amy858•4mo ago

Pro tip: That cheap foam from craft stores works great for prop weapons

I used to think you had to buy specialty foam from film supply places if you wanted something that looked real on camera. Last month I was short on time before a shoot and grabbed some basic craft foam from Michaels for like $8. I carved it into a dagger shape and sealed it with a few coats of plastidip. It held up way better than I expected after I painted and weathered it. Even the director couldn't tell it wasn't the expensive stuff until he picked it up. Has anyone else tried using regular craft foam instead of the pricey stuff for prop builds?

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the_ryan4mo ago

Does plastidip help that much with stiffening the cheap stuff? I tried a similar hack and the foam still felt a little flimsy after painting. Maybe I'm just not putting on enough coats.

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sarahsullivan4mo ago

Yeah I think you might be onto something about the coat count, @the_ryan. With plastidip you really need to let each one dry completely before adding the next, otherwise it doesn't build up that solid shell. I did three heavy coats on the dagger and let it sit overnight between each one. The other thing that helped me was heating the foam gently with a heat gun before sealing it. That got rid of some of the spongy texture so it felt denser when I started painting. Regular craft foam can definitely work, you just have to treat it like a rough first layer instead of expecting it to be perfect right out of the package.

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