Many of the handmade tombstones you see all over the internet are made with foam insulation board. Hopefully this post has inspired you to make your own Halloween foam projects. Today I’m going to show you the basics of carving and painting this foam board with a tutorial for a simple small sign with a faux stone look. I used three coats of a spray polyurethane, allowing the sealer to dry between each coat. You can use a source image of a stone wall as a guide, or project an image directly onto the sheet for accuracy. Primer Walk into a hardware store, and you’ll be faced with two main types of foam: extruded polystyrene and expanded polystyrene.Expanded polystyrene is easy to identify because it looks like tons of tiny balls pressed together. EPS foam is a very effective sound insulator. Be careful not to cut or melt away the inside shapes of the letters (such as in the B, R and A in my sign). Do not use spray paint, as it will melt the Styrofoam. Enter your email address to subscribe to the Raven Hollow Designs blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Cut the block so the depth -- the distance between its front and back -- fits where you … Using a stiff wire brush on the foam can add texture to the carving, resulting in a more realistic texture, IMO. If you cut a lot of foam on a regular basis, consider buying a foam cutting saw. Any image can work as long as it has a range of values. Lightweight, Inexpensive Scale Models of Stone Walls . How to make a dungeon out of foam . I didn’t think foam would be that challenging to carve into, but it is! Cut the rough shape of the mountains into the styrofoam using tools such as electric chain saws and reciprocating saws. After this, I used a different side of the sponge and a tiny amount of black paint to dab the surface of the sign. Foam installed – check! Carving foam is a foam product which is designed to be worked by carving. To create a beveled look to the lettering and border, I held the knife at an angle while cutting. Endless Uses for Giant Foam Carving Blocks. FOAM, carving is an art form unto itself. 99 A wide variety of foams can be used for carving, including urethane foam, expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam, and polyisocyanurate (ISO) foam. Using a hot knife was much easier! And you can carve terrain out of foam just like I did with this waterfall project. 3/4″ foam insulation board (approximately 4″ x 9″) Styrofoam is relatively durable and will stand up to repeated uses, like as the background of a theater set, but also is easy to carve and accepts paint well. Rachael Ray Show. Mine is approximately 4″ x 9″. Let me know what you come up with! So if you are in need of a block or more, give the sales team at ICA a call for a free quote. foam jack o lanterns. Once you have an idea of the shape you want, begin by cutting large chunks of Styrofoam off to get close to the end result. Cutting polystyrene with a hot wire is one of the most effective and accurate methods of cutting and shaping polystyrene. Once you realize that the thinnest is the lightest and the uncut is the darkest you can plan the different depth levels for the various darknesses that are called values (artist term). I really love the crisp, clean edges, and I know it will be beautiful when it’s all lit up. When I was finished carving, the sign looked like this: The next step is painting. Cut foam with a saw. How to Paint Styrofoam for Craft Projects Hot knife, wood burning tool, or Xacto/craft knife Stack up your foam and layout your village pieces on the layers, draw the curves for how you want your basic contours. How to Carve a Foam Pumpkin. Draw the outline of the stones directly onto your Styrofoam sheet. Carving Styrofoam Pumpkin ; Fake White Painted Styrofoam Pumpkin. You can carve lines to represent the mortar in between the stones and shave thin layers off the surface to create round or flat stones. Blick Carving Foam is a lightweight yet strong sculpting material that is easier to carve than similar products, and more economical than wood or stone. Purchase foam pumpkins and a carving kit from the craft store. Clear polyurethane (can or spray) … All of these foams share the trait of being firm, dry, and soft, in addition to being quite sturdy. Black, gray and white latex or acrylic paint You can build structural items and you can carve details that will hold. This adds texture and realism to the stone. This could be a cheap alternative for someone needing thick foam. 2. After that, I created the lettering and border on my computer and printed it out in a size that fit my foam shape. 