It's pretty useful for filling gaps in scenery areas. Just make sure to use the blue can and not the red can. Red stuff is latex based and doesn't carve and shape as well as the blue can.
Spray Foam Here is what a fellow I know did with spray foam. Seems the imagination is perhaps the limit.
I don't know but I think it was measured in cases! Tho does amazing work. That arch bridge is scratch built from plaster with each brick hand carved. He is SOO talented and patient. He said he did a few rows of bricks every morning before work. Joe
Im speechless....thanks for the help I almost bought the red can today =/ Im glad i asked, now only if i could get an employee discount =( I would be set
I also didn't know there was a difference between the red and blue cans. I've used the foam in a can once and it is good for filling gaps but you really need ventilation. One of the problems I found with the foam I used, when I was making a small mountain, the center of the foam never cured, it was soft, so I had to split if open and sure enough wet foam oozed out forming what I call a worm shape, it took a few hours for it to cure. One thought with foam, with it's expansion properities, it's hard to determine how much to use at a time then carve it. Joe Daddy, that pix of the layout is amazing but all I can think about is the cost, he got a discount by buying in bulk but doesn't one can cost appox. $5.00 to $6.00?
I have used Great Stuff on my layout. It works well if you remember that it EXPANDS... and if you are doing a large area it is best to take it in stages. It will carve and shapes easily, takes paint, but looks better if you coat with scenic paste or cover with plaster cloth. I have done all three, bare, paste and plaster cloth. I used the plaster cloth to smooth out the foam base and more easily shape the terrain. Great Stuff is good stuff. I tried other brands and there is some difference. So I stay with GS. The photo is GS foam after scenery.
Expanding foam needs moisture to cure properly. You can either squirt one layer at a time and let it cure (uses the moisture in the air) or if you are in a hurry, you can spritz the foam with water and it will cure quicker. Then you can add another layer of foam on top.
I am planning on using GS to fill in gaps on my foam base and may use it for scenery as well. Once it dries, it sands and paints great....it's awesome. A few weeks ago I was sealing gaps around a window air conditioner and got some where I didnt want it .....WORD OF ADVICE..... If you get great stuff in an area you dont want it.....let it dry before you try to remove it I am still cleainging this stuff off my hands ....and oh yeah, wear gloves I do like the stuff but it can be messy
it really is... Great Stuff also gives a real flowy, curvy, bumpiness that is quite different than just using expanded foam board. It has a more organic shape that allows your mind to get away from the flatness of the pink or blue prairies. If nothing else it's worth experimenting with.
What about weight? Is it heavy when dry, like plaster? I am looking at anything light weight for the layout. John
John, My experience is that it is extremely light but as Matt has said don't touch it until it cures because otherwise it can be very messy (use gloves) As with everything the can foam has it pros & cons. Pros: easy to use, can make shapes with it, after it sets you can trim it with a knife or foam rasp, etc and it works well with foam board especially filling in the gaps. The Cons I've experienced: you need ventilation, it smells, can be messy and the cost per can. Everyone on this post has given good information about this product. It's worth experimenting with it to see if you personally like it's properties.
John, The expanded foam is just that, foam and it shares the other properties of foam, most especially light in weight and easy to carve/cut. I have a mountain about 24" high, 18" deep and ~ 60 inches long built with hydrocal over screen wire on a 1/2" foam board profile. The plaster added negligible weight. Many, but not all foam users use a plaster of some type to smooth and detail the foam. Some use the foam 'raw' choosing to paint it directly. I also find that rocks molded from hydrocal to be extremely light as well. It has been my experience that weight comes from the wooden components of the bench work and the plywood I use for sub-roadbed. The resulting strength being the trade off. My 2 cents, about what it is worth. Joe
Thanks for the info guys. Joe, you are right of course. I am building using 2" thick white insulation board (2 x 4' sections). This will be placed on easy-to break down wooden framework (after all these years THIS layout will truely be mobile!!). Because the foam takes the place of plywood I will need lightweight scenery. My layout is of course in the Colorado Mountains...thus it raises the particular problem of big mountains/rock faces. Initially I thought of using hydrocal or water putty (that stuff is pretty light weight). But I will experiment with the canned foam. Cost will be a real factor here, but if it is really light then I can do a little at a time as not to break the bank John
John, I strongly encourage you to try an experiment using aluminum screen wire and drywall mud or hydrocal. Take some kind foam, cardboard or thin plywood as a profile and literally form the screen wire up against it, kinda like a tent. If you want smooth mountains for lots of trees, use it smooth right off the roll. If you want detailed rock face and interesting shapes, wad up the wire (using gloves) into a tight ball first then shape it. Paint on thin drywall mud to the wire and you tell me what you get. I was simply amazed at what I got and it is SO easy! Thanks to John Warren for this fantastic idea. See his pictures here on Trainboard. Because it is so easy, I am actually rebuilding my entire layout so I can have 7 or 8 times more mountains! Joe
Excellent!! In the past I have used regular plaster over screen wire on cardboard forms, but it is just too darned heavy for what I need to do. I will keep this in mind and give it a try (I am a long way from ready to do the scenery, but I am gathering my resources now ) John
Dont forget to check out the videos on using extruded foam (the pink stuff) http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?t=87013 there is well over an hour of video some of which is just the same thing or poor shots but just stick with it and watch it all, this method works great, although makes the most mess i believe. I am blown away every time I use it. You really just need a metal ruler or you can use a spackling knife, try everything see what you like best.
Truer words could not be spoken. Opinions are great and it gives us something to start from but only by trying various methods can we find what will work best for our situation. I tend to mix and match different ideas to get the results I want. Sometimes I get there through a happy accident that just happens to work out well; for me.
