Carving a tree out of EPS (Styrofoam) - Hot wire sculpting technique
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- Опубліковано 15 жов 2024
- My brother and I were commissioned to build an 8 foot tall cypress tree out of Styrofoam as part of a swamp scene for a shop in New Orleans. We did all of our carving with a hot knife and a homemade hot wire. For our hard coating we used Speed Finish which is a cement based product sold as a tile underlayment.
Here’s a link to the 3D files for the hot wire cutter handles in case you want to print your own set:
www.thingivers...
Chemical 14 swag:
teespring.com/...
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4:54
This music is GREAT... when you're not talking...
Thanks for sharing your process with us, pretty cool! Everyone helps out, even the shorties! Great end results :-)
WOW! I'm impressed! I work, or rather play, with many mediums. This one takes the cake. Definitely on my to do list. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it! EPS Foam is cheap and easy to work with compared to a lot of materials, but be prepared for a lot of cleaning afterwards!
God your little girl is getting big.The tree came out great getting ready for halloween later tell everybody i said HI
I’d love to see you guys create a kids storybook playhouse or she shed!
Definitely do excellent work! I love learning new techniques & also noticed you're a fellow lefty which is most excellent too!!
You prolly dont give a damn but does any of you know a way to get back into an instagram account??
I stupidly forgot my account password. I would love any assistance you can give me.
@Thomas Nixon Instablaster =)
@Kenzo Xzavier I really appreciate your reply. I found the site on google and im trying it out now.
Takes a while so I will reply here later with my results.
@Kenzo Xzavier it worked and I actually got access to my account again. Im so happy:D
Thanks so much, you saved my ass :D
@Thomas Nixon You are welcome :)
What is the music used for this video? great technical info made even more enjoyable!
Hello
Thanks for sharing this ! Where did you buy this big foam blocks ?
Following
Video is awesome! Thanks for sharing! Could you help me with a few questions?
What did you guys use to prime?
What did you use to paint?
Do you find that the Speed Finish is durable enough over time?
What do you use if you have to have a more glossy or smooth surface?
Thanks again!
I probably need about 5 or 6 of these for a prom event
This is amazing. Id love to do this to my playhouse. Where do you purchase the large foam blocks you started with?
I buy them from a construction supplier that sells a lot of insulation products and Hvac stuff. The one near me is called Taylor Seidenbach.
Why do you wear masks ?
@@t6233 Melting this kind of foam releases chemicals like styrene and PAHs as well as soot. While breathing in a very small amount of these byproducts might not cause much long-term damage, some people can be sensitive to it and suffer symptoms like breathing difficulty, eye irritation, headaches, nausea, etc. For a larger project (like this one) that requires working close to these fumes for a significant amount of time, a respirator is a smart idea. Even with a respirator, having good ventilation is also important.
Cutting or sanding almost any material creates very fine dust (in addition to the macroscopic stuff we think of as "sawdust"). Getting any kind of microscopic particulates into the lungs can do damage. An N95 mask can filter out a lot of the fine particulates and should be considered essential if you a routinely in a dusty environment. A lot of wood shops now have much more comprehensive dust collection systems to reduce the need for masks.
Where do you get your styrofoam blocks? I need to make some trees for The Lion King and I'm not finding anything larger than 12" online
I buy them locally from a company called Taylor Seidenbach. They’re a supplier for construction, insulation and Hvac. There’s probably something similar in your area
Where did you get those big Styrofoam pieces?
Hi, thank you for the video gave me lots of information. I want to make a tree for my cats and need to know how you attached the limbs so that they can go on them safely. I also might add plywood platforms where the limb meets the trunk. Any help would be appreciated and thank you for taking the time to answer.
I would use Great Stuff as adhesive. It’s very strong and it will fill gaps if you don’t have a tight fit. I would also put a wood dowel inside to reinforce it. Just sharpen it to a point at both ends and push it into the trunk halfway and then push the branch onto it with great stuff in between. Use skewers to hold it tight until it cures. The finish coat will add additional strength to the joint too.