5 out of 5 stars. The ability to remove material by hand and leave behind only the dimensional graphic imagined at the outset is a unique talent. Almost any tool with a rough surface or blade will work. A non-serrated saw blade should work, but test it out first. Save yourself the trouble by using the different types of foam cutting tools for the fastest, easiest, and mess-free way of cutting, carving, and engraving foams. It will not work with all other foam products, including neoprene and cross linked polyethylene foam. The thing to remember with heated tools is that the foam melts quickly, so keep the tool moving and be careful with how deep you carve. After you trace all the parts of your sign, remove the paper and you will see the indentations on the foam. Here’s a close up the sign attached to the wreath. Tutorial to Decorate a Styrofoam Pumpkin. Its … Start with a small piece of foam in a rectangular shape. Cut out the contour curves using the Hot Knife. WINONS Hot Knife Foam Cutter, WFC-0001 Styrofoam Cutter Same as a Hot Wire Foam Cutter, Electric Carving Knife-Kit of 3 Tools 4.0 out of 5 stars 1,450 $23.99 $ 23 . Work only with the right supplies to make a clean slice through the foam and leave a clean cut behind. Very effective, Carving foam with a hot 150W Electric Hot Knife Cutter Tool – D03295. Jun 30, 2013 - How to Carve Styrofoam. Carve your foam pumpkins as you see fit. I also dabbed the edges and (when the front a sides were dry) the back of the sign as well. Nothing says Halloween like cool pumpkin decorations! Posted by InsulationCorp. You are now ready to carve the foam. You may be pleasantly surprised on a new medium for your next project. If you want block cutting foam or carving foam, Smithers Oasis Engineered Products enable you to easily create intricate designs with normal cutting tools and by hand without heat. Hot wire cutters can also be used. If you want to create the illusion of stone walls but do not have the ability to work with actual stone, you can use Styrofoam as a reasonable facsimile. From tombstones and signs, to pillars, columns and coffins, foam insulation board (also known as rigid insulation) is an incredibly useful and versatile material for Halloween projects. This is a quick and cheap holiday DIY that’s great for a party, or to simply get your family into the spirit. Spooky Skull & Roses Wreath – A Halloween How-To, Creepy Halloween Books – Adding Texture with Paper Towels, How to Distress Halloween Artwork in Photoshop Using a Photo and Layers, A Basic Introduction to Carving and Painting Foam Board for Halloween Projects. Creating stone walls out of Styrofoam requires an artistic touch and the right tools, but the end result is light, portable stone walls that you can use for a variety of purposes. Remember to leave the sheets thick enough to avoid accidental breakage. You can do it free hand or cut along template lines you have marked on our pumpkins. Shop Now. As a craft, how to paint styrofoam and harden it is quite simple. It’s lightweight and easy to carve, melt, distress, and paint, which makes it perfect for constructing Halloween decorations. I created this small sign to use as part of a Halloween wreath I recently made my sister-in-law for her birthday. Paint brushes I used a hot knife, which is basically a wood burning tool with craft knife attachment. Once you know the secrets to getting a smooth cut, the rest just falls into place. Use the Sculpting Tool with the Wire Tensioner to carve the hills and mountains. Coat the walls in gray, brown or red acrylic paint, depending on what type of stone you would like to mimic. It cuts easily and can be sanded and painted very we… Blick Carving Foam. Next, I used a slightly damp sea sponge and dabbed gray paint across the flat parts of the sign (the foam that wasn’t carved with the lettering and border. Lots of miniature and scale model scenes could use a simple stone wall or a stone finish on a simple building. Dec 20, 2017 - A detailed tutorial on how to make a custom foam base for your village display, sculpted with Hot Wire Foam Factory tools. Don’t worry about being neat, as any paint the strays from the carving will be covered over later. Remove small amounts of material at … Determine the height by how high you want the top step to be. Carving Faux Pumpkin Supplies: Woodburning tool with attachments; Foam pumpkin; Design templates if desired; Carving Faux Pumpkin Instructions: Using the wood burning tool with knife attachment makes it as easy as plugging it in, warming it up and cutting