WORKING WITH FOAM

Ex-Pat · Post by **Ex-Pat** » Fri Nov 20, 2020 9:19 pm

I like those Dave!

Lofty · Post by **Lofty** » Fri Nov 20, 2020 9:30 pm

Thanks, it was a little micro I built a few years ago when we moved house, only just getting around to building a bigger layout now.

Daniel · Post by **Daniel** » Fri Nov 20, 2020 10:38 pm

Thank you Dave.

Nice work even if in what my eyes nowadays consider nano-scale!

I never heard about FOMEX before but my first search after reading your message brought me to the Chines Alibaba site where is imposible to understand a thing even if is more or less in English.

The only alternative is a Dutch firm where they say is PVC foam and the price is 67euro for 1m2 in 10mm thickness.
The white foam is use in this thread so far costs in 10mm thickness 10euro for 1m2

So Magoo here is saying "I want to try that PVC foam" while at the same time Mr. Wallet say "Over my dead body!"

Now serious: yes those are the prices but I'll will give it a try just to learn.

What did you use for glueing it?
Does silicone kit work with it?

Daniel

Post by **Admin4** » Sat Nov 21, 2020 9:36 am

Hi Daniel,

PVC foam board appears to be the right stuff, obviously working in a much smaller scale I don’t need your quantity or size. I have some 1mm thickness that I haven’t tried yet, the two little huts are made with 5mm. I purchased a starter pack of 5 x A4 sheets a few years ago after seeing another modellers excellent work on the web somewhere.

It will join with PVA but it takes time to set so I used a cheap contact adhesive. Simple child’s acrylic paint worked fine.

Daniel · Post by **Daniel** » Sat Nov 21, 2020 10:08 am

Thank you Dave.

What about cutting it?

When I was designing a range of kits the lasercutter company told me they wouldn't use PVC because it's toxiciy (carcinogen) so when the first PVC foams appeared I assumed they were neither too health-friendly stuff and forgot.
But that is apersonal assumption, not real knowledge.

Daniel

Daniel · Post by **Daniel** » Sat Nov 21, 2020 3:46 pm

Well, the gray base color was dry so playing with dry pastels was unavoidable.
Painting & colours will be soon subject of a dedicated thread but for te time being I want to give an example what can be done with dry pastels on foam making profit of it's surface porosity and also of how easy is to change it's texture with very little work. As you see in the photos, the main method is to drag the cylinder of the pastels instead of using their ends.
Sensing the tiniest variations in the presure that you do with your fingers and learning to sense also how the direction of those presures work is a delicate task, Nevertheless, once you've got it, a certain brutality may every npow and then give good results.

IMG_0081 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

IMG_0082 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

IMG_0083 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

The human eyes is mad about subtle variations of colour, tone and shade.
If you expect to learnt for it a kind of 'system' you better go cycling: as soon as systematicity shows up is time to pause and, probably also to reflect.
It is 10% about materials and 90% abut honest attention.

IMG_0084 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

IMG_0085 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

IMG_0086 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

IMG_0088 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

Here below I rub first the pastel on de upper edge of the wall just to help it lossing pigment..

IMG_0089 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

and here I drag the pigment dow rubing the foam surface:

IMG_0091 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

IMG_0092 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

But'as you see in next photo, you can also work in many nother ways and, for example, drag the pastel as we did before for different effects.
You canb also drag one color in one direction and above that another colour or tone in a different direction. The posibilities are endless.

IMG_0093 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

I never worry about getting things done in one intent. Experience shows that too often a superposicion of errors provide beautiful surprisses and surpass expectatives. Freedom to play and experiment is absolutelly necesary.

IMG_0094 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

IMG_0095 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

IMG_0062 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

IMG_0066 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

Please, feel fre to ask, comment, criticize or ad. May be you don't know but to have something to 'teach' I must first learn but if you don't let you hear (read) from who am I going to learn?

More tomorrow.

Daniel

Ex-Pat · Post by **Ex-Pat** » Sat Nov 21, 2020 4:00 pm

That's another great tutorial Daniel - you make it look so easy (I know your response will be "it is easy"!). I simply can't imagine anyone criticizing it!

Daniel · Post by **Daniel** » Sat Nov 21, 2020 4:22 pm

Ex-Pat wrote:That's another great tutorial Daniel - you make it look so easy (I know your response will be "it is easy"!). I simply can't imagine anyone criticizing it!

Thank you Pat, as always you are very kind.

Just wait until you get a piece of foam and a pencil in your hands!

But avoid relaying on the mind: it is new to you so your mind knows nothing about and anything it may say is nonsense. You better give the foam, the pencil and the freedom to your hands and follow them humbly. Youll see.

Daniel

Daniel · Post by **Daniel** » Sat Nov 21, 2020 4:34 pm

... and if no one dare I will criticize what I have done:

I've made a mistake and notice it just now:

If you look the photo below (sorry is taken with the camera from the computer screen so no good quality) you will se the circle with the = sign of the cursor beside one of the stones.
That is a strategic location because is at the limit of the area full of stones and the flat area of the platerd wall and in such situatipons contrast is all.
When I made impresions with the coarse sandpaper on the foam to give different to stones different structures I used the same sandpaper for both, that stone and the area of the plaster around. I alkso forgot to shape a bit the body of the stone so now it is not clear if it is a stone or plaster.
As always, everything depends on the quality of our attention.

IMG_0068 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

IMG_0069 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

In a few minutes it will be repaired.

Daniel

Daniel · Post by **Daniel** » Sat Nov 21, 2020 4:42 pm

Done.

IMG_0002 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

IMG_0001 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

Daniel

Lofty · Post by **Lofty** » Sat Nov 21, 2020 5:08 pm

Daniel wrote: I've made a mistake and notice it just now:

I am not sure that anyone else would have noticed, I struggled to see it even when you pointed it out, until you showed us the repair job.

Going back to Foamex which you asked about earlier, you can cut it with a normal craft knife but it needs a couple or three passes with the blade.

Daniel · Post by **Daniel** » Sat Nov 21, 2020 8:05 pm

Thank you, Dave.

A friend tol me today that for modellers Foamex is 'the new kid in town'.
Everybody is very enthousiastic about.

Still, I don't know. I must first get a piece and see what my hands do before having an opinion.
But thank you for letting me learn about and, please, post here some photos when you make another work with it.

Daniel

Daniel · Post by **Daniel** » Mon Nov 23, 2020 1:12 pm

Here a short series of photos showing de build of a gadget to hide a 90degree corner at the background of my layout.

It has increased through the years and posibly it has to do with the decay of my eyes but I have a bit a rejection to measure so most of what I do is
-paradoxically- done 'by eye' !
The second third of the truth is I really like the inexactitude of doing things so.
The third third is that no way would I even try to measure such a number of lines!!!

P2170134 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

P2170136 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

P2170138 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

P2170139 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

P2170140 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

P2170143 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

P2170142 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

P2170144 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

P2170146 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

P2170147 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

P2170148 (2) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr

P2170178 (3) by Daniel Osvaldo Caso, on Flickr