice]

Mr. Average wrote:

Looks like extruded polystyrene. Insulating foam – usually blue or pink in the US

Yes. In France the thick one is usually yellow, you find it (2 cm, 3 cm, or 4 cm thick) in all shops of building materials.

I make all my hills and mountains with it.

However the thin one (for miniature walls) is not so easy to find, I mostly use “foamcore”(?) instead for that.

http://www.argad-bzh.fr/argad/en.html
https://www.anargader.net/

[zippyfusenet]

Whut Mr. Average sed.

And to expand on that, it’s known colloquially as ‘foamboard’, and you can buy sheets at Home Depot or Lowes or your favorite big-box DIY builder’s supply store. The problem you may encounter is that it’s sold in huge sheets, much bigger than you’ll need for your little craft project, unless you’re building a mountain range. Many hobbyists scrounge small off-cuts of the stuff from building sites or from home improvement projects, their own or others’.

You'll shoot your eye out, kid!

[McKinstry]

As Zippy said, it is usually sold in 4′ x 8′ sheets at most large DIY stores although some may be willing to cut the sheet for you.

FWIW, the thicker sheets can be carved into absolutely fantastic custom boards all by themselves but then the terrain is essentially fixed in one configuration and unless you own a warehouse, storage can become an issue.

The tree of Life is self pruning.

[willz]

Mike don’t pay full price for it, drive around and look for building sites or houses having building work done.  Ask if you can have some, at the worst it will cost you the price of a couple of pints of beer for a car load of off cuts.  I have to force myself when walking home not to carry off cuts home for projects I may never complete.

[Angel Barracks]

This place sells the stuff?

Looks very handy.

SHOPPE

[Rod Robertson]

Mike:

When working with high-density foam you might want to think about buying a hot-wire foam cutter or you will be vacuuming tiny styrofoam pills up constantly from cutting it with utility knives or carving knives. It really is a mess.

Cheers and good gaming.

Happy New Year!

Rod Robertson.

[Mr. Average]

Indeed!  There are some very useful basic tools here: https://hotwirefoamfactory.com/

[Etranger]

Rod Robertson wrote:

Mike:

When working with high-density foam you might want to think about buying a hot-wire foam cutter or you will be vacuuming tiny styrofoam pills up constantly from cutting it with utility knives or carving knives. It really is a mess.

Cheers and good gaming.

Happy New Year!

Rod Robertson.

Cutting foam is easier with a serrated blade. A bread knife works well if Samantha doesn’t catch you!

A lot of the model railway firms make a hot wire cutter – Woodland Scenics for one. GW sell (or sold) a battery operated version, which is a safe, but being GW expensive, tool.

For an example http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/like/152023098928?lpid=107&chn=ps

[Deleted User]

You can make your own hot wire cutter:

 

One of my pals has & he’s still alive.

 

donald

 

[Steve Johnson]

We know it as Styrofoam and comes in various sizes. Things to note:

You cannot paint it with cellulose type paints. It dissolves it. Use water based paints or try your paint on an off cut.

It stinks when cut (or used to when we used it many years ago) and can give you a hell of a headache. It was banned from colleges for this very reason, although they still seem to be using it so maybe the chemicals have changed to make it less toxic.

When sanded it creates a funny surface (hard to explain) and loads of dust. Vacuum regulary or sand with the vacuum cleaner on.

Hope this helps?

[greg954]

Insulation board, celotex for example do it. Which is a trade name.

Any builders merchants will do it if you need a fair bit. Will be sold in 1200×2400 boards so might not be the most practical. But like I said if you need a lot it’s the most cost efficient way of buying it. Or keep an eye out in skips or building work going on. There’s always off cuts to be had for free.

It comes in 25, 50, 75 and 100mm thicknesses I think.

[Author]

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