Calling All Foam Artists....

[Doug]

Just wanted to know what you all use as tools for cutting and moulding your foam. I am using 1 1/2" ridgid. PINK (not the bead board) and spray foam.

Doug

 

[MasonJar]

I have cut foam with a homemade hotwire cutter (the key is nichrome wire - same as the commercial hotwire cutters). Also used the disposible/snap off utilitiy knives with the blade extended all the way. A friend at the modular club swears by a razor sharp boning knife (very long and thin).

Andrew

 

[LoudMusic]

Is there any necessity to make texture in the foam or is that all done with coverings? I was thinking it might be good to have a wood rasp or a wire brush for making shale layer texctures but I'm thinking any painting or weathering would predominately fill in any grooves that a tool like that might make.

 

[MasonJar]

Is there any necessity to make texture in the foam or is that all done with coverings? I was thinking it might be good to have a wood rasp or a wire brush for making shale layer texctures but I'm thinking any painting or weathering would predominately fill in any grooves that a tool like that might make.

In a word - yes.

It is possible to do it either way. You can cover the foam with rock castings, plaster, scultamold, or whatever and carve the texture in that. Or you can carve it directly into the expanded foam itself.

Sedimentary rocks (layered - like the shale) are easier than complex outcroppings of granite for example. You can create the former with wire brushes, sanding, or with an Xacto blade. The latter requires some more complicated carving, which is tricky.

Bonus to the foam is that if you slice too much off, you can just glue it back on...

Andrew

 

[LoudMusic]

Bonus to the foam is that if you slice too much off, you can just glue it back on...

Andrew

Kind of defeats my dad's carpentry quote, "Keep cutting it off and cutting it off and it's still too short."

 

[ezdays]

For cutting foam I use several different things. A shop knife with retractable blades for shallow cuts, and one of those snap-knives for deeper cuts. But recently, I found a knife in our kitchen that someone gave us as a gift, I think it's like the ones on TV where they'll cut a rock in half, then thin slice a rotten tomato after doing that. Anyway, it has a surrated edge and works just great for rough shaping the foam. I've got a wood rasp and a wire brush, but they just don't cut it (real pun here) , since I do all my final shaping using plaster-soaked paper towels and finish up using joint compound and various putty knives and other tools to get the desired texture and shape.

 

[Will_annand]

I cut the foam with anything that is handy.

I have several hobby knifes around the layout and use them for small trimming/scoring jobs. I have a large kitchen type butcher knife for the larger jobs. I have used a jig/sabre saw for rough cuts. I poke holes with an awl.

Whatever works. sign1