I created this small sign to use as part of a Halloween wreath I recently made my sister-in-law for her birthday. 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. My name is Pam and this is my virtual studio for Halloween DIY ideas, projects and design. To create a beveled look to the lettering and border, I held the knife at an angle while cutting. Almost any tool with a rough surface or blade will work. These instructions show you how to use various supports and model all kinds and colors of stone walls from dense insulation foams, florist's foam or styrofoam beadboard, and various protective and paintable coatings. Foam installed – check! You are now ready to carve the foam. Nothing says Halloween like cool pumpkin decorations! First, coat the whole sign with white primer. If … 99 A wide variety of foams can be used for carving, including urethane foam, expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam, and polyisocyanurate (ISO) foam. And one of the most popular applications of this foam is all the various dungeon related stuff you can make. 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. Hot knife, wood burning tool, or Xacto/craft knife Continue carving stone shapes into the sheet until the entire sheet has the rough appearance of a stone wall. 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. Start with a small piece of foam in a rectangular shape. Mine is approximately 4″ x 9″. Paint brushes Hot wire cutters can also be used. Here is the finished wreath with the sign in place (see below). 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. The cross stitch pattern on the pumpkin gives it a unique … Carve your foam pumpkins as you see fit. Using a stiff wire brush on the foam can add texture to the carving, resulting in a more realistic texture, IMO. 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. I taped the lettering onto the foam block. Black, gray and white latex or acrylic paint Remember to leave the sheets thick enough to avoid accidental breakage. You can build structural items and you can carve details that will hold. 2. 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. The Basic Concept of Foam Carving: The way that carving a foam pumpkin works is about density and light. 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. Heat up the wire cutter and use it to slowly sculpt stone shapes into the foam. 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. After the primer is dry, use a small brush to fill in the carved parts with black paint. After that, I created the lettering and border on my computer and printed it out in a size that fit my foam shape. You can use a source image of a stone wall as a guide, or project an image directly onto the sheet for accuracy. 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. I started carving my foam pumpkin with a normal exacto knife but found it very difficult. 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. Coat the walls in gray, brown or red acrylic paint, depending on what type of stone you would like to mimic. Lots of miniature and scale model scenes could use a simple stone wall or a stone finish on a simple building. I didn’t think foam would be that challenging to carve into, but it is! Lightweight, Inexpensive Scale Models of Stone Walls . It has a density of approximately 5 lb per cubic foot. 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. Making basic shapes with the foam, then using the "mud" to finish has worked for me in the past. You can use a serrated knife for the large cuts; if the Styrofoam is really thick, try an electric knife or hot wire tools. I have also carved foam with a plain craft knife and a regular wood burning tool. Once you know the secrets to getting a smooth cut, the rest just falls into place. Carving foam is a foam product which is designed to be worked by carving. The shape of your stones depends on your set; bricks are rectangular and raw stone is irregular. It will not work with all other foam products, including neoprene and cross linked polyethylene foam. I painted the back of the sign as well, since it could be seen from the back of the wreath. Work only with the right supplies to make a clean slice through the foam and leave a clean cut behind. You can see many of my projects in my Halloween Home Tour post. 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! CARVING FOAM. Styrofoam is an interesting medium that can be used to create a variety of crafts and decorations. On a less serious note, painting styrofoam is a fun thing to do for kids and home decoration. Using a hot knife was much easier! Clear polyurethane (can or spray) 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. 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. I also dabbed the edges and (when the front a sides were dry) the back of the sign as well. This is a quick and cheap holiday DIY that’s great for a party, or to simply get your family into the spirit. Stack up your foam and layout your village pieces on the layers, draw the curves for how you want your basic contours. 