Thanks for all the answers folks. I have a good handle on carving foam, I used a sand block with 36 grit paper to rip the foam for rock faces. Bread and pocket knife to cut and shop vac to clean the mess up.
What I am looking to do is make the ground have small impressions so it does not look like a lawn. I think the hair dryer will give me the effect I am looking for.
Thanks again, Cuda Ken
I hate Rust
Lance Mindheim used a circular sander with light to medium grade sanding disks to place undulations in what would be just a flat surface on his Voodoo & Palmettos/East Rail layout. I have used this method and it works really quite well.
Larry
I build up hills with stacked foam,shape it with a Sureform and a bread knife then slather on drywall mud.The mud cracks as it dries giving you what I think are pretty cool natural rivlets and small gullies. Then it gets a coat of your choice color paint and a dusting of ground cover. Same for dug out areas.:
Still need trees here. Terry
Terry in NW Wisconsin
Queenbogey715 is my Youtube channel
Wire wheel in an angle grinder or drill (as recommended by the late Art Curren) will make very short work of the foam (and lots of work with the Shop-Vac!). The Surform is another very useful tool, along with a thin paring knife, the cheap ones you can get at the dollar store. There are many ways to shape foam.
Mike WSOR engineer | HO scale since 1988 | Visit our club www.WCGandyDancers.com
Go to Lowes or Hoe Depot and get yourself a sure form file and a small wire brush.
They have Sure form files or rasps that are about 1"x 2" with small handles on them. they work great, dig out the area you want then sand it smooth. Even if you over file it no problem when you go over it with scupltamold or hydrocal you can fill in and smooth out the are just the way you want it.
Ken, a wire brush would make short work of the foam...well...that and a shopvac.
Can you stack some foam here and there for some extra knobby places? For gullies and such, you can carve initially with a carpet cutter to make a first ditch of sorts, and then go to work with the wire brush.
Use a sanding block (one of the foam ones) to smooth out what you need to.
-Crandell
Ken:
PS, has anyone heard from Arthill?
See..."WS "Foam Putty" alternatives?", 5th post down today at 1:50pm
He's still around.
John
Thanks David, I still have hair so I have a hair dryer! Does not have to work as hard these days!
Ken, your missed guide friend.
I am HO scale, current section I am working on has a 2 inch foam base. I have carved some deeper section into the foam. I have all so added some small hills out of foam. New section has a Grain Mill and to much flat land.
I want small dips here and there, not gullies but small impression so it not flat. When I sand dips, it looks man made. I thought about beating small impressions into the foam.
What do you folks do?
Cuda Ken