Foamboard

[GreenDiesel001]

Hi.

 

I recently purchased some 3mm thick foamboard to be used as dividing walls. The intention being to cut out windows and doorways etc.,and to glue brickpaper to it.

 

Does any forum member have experience of using this medium please?

 

I find the outer faces damage quite easily and it is prone to bending.

 

Thanks,

 

Jeff

[Guest jim s-w]

Hi Jeff

 

I use it a lot but only as a sub structure for plasticard overlays. Its best to get the self adhesive stuff if you can,

 

HTH

 

Jim

[stevel]

I use it for most of my building's, and then cover in scalescene's paper. Care has to

be taken to get a 90 degree cut, and always brace with floors and ceilings to prevent warping.

Use spray on adhesive for the paper and join the walls Artists medium, or hot glue works well

[Dr.Glum]

Steve, could you amplify on 'Artists Medium' please? What is that? I'd be interested to know about something that doesn't melt the foam interior like the Evostick glue I've previously used.

Many thanks, Tony

[Black Sheep]

Used to use it all the time when I was studying industrial design.

 

the methods that worked best for me were:

 

cutting / shaping - Swan morton scalpel with a 10A blade

 

glueing - standard PVA wood glue from B&Q (etc) and pin it in place with long map pins

 

painting - Games Workshop Acrylic spray paint was great at getting a quick single colour coat of paint on it and didn't eat it away.

 

acrylic paint in general worked nicely on it.

[GreenDiesel001]

Thank you all for your replies.

 

Steve, you referred to spray on adhesive.

 

I recently used this on some photographs to make a calender.

 

Even now some weeks later the adhesive is still tacky.

 

I have used the 3M product and another non named make but both seems to have the same characteristic.

 

Which product do you use please?

 

Many thanks,

 

Jeff

[Black Sheep]

there are two types of 3M spray adhesive, spray mount and photo mount

 

spray mount is intended to be re-positionable and over time can come away, photo mount is intended to be permanent.

sticky residue is normal after spraying, lighter fluid works very well for cleaning up stray residue.

 

most of my rulers / set squares etc now have a texture to them from the odd bit of over spray, the stickyness reduces as more general dust / dirt sticks to it instead.

[Guest jim s-w]

There's more than that - Display mount is the strongest.

 

HTH

 

Jim

[stevel]

Artist medium is the clear gel like substance. that is used with acrylic paints.

It has good bonding with cardboard and papers, and has some working time

without making the paper crinkle. Here in Canada we are limited in available

glue products and this was suggested as an alternative by an artist shop.

As for spray glue the exposed edge's will stay tacky, but you can stop this

with weathering powders,always useful to enhance your buildings look.

[DLT]

Hi.

 

I recently purchased some 3mm thick foamboard to be used as dividing walls. The intention being to cut out windows and doorways etc.,and to glue brickpaper to it.

 

Does any forum member have experience of using this medium please?

 

I find the outer faces damage quite easily and it is prone to bending.

 

Thanks,

Jeff

Hi Jeff,

 

Foamboard is fantastic stuff for buildings, I've used loads of it. I recommend using the 5mm thick sheets, its a LOT stronger than the 3mm. The stuff is very strong and light, and if you have any stability problems, you can always laminate two (or more) thicknesses together.

 

The only drawback is making sure you keep any solvent-based glue away from the foam core.

 

If you are interested, my building techniques are being written up in the Railway Modeller, the first installment is in the current (February) edition.

 

Good Luck,

Dave.

[bcnPete]

Jeff,

 

I think its a great material if you respect it's pros and cons.

 

I use it for a lot for my work when making architectural models, but you have to be careful of its tendency to dent or sometimes bow. I use it mainly for quick 'non precious' sketch models or for stabilising a card or plastikard structure. I tend to use double sided tape to laminate sheets together or for corners.

 

I also recommend the of use a Swan Morten scalpel blade with 10A blades - getting the angle of the blade is also important as sometimes it tears the edges, which you may be able to hide in the construction.

 

hth

 

Pete

[Morphaniel]

I 'discovered' foamboard thanks to posts on this forum a good while ago and it's great for quick structural stuff but getting a 90 degree cut is a real pain. One RMWeb member made an interesting tool using one of the pins of a three pin plug I recall but you can also buy several brands of cutters in Range (and, I presume, other craft stores) which allow you to get a good 90 degree cut on thick material. They also do 45 degree cuts typically and I think are for cutting photo mount card.

 

For quick and dirty glueing (internal walls, bracing etc) I like hot glue from glue stick guns. For finer glueing I have found that the non solvent version (green) of UHU works very well.

[corax67]

My technique is the same as Jim - build a base structure from the foamboard (UHU glue is my preferred choice) and then clad with plasticard as appropriate for the building you are making.

 

3M DisplayMount to bond the Plasticard to the foamboard, primer with Halfords spray and finish by painting/weathering with Games Workshop acrylics and pastels before sealing with GW spray - normally Purity Seal or Tuffcoat.