slowly! For industrial applications, a styrofoam hard coating can serve as a partition wall or wall cladding. How to Make a Candle Holder From Round River Stones, Copyright 2021 Leaf Group Ltd. All Rights Reserved. It has a density of approximately 5 lb per cubic foot. Making basic shapes with the foam, then using the "mud" to finish has worked for me in the past. Continue carving stone shapes into the sheet until the entire sheet has the rough appearance of a stone wall. About the Storm The Castle diorama . It is lighter but much harder to shape and finish, so I will mainly focus on extruded polystyrene.Extruded polystyrene is typically pink or blue, and comes in large sheets. Start with the bigger cuts. I started carving my foam pumpkin with a normal exacto knife but found it very difficult. Then I adhered it to the seat and went to carving with my electric knife. Cover each stone in a thin layer of clear glue and brush a layer of sand over the surface. Here is the finished wreath with the sign in place (see below). I have to admit that I was a little nervous at first, but I’m here to tell you that it really is easy, and not so scary after all! Practice on some scraps before tackling your sign. A foam carving knife was the tool I used. The finished foam shape can then be coated to create a rigid form for … Make a StyroFoam Sculpting Tool: I do a lot of work with styrofoam, and like to think of new ways to handle the foam easily and efficiently. Sea sponge for painting. I have used the technique (and variations thereof) to create tombstones, signs and pillars as Halloween decorations. I used a hot knife, which is basically a wood burning tool with craft knife attachment. Since I had several hotwire machines, the next … Ironically it was also bought at the same store for seven dollars. Cut Styrofoam in Minutes ( Low Tech Yet Effective ): I've always planned to build a foam cutting device but when the time came I was short on time and too cheap to build a machine. Since my sign was meant to look hand carved and aged, I wasn’t worried about perfection. I quickly got out my spray adhesive and adhered them suckers together with spray-adhesive. If you get any gray paint in the black carved parts, you can touch them up later with a small brush and more black paint. I played around with the paint to get some texture to it. Hot wire can only be used with polystyrene foam and polypropylene foam. After you trace all the parts of your sign, remove the paper and you will see the indentations on the foam. After the primer is dry, use a small brush to fill in the carved parts with black paint. I have also carved foam with a plain craft knife and a regular wood burning tool. Glue the layers using Foam Fusion. You can use a serrated knife for the large cuts; if the Styrofoam is really thick, try an electric knife or hot wire tools. Sand the edges of your shape to smooth them and make them look aged. Here's what you do: 1. CARVING FOAM. Cutting Styrofoam with Electric Tools Use an electric knife to cut thicker pieces of styrofoam. Finally, I did this again with a tiny amount of white paint for highlights. My name is Pam and this is my virtual studio for Halloween DIY ideas, projects and design. I taped the lettering onto the foam block. You are now ready to carve the foam. Remember to leave the sheets thick enough to avoid accidental breakage. And one of the most popular applications of this foam is all the various dungeon related stuff you can make. Cut a block of Styrofoam with a serrated knife into a piece that is as tall and as wide as you want the staircase to be. Enjoy! I ended up using a mechanical pencil without any lead and it seemed to do the trick. Carving styrofoam/polystyrene with an hot knife blade. You can carve lines to represent the mortar in between the stones and shave thin layers off the surface to create round or flat stones. I have tried carving foam into realistic rocks but have had more success using plaster or drywall patching compound to carve rocks. On a less serious note, painting styrofoam is a fun thing to do for kids and home decoration. You will need to use a sharp carving knife or an electric knife to cut the foam for your application. You can find it in home centers and stores that sell building materials and it comes in varying thicknesses, most commonly 3/4 inch and 2 inch. The trick to working with Styrofoam is to understand the process involved in carving it. Using a ball point pen, burnishing tool or pencil, trace around the letters and the border, using enough pressure to slightly dent the foam beneath.