base help

[Anonymous]

ok well i figured im going to do my layout, picked a road, accesories, ect. but now i dont know what i should use for a base. i read somewhere i should a type of styrafoam ( cant spell ) so that i can make the rivers/ponds/creeks but im not sure. any suggestions?[%-)]

[tstage]

Daniel,

The foam you are referring to is called extruded foam insulation (EFI) - the same stuff they insulate the outside walls of houses with. It can be found at any Home Depot, Lowes, or DIY and comes in 4 x 8' sheets. Cost: $15 for 1-1/2" thick; $20 for 2" - course, that will most likely go up because of the demand for building supplies for the hurricane ravaged areas.

Daniel, you also live in Ft. Lauderdale - so finding 2" thick EFI is probably not going to happen for you in your particular area. 1/2" thick is more likely what you'll run across - if that. (I don't know whether they even sell it in south FL.) Either pink (Owens Corning) or blue (Dow) EFI will work for you.

EFI is great stuff and easy to work with and cut. Light weight but firm and compact, you can lay it on top of your 1/4" - 1/2" plywood base of your benchwork and glue it down with either silicone caulk, or Elmers or Wood glue. Most folks layout down 2" thick EFI on their benchtop. But 1 or 1-1/2" thick stock works well too. You can also cut, shape and stack thinner (1/2" and 1" thick) pieces of foam to build up and form mountains and rock formations.

If you click in my link below, I used 1-1/2" thick EFI and framed it - without using a plywood base. That works well for a stand alone layout but not so well if I ever decided to add onto my 4 x 8 frame. If I were to do it over again, I'd make a frame that would exactly support a 4 x 8, 1/2" piece of plywood, then overlay it on top with the extruded foam insulation. That way the EFI goes all the way to the edge.

Daniel, DO NOT use regular styrofoam. Unlike EFI, styrofoam is messy when you cut it and will leave "statically charged" particles that will get ALL OVER your layout and, ultimately, up into your locomotives. (Not a good thing. [xx(])

Hope that's a help...

Tom

[nbrodar]

The pink or blue Styrofoam Insulation is the way to go. I use 2" foam mounted on wall brackets or free-standing box frames.

Nick

[Anonymous]

i wouldnt use reg. styrafoam i just didnt know the name of the other stuff, im still a newbie to the whole thing.