 

Add interiors, illuminate with LED's and onto the next one.

[alant]

I have used foamboard for buildings in 7mm scale for some time now. I use the 5mm thick variety and now tend to use a hot glue gun for sticking foamboard to foamboard and a UHU type glue used sparingly for the plasticard.

 

Some pics below.

[Lochnagar]

Hi.

 

I recently purchased some 3mm thick foamboard to be used as dividing walls. The intention being to cut out windows and doorways etc.,and to glue brickpaper to it.

 

Does any forum member have experience of using this medium please?

 

I find the outer faces damage quite easily and it is prone to bending.

 

Thanks,

 

Jeff

 

 

I get mine from Staples, not cheap but you get quite a lot for the money, great for building structure shells, then overlaying and finishing with plasticard.

 

 

[Tim Hale]

If you try a local signmaker, you might get lucky and be given offcuts of signboard- it is more durable than foamboard but there is a weight penalty. I recently asked on the forum about joining it and was advised Bostick by Carl but I tried my hot glue gun and it works perfectly - therefore two options.

 

The signmakers are only too pleased to have someone relieve them of their waste, which they have to pay to be removed.

 

I have used the signboard to make the profileboards for my scenic sections at the baseboard joints much cheaper (free) than plywood and no splinters.

 

DesA

[GreenDiesel001]

Wow! thanks everyone for their input.

 

All of it has given me plenty to think about and I do have a copy of Febuarys RM and enjoyed reading the article.

 

Whether I can actually produce models to the caliber shown is another thing but we must all have something to aspire to.

 

At the moment all my time is being spent trying to untangle all the wiring on my DC layout

 

Thanks again,

 

Jeff

[PhilH]

To see what can be achieved using foamboard as a medium have a look at this website.

[corax67]

At the moment all my time is being spent trying to untangle all the wiring on my DC layout

 

 

You could always go DCC - after all it is just 2 wires hahahahahahahahahaha (grabs coat and heads rapidly for the door)

[Mikkel]

I only started using foamboard recently and would echo the above suggestions, including using the 5mm thickness if possible and appropriate.

 

If using PVA for cladding then the old principle of sandwiching the foamboard is important, ie clad it on both sides or it may very well warp.

 

FWIW, I have had some trouble with getting a good bond with PVA in some cases though, as evident from the photo below where the SEF cladding is coming loose in one or two places, despite being fixed *very* carefully at first. So the alternatives (double sided tape etc) sound like a better option. I know I'll go for those next time.

 

 

PS: See earlier foamboard threads here:

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php/topic/12973-foamboard-for-scratchbuilding/page__p__116320__hl__%2Bfoamboard+%2Bwarp__fromsearch__1?do=findComment&comment=116320

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php/topic/11155-foamcore-baseboards/page__p__99674__hl__%2Bfoamboard+%2Bwarp__fromsearch__1?do=findComment&comment=99674

[TREEMENDUS]

To see what can be achieved using foamboard as a medium have a look at this website.

 

 

Thanks for pointing us to this website, that is VERY good work indeed and full of handy hints. Similar in style to Chuck Doan, He's a genius too!

 

http://public.fotki.com/ChuckDoan/model_projects/barn_and_tractor_diorama/

[meil]

To see what can be achieved using foamboard as a medium have a look at this website.

 

 

Just a small point - the foamboard that this thread is talking about has a cardboard surface. This link is using a foamboard without the cardboard.

[TREEMENDUS]

He carefully peels one of the card surfaces from the foamboard then embosses the brick pattern straight into the foam. Not sure if this may weaken the board and allow it to warp even more though. I'll be giving it a go one day for sure.

[scanman]

He carefully peels one of the card surfaces from the foamboard then embosses the brick pattern straight into the foam. Not sure if this may weaken the board and allow it to warp even more though. I'll be giving it a go one day for sure.

 

Two suggestions -

 

1) if you want to achieve the effect shown on the link get hold of 'Depron Foam' - this is a closed cell polyurethane foam - saves having to peel off the cardboard ! Anyone who eats fast food will have seen the stuff - it's what the 'food' comes in and gives it it's distinctive flavour . There are a couple of web sites selling it in UK in thicknesses of 2-6mm. There was a very good article on it's use in 'MRJ' mid-2010.

 

2) If using 'scalescenes' products - why not print it onto A4 self-adhesive paper? An A4 box at Staples (100 sheets) is about £12 (12p per sheet). Sticks like the proverbial to a blanket - so make sure it's accurately positioned from the start! Also - print with a laserjet - many 'inkjets' are not colourfast in the medium/long term (a subject that's been covered before on this list IIRC).

 

One problem with foamboard for accurate representation of brick buildings - the 'reveal' (the exposed brickwork between the wall face and the aperture frame) on doors & windows is typically 4" - 4.5" (around 1.5 mm in 4mm) so the rear face round the aperture needs to be opened out and the window inserted into the rear of the wall...

 

Have fun

 

Ian