Re: [FT] Terraforming Styrofoam

From: John Crimmins <johncrim@voicenet.com>
>Subject: [FT] Terraforming Styrofoam

>Here's the question of the hour: how do I seal this styrofoam?  It has
a
>very rough texture; not beaded, but very porous.  I'm thinking of using
>miliput, which is very easy to work with when you have enough water,
and
>adds strength besides.  I'm not sure if this is the best option,
though.
>Anyone done this before?  And if so, what'd you use?

Well, there are a couple of ideas I can think of if your goal is not
only
to seal it, but to also smooth out the surface a bit.  Durham's Water
Putty (available at craft and DIY hardware stores) can be thinned down
to
a thin paste and spread on the surface of styrfoam.  It becomes very
hard
once dry and seals it enough to use spray paint on it afterwards.  It
can
also be sanded down, so you can build up several layers and then sand
down
any bumps or ridges.  I use this product for hiding the joint between
two
pieces of styrofoam when making hills and such.  Messy, but works great.

Another product is Modge-Podge (available and craft stores).  It's more
of
a sealant than a filler, but it's thick and works well if you're working
towards a smooth surface.  Again, several layers will probably be needed
to get a very smooth surface.  I haven't used this product for gaming,
but
I did use it to seal a small, underground cave system designed for my
pet
lizard's tank!

A temporally displaced		Bill Nitsche (bnitsche@u.washington.edu)
	hobbit			Oceanography, University of Washington