I got a big stack of foam board from work - saved from being thrown in the trash. I had heard it being mentioned several times on forums and I was wondering if you guys could tell me what uses are there for foam board in modeling? The most common use I have heard for it is for building bases/dioramas. Anything else though? Thought about making a spray booth with it, since they are large poster-size boards, which would make for a nice size for a booth.
Definitely great for Dios!!
take a paint brush and dip it in some lacquer thinner,drip that onto the foam
now you see why using it for a spray booth made me smile
in addition to bases for dios,it makes for a very easy to cut, shape and form material for buildings, just seal it well after building and before your top coat of color goes on
you can also make different choices of color “photo boards” for posting your finished models,keep one in White, paint another in a Light Blue, whatever colors you like,place your model on/in front of the boards when you shoot the photo
the background of all the color chips, book covers or kits that I post are shot laying on a white foamboard
Rex
It has a foam core but both sides are papered with card stock-type stuff… that IS foam board, right? Just checking 
Havent tried your suggestion but I would think that the paper would prevent lacquer from affecting it too much.
Thanks for the ideas!
you have foam core board
foam board doesn’t have any coverings on it
I have three different types here,foam board, a foam core board with paper on both sides, and a foam core board that I got at Hobby Lobby that has Styrene sheet on both sides of it
that last one glues just like plastic stock to make things with ,and this one also wouldn’t work for a spray booth,only the foam core board with the paper/cardstock would work for that, as long as the paper is not absorbant
I paste my photo backdrops to foamcore, and use it for jigs. I use a lot of jigs, most made from particle board, but do the larger ones with foamcore to keep them from getting too heavy.
I staple it to my workbench top, as a renewable covering and working surface.
I have built all sorts of thigs from it to include model buildings and carrying cases.
I use it for diorama bases and structures.
If you use it for buildings it can be a bit out of scale thickness wise. However if you plan carefully you can build your structure so that you can hide the thickness.
Logan Foam Werks makes a set of tools designed for use with foam core. The circle cutters are probably the most useful.
For cutting I’ve found a utility knife works better than an Xacto hobby knife. Blades are cheaper too.
If you build any box-like structures, use rabbet joints. Easy and strong. Here is where I got a few ideas.
Major General Tremorden Rederring’s Colonial Wargames Page
I am thinking of a new use, and wonder if anyone has tried this. I am getting tired of replacing those expensive “cutting mats”. I am sure that foam core will not last all that long as a cutting board, but I have so much of it around that I can use the scraps for cutting matts.
Don - What kinds of jigs? For what? And as for cutting mats - youre right they would not last long at all. But more so, I could think they are too soft for that. Cutting next to another cut and it would give way too easily. Haven’t tried it yet though.
Thanks guys for all the great input! I will definitely give the board a try as a diorama base. Any tips on keeping it from curling up when applying paint? My son had a go at one with some paint and I noticed the drying paint pulled it in towards center, making it curve slightly. I would think that waiting for glue holding it down to harden then sealing with maybe some Future would probably work. Wouldn’t be an issue for most small displays but I am thinking about doing a couple of large ones sometime.
Also, for diorama use, what do you use to “frame” it? I got a couple pieces of square wood rods from Hobby Lobby to frame a diorama with but I wondered if there were any other alternatives.
You might check the moulding selection at your local lumber yard/home supply store. Something will probably work well for your needs. A simple miter box to miter your corners and you’re good to go. Paint or stain or whatever finish you want!
Gary
I use jigs for many things, not all from foamcore but some are. I almost always make a jig to put the top wing on a biplane, to glue axles on cars so the axles are parallel to each other. I make jigs for gluing the horizontal stab/elevators so the pieces are in a line and perpendicular to centerline of fuselage. In fact, almost any time when gluing on a piece or subassembly where the angle of the result is critical, I evaluate whether a jig would be the best way to do it. Oh, and for those kits where the blades of a prop are individual and need to be each glued to hub, a jig is essential. I use a cad program to lay out the blade lines, print it out and glue it to a piece of foamcore or particle board. I drill a center hole for the hub where the blade lines converge.
Oh okay… will keep that in mind!