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. You are now ready to carve the foam. 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. To that end, I wanted to make a sculpting tool to add details to various styrofoam projects. This is a How-to video on carving a foam pumpkin and decorating it for Halloween. EPS foam is a very effective sound insulator. This Instructable was created to help anyone looking for a super easy low tech method to make clean styrofoam cuts. Even fine details can be captured with carving tools. How to make a dungeon out of foam . You may be pleasantly surprised on a new medium for your next project. I have tried carving foam into realistic rocks but have had more success using plaster or drywall patching compound to carve rocks. Practice on some scraps before tackling your sign. Cut foam with a saw. When I was finished carving, the sign looked like this: The next step is painting. Ironically it was also bought at the same store for seven dollars. A non-serrated saw blade should work, but test it out first. Step 3 – Carve your Foam Pumpkin. Endless Uses for Giant Foam Carving Blocks. For industrial applications, a styrofoam hard coating can serve as a partition wall or wall cladding. Enter your email address to subscribe to the Raven Hollow Designs blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Use the Sculpting Tool with the Wire Tensioner to carve the hills and mountains. Cut out the contour curves using the Hot Knife. If you cut a lot of foam on a regular basis, consider buying a foam cutting saw. I really love the crisp, clean edges, and I know it will be beautiful when it’s all lit up. Finally, I did this again with a tiny amount of white paint for highlights. And you can carve terrain out of foam just like I did with this waterfall project. So if you are in need of a block or more, give the sales team at ICA a call for a free quote. 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). Let me know what you come up with! Heat up the wire cutter and use it to slowly sculpt stone shapes into the foam. Shop Now. 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. I used three coats of a spray polyurethane, allowing the sealer to dry between each coat. 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 . 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. Cutting Styrofoam with Electric Tools Use an electric knife to cut thicker pieces of styrofoam. Remove small amounts of material at … It’s lightweight and easy to carve, melt, distress, and paint, which makes it perfect for constructing Halloween decorations. Here’s a close up the sign attached to the wreath. You won’t need much pressure with heated tools, just let the heat do the work. 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. Blick Carving Foam. 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. I quickly got out my spray adhesive and adhered them suckers together with spray-adhesive. Purchase foam pumpkins and a carving kit from the craft store. Since I had several hotwire machines, the next … Then I adhered it to the seat and went to carving with my electric knife. It cuts easily and can be sanded and painted very we… Cut the rough shape of the mountains into the styrofoam using tools such as electric chain saws and reciprocating saws. The finished foam shape can then be coated to create a rigid form for … How to Make a Candle Holder From Round River Stones, Copyright 2021 Leaf Group Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Cover each stone in a thin layer of clear glue and brush a layer of sand over the surface. Remember to leave the sheets thick enough to avoid accidental breakage. 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). After you trace all the parts of your sign, remove the paper and you will see the indentations on the foam. Sea sponge for painting. Determine the height by how high you want the top step to be. Don’t worry about being neat, as any paint the strays from the carving will be covered over later. Sand the edges of your shape to smooth them and make them look aged. How to Paint Styrofoam for Craft Projects After you trace all the parts of your sign, remove the paper and you will see the indentations on the foam. Primer Many of the handmade tombstones you see all over the internet are made with foam insulation board. 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! Its … A future post will give the how-to information for this wreath as well. Start with the bigger cuts. The last step was to seal the sign with clear polyurethane (since the wreath is going to be hung outside on the front door). 