Joe Rusz said:
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HD sells similar looking stuff (it’s about 2-3/4 inces thick), but if I was gonna use anything it would be the blue or pink foam, which sits right next to it at HD.
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Joe,
In the colder climes builders use heavier sizes than what is available at HD; mostly on commercial projects. Since that stuff isn’t readily available to the general public I use 2" Styrofoam and build in honeycomb fashion. Works for me, your mileage may differ.
any kind of foam (from the junk, out of the can or from a shop) that i use, gets first a coating of thinned crackfiller, painted on.
then i an use whatever paint i want.
side effect: the cracks between foam pieces are filled.
The trash collector came today and with him went most of that foam, which cuts like butter with my sawz-all, and got sliced into bite-size chunks that I dumped in many of my neighbors’ garbage cans. While I was slicing and dicing, I tried my hand at doing some fancy carving (not easy when one-handing that saw, which is pretty heavy) and thought that the stuff would make some decent mountains. So I convinced my wife to let me keep one 4 x 6 foot sheet.
Korm, what exacly is “crack filler?” Is it like drywall patching compound? Commercial names, please.
i don’t think that it will help you much, if i write, that it is called “enduido acrilico al aqua”.
(specially, because i can not find “enduido” in a dictionary)
it comes in the consistency of a pudding, is white and feels like wet chalk between the fingers.
its use is to repair cracked plaster walls indoors.
comercial name: albalux of paraguay.
you could use plaster or portland without sand as well, but both are less easy to apply.
edit: or even normal housepaint. anything, that is not petrochemical.
enduido acrilico al agua=Water acrylic plaster.
Muchas gracias, Jose. Dos XXs. How’s that for Spanish? Seriously, and speaking of foam, I learned why styrofoam, the stuff they make picnic coolers out of, isn’t good for modeling. Because when you cut or slice it, it makes a helluva mess. I’m installing these sheets on the backside of my garage door–to insulate it and to deaden the sound–and when I cut the panels to length, the bead board or whatever ya call it, just flakes off and goes everywhere. I had to keep my shop vac handy to keep the stuff from blowing all over the floor. Messy!
Joe,
Those coolers are made from open cell foam. What you want is closed cell foam. It cuts cleanly.
JoeRusz,
use very sharp knives. then the fuzz stays in tolerable amounts.
Joe Rusz said:
While I was slicing and dicing, I tried my hand at doing some fancy carving (not easy when one-handing that saw, which is pretty heavy) and thought that the stuff would make some decent mountains. So I convinced my wife to let me keep one 4 x 6 foot sheet.
Try using an electric knife.
Not to get too far off course (sorry, Bob), but Todd, I got some questions about Hydraulic cement. While at Home Depot, I asked where I could find same and the guy very dutifully took me to the trades desk where I spoke to “the expert,” who said, “Yeah, hydraulic cement. We don’t sell it. It’s for mixing cement around water and stuff like that. Why would you want it?” When I explained, he said, “Why don’t you just use…(I forgot the name).”
Aside from where one can find it, when you described how it’s applied, is it just sprnkled on over every bit of foam, regardless of whether it’s been pre shaped? Does it fill in all the cracks and crevases? I mean, is it thick like Sculptamold? Or do ya gotta trowel it on, in which case I should use the stuff, whatever it’s called, that the “expert” at HD recommended.
I sprinkle it on with a strainer and mist it with a misting bottle. Do it in layers and you can build it up in cracks and crevices if desired. No troweling.
JOE
the home depot DOES sell it but it’s in the paint department.
The dumbkopf at the pro desk should have known that
Bill
JOE
as a side note “hydraulic cement” is mostly used for settong bolts or rods in drilled holes in concrete.
It sets in about 5 minutes so dont mix too much at one time.
extremely strong stuff after it sete.
contains mostly portland cement
Bill
It’s used to fill the cracks in your foundation were Water comes in. You stuff it in the crack dry/ mixes with the h2o to seal it up.
Dang, Sean, I wish I’d have known that sooner–before I bought a tube of cement paste (that’s what I call it) to “caulk” the seams and cracks that seem to be developing between the floor and the foundation of our 56-year-old house. The hydraulic cement would have been so much neater and prolly would have gotten into the cracks deeper/better.
As well as them there cracks, it seems that at one place on the floor itself, the concrete is–and this is my word–decalsifying. Like being eaten away! For example, right where my car pukes liquid from its a/c when you park, there’s a whole little trench that’s developing where something (water?) is eating away the surface layer of concrete. It’s like an acid attack or something. But there’s no acid around that spot. The battery is further forward and on the opposite side. And the radiator is forward as well, so it ain’t coolant. Weird. Any clues?
If you try Todd’s method, keep the sifted layers thin. Mine got too thick for the misted water to penetrate. Water puddled and ran off the high spots.
I had to try again.
Should probably ‘wet’ the water too. A drop or two of detergent/gal water, breaks surface tension.
John
Yes, thinner layers work better, or the top acts as a barrier to what’s underneath and you can end up with dry powder within the structure creating weak spots. But, if the structure is strong, even that internal powder will harden over time (if there’s not too much) as the piece eventually pulls moisture from the air.
You can also control the resultant texture of the “rock” by either doing a final sprinkle “dry” (i.e., sprinkle until the powder lays down dry and not misting it afterwards, but just letting it absorb the existing water and moisture from the air for a time) to get a rougher texture, or spray it down for a smoother texture.
It is important to keep the tub closed so that it doesn’t absorb moisture out of the air and so that you don’t get any mist in it as you work your piece.
I use a plastic ash tray to scoop it out of the tub and into the strainer. Then just lightly shake/tap the strainer over the working area and mist. You don’t even need to get your hands messy.
I use the pink or blue foam insulation sheets to make tunnel portals and retaining walls.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNNGJnAvH9A
I have a different method to make mountains.
PS: Can anyone tell me how to embed the video in the post? I tried about 2 dozen times using different ways with no luck!
Todd, do you roughen up the foam, or attach screen to it, for the cement to grab ahold of? I would like to try this technique, but I don’t want another abysmal failure like I had with the Hardiboard.
No, I just coat it. Sometimes without even using foam.
You can make a wire mesh, cover it with masking tape, and build up on that, but do both the inside and outside to enclose the wire mesh as best as possible. I use these to cover sprinkler heads.
If you build up to >1/4" thick, it gets pretty strong.
If your structure cracks or bits flake off, due to settling under its weight, etc., just sift more on and into the cracks and mist away.