@@Chemical14 WOW thank you so much for your reply. I was not expecting it to be so fast. I have been researching the best way to make a "tree" for them that is safe and easy to move ( 69 yr old motorcycle riding lady here :) and to keep in the corner of my 3 season room.
This looks like exactly what I need to make thank you! Would you be able to recommend an epoxy finish? In the past I've found epoxy so horribly messy to work with. But it's going to be for a children's library so I think it'll need a more durable coat..
I like to use west system epoxy. The 2 parts have a metered pump on the can so it’s really easy to mix the right proportions without any measuring. Mix in small batches like maybe 3 or 4 pumps of each part in a plastic cup at a time. The more you mix the faster it cures.
so cool! where can i find the hot wire cutter that was used to carve the lines? the head of the tool was in a loop..
It’s a hot knife foam cutter. You can order them on Amazon for around $100. I can’t remember what website I ordered mine from. They come with an attachment that looks more like a blade but you can make your own attachments like the loop I was using with nickel chromium wire.
Well done!
Hello, I am starting to manufacture decorations using polystyrene. I'm trying to make a hot wire for myself exactly like you, so that I can put the distance I want and be autonomous. Do you have the specific materials recommended to me? I have been researching since Tuesday ... lol thank you, it's complicated for someone who is new to directing by yourself :). Very nice job !
The basic components for building a Hotwire are simple. You need nickel chromium wire (resistance wire) which you can order on Amazon. I recommend 24 gauge thickness. You need a light dimmer or a variable power supply and you need some type of insulating handles (pvc pipe can work). My handles are 3D printed. If you scroll back though my other videos I did one about building my Hotwire.
@@Chemical14 Hello, thank you for your feedback and your speed, I just saw it it's true everything was in front of my eyes thank you very much, is this type of food enough? fr.aliexpress.com/item/32804367095.html then to that I simply add the handles and the wire.
Curious- how much would you guess it weighs in the end?
I would guess around 40 pounds I think. That’s just a rough guess.
Where can I take classes on how to do this?
LOVE the Video...
Not so much the background noise that was interfering with your voice.
Leave out the background noise/music...
All we want is to HEAR YOU TALK...
Thank you for sharing this video.
Where do you get the large scale foam? I'm an filmmaker looking to build large sci-fi film sets with low weight, manegable materials.
I buy foam from a company in New Orleans called Taylor Seidenbach that sells mostly insulation and Hvac products to contractors. A 2’ x 2’ x 4’ block is roughly $50 and lots of other sizes are available. I’m sure there are similar companies wherever you’re located. Hope that helps!
@@Chemical14 Thank you very much
Approximately how much would this cost total? And could it be made to being outside prop for Halloween?
I made this for about $250. If you paint it well it’ll hold up outside pretty well. If it was going to be a permanent install I would do some type of epoxy coating as well which is more expensive. A good hot knife can cost another $200 but you don’t necessarily need that for carving. The hot wire system I built myself which isn’t very hard and the wire is cheap on Amazon. Maybe $10 for a spool. Hope this helps!
Would you say the hard coat is durable? Will it easily dent? Did you use multiple coats?
Im new to this and Id like to make something large for outdoors. Do you recommend resine epoxy or cement or durhams? Thank you!
The hard coat is very durable and won’t dent easily if you build up a thick coat but it also has a rough texture and doesn’t sand easily. That was fine for this application because I wanted it to be rough. Epoxy it the best but it’s expensive and takes a lot of layers and a lot of work if you use it by itself. Sometimes I’ll do a cement product first to fill cracks and add some rigidity and then do one coat of epoxy for a smooth durable finish.
You can also use a few layers of a product like redguard or aquadefense witch is a waterproofing membrane for tile underlayment. It’s firm and rubbery and paints on very easily. Not as strong but it is weatherproof.
@@Chemical14 Wow really great information thank you so much!!
Great!
what is NOLA?
New Orleans, Louisiana
@@Chemical14 Quite simple. Why didn't i think of this? Thanks
Look's like shit. Why just don't pick up same pice of wood at the forest?