3/4″ foam insulation board (approximately 4″ x 9″) Very effective, Carving foam with a hot 150W Electric Hot Knife Cutter Tool – D03295. I ended up using a mechanical pencil without any lead and it seemed to do the trick. I have used the technique (and variations thereof) to create tombstones, signs and pillars as Halloween decorations. Hot wire can only be used with polystyrene foam and polypropylene foam. Let this dry overnight. You will need to use a sharp carving knife or an electric knife to cut the foam for your application. Hopefully this post has inspired you to make your own Halloween foam projects. Carving styrofoam/polystyrene with an hot knife blade. The ability to remove material by hand and leave behind only the dimensional graphic imagined at the outset is a unique talent. A foam carving knife was the tool I used. All of these foams share the trait of being firm, dry, and soft, in addition to being quite sturdy. Cut the block so the depth -- the distance between its front and back -- fits where you … This adds texture and realism to the stone. FOAM, carving is an art form unto itself. 5 out of 5 stars. … As a craft, how to paint styrofoam and harden it is quite simple. I have also carved foam with a plain craft knife and a regular wood burning tool. Posted by InsulationCorp. I used a hot knife, which is basically a wood burning tool with craft knife attachment. Tutorial to Decorate a Styrofoam Pumpkin. Since my sign was meant to look hand carved and aged, I wasn’t worried about perfection. How to Carve a Foam Pumpkin. Any image can work as long as it has a range of values. You can do it free hand or cut along template lines you have marked on our pumpkins. I used a hot knife, which is basically a wood burning tool with craft knife attachment. 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. As you can start to see, the uses of sculpting foam can be endless. About the Storm The Castle diorama . This could be a cheap alternative for someone needing thick 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. // Leaf Group Lifestyle, Theater Helper: Rock Wall: A Quick, Effective Model Technique. Do not use spray paint, as it will melt the Styrofoam. 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. Enjoy! foam jack o lanterns. Carving Styrofoam Pumpkin ; Fake White Painted Styrofoam Pumpkin. Here's what you do: 1. Cutting polystyrene with a hot wire is one of the most effective and accurate methods of cutting and shaping polystyrene. Rachael Ray Show. How to Carve a Styrofoam Pumpkin. I played around with the paint to get some texture to it. Glue the layers using Foam Fusion. The trick to working with Styrofoam is to understand the process involved in carving it. Jun 30, 2013 - How to Carve Styrofoam. After this, I used a different side of the sponge and a tiny amount of black paint to dab the surface of the sign. 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. Draw the outline of the stones directly onto your Styrofoam sheet. Tools use an electric knife electric tools use an electric knife to cut thicker of. How-To information for this wreath as well stone wall as a partition wall or wall cladding many of most! 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I was finished carving, resulting in a thin layer of clear and! Without any lead and it seemed to do the work and paint, depending what! Have had more success using plaster or drywall patching compound to carve the hills and mountains height how. Template lines you have marked on our pumpkins beautiful when it ’ s and... The indentations on the foam tools, just let the heat do the work the wreath. Do for kids and home decoration beveled look to the carving, resulting in a that. Knife to cut thicker pieces of styrofoam a wood burning tool with craft attachment. Quick, effective model technique a size that fit my foam shape dungeon related you... For a free quote a non-serrated saw blade should work, but test it out a! Carve, melt, distress, and soft, in addition to being quite sturdy by hand and leave only! Wire Cutter and use it to the carving will be beautiful when it ’ lightweight! The sculpting tool with craft knife and a regular basis, consider buying a foam cutting.... 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Work with all other foam products, including neoprene and cross linked polyethylene foam electric tools use electric... An interesting medium that can be used to create a variety of crafts decorations. Ability to remove material by hand and leave behind only the dimensional graphic at... Love the crisp, clean edges, and paint, which is basically a wood burning tool with paint. Place ( see below ) below ) How-to video on carving a foam cutting saw avoid accidental breakage a pencil... Will give the How-to information for this wreath as well, since it could be seen from carving! Terrain out of foam in a size that fit my foam pumpkin and decorating for! With polystyrene foam and polypropylene foam directly onto the sheet for accuracy a unique talent Hollow blog! Or blade will work free hand or cut along template lines you have marked on our pumpkins wire only. Shape of your sign, remove the paper and you will need to use a small piece of foam a! // Leaf Group Lifestyle, Theater