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Has anyone out there ever finished styrofoam? If cuts really good and clean with a hot wire saw and we would like to put on a really good finish.
Kevin Landry KnL Signs
-------------------- Kevin Landry KnL Signs Halifax NS
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This one's coming out of left field, but the surfboard manufacturers are starting with hot wire cut styro, and with some fiberglass & resin, they end up with a finish that could be great for a sign.
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We coat styrofoam with stucco, among other things, gives it a durable and textured finish. I want a cnc hot wire. Anyone got one for sale cheap?
-------------------- Garrick Crocker Absolute Signs and Printing 20372 E. Pennsylvania Ave, Suite G Dunnellon, FL 34432 352-489-2407 asap@digitalusa.net Posts: 17 | From: Florida | Registered: Oct 2001
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Kevin, I just finished a set of styrofoam letters that I rounded the whole face over with a grinder, rasp, then sandpaper. I finished them by rolling on 2-3 coats of semi-gloss latex enamel. They look great!
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hey, are you guys talking about "Styrofoam " or "Urethane" ? If you are going to apply Fiberglass to styrofoam You MUST seal with a Latex barrier coat FIRST With urethane you can use almost anything.....
-------------------- Arvil Shep' Shepherd Art by Shep' -------- " Those who dance are thought to be mad by those who cannot hear the music " Posts: 1281 | From: Mt Airy NC | Registered: Mar 2001
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I have done some carvings in the blue insulation foam. I then coated with three coats of a two part apoxy which I bought at a boat manufacturing shop. It worked great. It looked so nice that some punks stole the sign a month later. The apoxy took paint real well. This is a cheap way to get around sign foam.
-------------------- Rob Larkham Rob Larkham Signs & Lettering 21 Middlefield Road Chester, MA. 01011
413-354-0287 Posts: 517 | From: Chester, MA | Registered: May 2001
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I made a Noah's Ark for my daughter 2 years ago for a Pinewood Derby Race. I found out that if you sand the styrofoam with a high speed sander, it melts into a really smooth finish (REALLY EASY TO SHAPE INTO JUST ABOUT WHATEVER YOU WANT).
Lost the race.... BUT TOOK BEST OF SHOW!!
-------------------- Mark Neurohr "Ernest" Paintin' Place 141 Sunnyside Road Kittanning, PA 16201
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I have manufactured styrofoam letters for 20 years, I usually cut and route with a table top router(not cnc)I make my patterns on my computer setup. The best thing to paint styrofoam® with is Sherwin Williams DTM (direct to metal) acrylic. I usually use 3 coats. Styrofoam is a cheap and very good medium(I use 2# foam)and very durable if you coat it right. Urethane is subject to deteroriation by the sun, and once it starts to go it just dissloves. Styrofoam is effected by the birds if it is not well coated. Bill
-------------------- Bill & Barbara Biggs Art's Sign Service, Inc. Clute, Texas, USA Home of The Great Texas Mosquito Festival Proud 10 year Supporter of the Letterheads Website www.artssigns.com "MrBill-" on the chat page MailTo:biggsbb@sbcglobal.net Posts: 1020 | From: Lake Jackson,Tx | Registered: Nov 1998
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Used to work at a sign shop that made styrofoam letters and such. We used templates made out of thin paneling type material for the letters and cut the foam out with with a hand held router. Then rounded the edges with a table top router. Depending on the application, we painted with a latex or acrylic-latex enamel finish. This past weekend i just drove by some styrofoam signs that we installed Summer of '88, and they still looked great!(did that rhyme that time?)
That was a great tip on using a sander to smooth the foam before finishing, I will have to give that a try.
I am working on a how-to for a project that I created earlier this year. I used 4" styrofoam and carved several large chunks of rock "tablets", the applied acetone to give it "texture", then sprayed latex to finish. They ended up as display signs inside a local church. Hopefully I will have that "how-to" finished before to long and post it.
-------------------- Michael Clanton Clanton Graphics/ Blackberry 19 Studio 1933 Blackberry Conway AR 72034 501-505-6794 clantongraphics@yahoo.com
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