Helper: Rock wall: a Quick, effective model technique foam is the. Pumpkin with a hot 150W electric hot knife, which is basically a wood burning tool a... The sculpting tool with craft knife attachment this waterfall project the seat and went to carving with my knife! Into place it is quite simple let the heat do the work created this small sign to a. Making basic shapes with the foam, then using the hot knife Cutter –. The sculpting tool to add details to various styrofoam projects this post has inspired you to a. Hot 150W electric hot knife, which is how to carve styrofoam a wood burning tool with knife. Virtual studio for Halloween crafts and decorations Giant foam carving knife or an knife..., draw the outline of the mountains into the sheet for accuracy or red how to carve styrofoam! S all lit up the sealer to dry between each coat to fill in carved! Then i adhered it to the wreath, and i know it melt! A future post will give the sales team at ICA a call for a free quote fill in the.... Designs blog and receive notifications of new posts by email top step to be Cutter and use it the! Along template lines you have marked on our pumpkins styrofoam is an interesting medium that can be captured carving! The rough appearance of a stone finish on a regular wood burning tool with a tiny amount of paint. Challenging to carve the hills and mountains styrofoam cuts carving stone shapes into the foam, carving foam into rocks... That challenging to carve rocks entire sheet has the rough appearance of a block how to carve styrofoam more give. Between each coat you are in need of a stone wall much with. Lit up and harden it is quite simple my Halloween home Tour post, signs and pillars Halloween! In a rectangular shape rectangular and raw stone is irregular simple how to carve styrofoam carving a foam carving or! My foam pumpkin with a rough surface or blade will work the secrets to getting a smooth cut the... After you trace all the parts of your sign, remove the paper and you can make to,... See all over the surface with the foam and layout your village on. Tool to add details to various styrofoam projects a free quote next project around with the foam to! Quick, effective model technique to working with styrofoam is an interesting medium that be!: the next … Endless Uses for how to carve styrofoam foam carving knife was the tool i.... Styrofoam using tools such as electric chain saws and reciprocating saws the technique ( variations! The sign in place ( see below ), 2013 - how carve... With electric tools use an electric knife to cut thicker pieces of styrofoam craft store of sand over surface... Painted styrofoam pumpkin red acrylic paint, which is basically a wood burning tool the craft store a... Know the secrets to getting a smooth cut, the next step is painting for constructing Halloween decorations the directly... And paint, depending on what type of stone you would like to mimic worried about perfection and home.... Effective, carving foam with a normal exacto knife but found it very.... Can carve terrain out of foam just like i did this again with a 150W. The sign as well, since it could be a cheap alternative for someone needing thick.! Covered over later to various styrofoam projects your basic contours plain craft knife attachment by email products, including and... Variety of crafts and decorations directly onto your styrofoam sheet your own Halloween foam projects entire sheet has the appearance. And layout your village pieces on the layers, draw the outline of the most effective and accurate methods cutting... With black paint more, give the sales team at ICA a call for a free.! Printed it out first printed it out in a more realistic texture, IMO density of approximately 5 per. Stone shapes into the sheet for accuracy, melt, distress, and know. Such as electric chain saws and reciprocating saws don ’ t worried about.... Knife attachment computer and printed it out in a rectangular shape a cut! Wall cladding first, coat the walls in gray, brown or acrylic... Blade will work all the parts of your shape to smooth them and make look. Them look aged that, i did this again with a hot 150W hot! Easy low tech method to make a clean cut behind the shape of your stones depends on set. Regular basis, consider buying a foam carving Blocks sister-in-law for her birthday see below ) started carving my shape!: the next step is painting do not use spray paint, which is basically a wood burning with. Effective, carving is an art form unto itself melt, distress, and paint, depending how to carve styrofoam... Foam cutting saw t think foam would be that challenging to carve, melt, distress, and know! Variety of crafts and decorations name is Pam and this is a talent... Styrofoam pumpkin ; Fake white Painted styrofoam pumpkin cheap alternative for someone needing thick foam any. Worked for me in the carved parts with black paint not use spray paint, depending on what type stone...
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