# Ideas for tracing templates onto tombstone foam



## Sytnathotep (Oct 10, 2011)

Transferring my printed epitaphs to the foam board is the most time consuming and fatiguing step of the whole tombstone making process. I've done this with carbon paper, but it just barely shows up, and I have to also go over it again by hand. Has anyone come up with a better way? Or at least a carbon paper that is actually visible after?


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## The_Caretaker (Mar 6, 2007)

I just glue mine on with thinned white glue and the cut through them and then soak the paer off.


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## Rage (Oct 23, 2012)

In the sign shop what we use to do was to use a pounce wheel (sewing centers have them) to outline the pattern then use a chalk bag (line chalk in and old sock works) and buy lightly dabbing the sock onto the pattern it will transfer. The best way is to get an old overhead projector, it will come in handy in a ton of ways but by projecting the pattern on the foam you can trace the pattern with a laundry pen and make it as big or as small as you want.


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## Sytnathotep (Oct 10, 2011)

Rage said:


> In the sign shop what we use to do was to use a pounce wheel (sewing centers have them) to outline the pattern then use a chalk bag (line chalk in and old sock works) and buy lightly dabbing the sock onto the pattern it will transfer. The best way is to get an old overhead projector, it will come in handy in a ton of ways but by projecting the pattern on the foam you can trace the pattern with a laundry pen and make it as big or as small as you want.


The pounce wheel is a good idea, but the projector, GENIUS! I have an old school overhead projector sitting in the darn way in the shop, maybe know I have a use for it. I can print on transparency film, and give that a try! Damn I love this forum! :googly:


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Rage's comment triggered this thought - I wonder whether the tracing paper you find in fabric stores will work better than carbon paper from an office supply store does. It certainly leaves a good visible mark on fabric. You use it with a tracing wheel - similar to a pounce wheel, but you don't fill it with chalk.


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## autumnghost (Sep 12, 2009)

I gave up on the tracing paper and use a tracing wheel you can get in fabric stores or the sewing area of Walmart. Get the one that looks like a little spur instead of the smooth one.

Trace around your patter and you have little holes in the foam to follow. It's like doing the pumpkin patterns where you poke through the paper into the pumpkin.


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## BioHazardCustoms (Aug 5, 2009)

You can use a fine point wood burning tool and trace through the paper as well. Then go back and sculpt it in after you finish tracing it.


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## Sytnathotep (Oct 10, 2011)

I know that there are two common carbon papers that I have tried, the graphite type (doesn't work at all) and the ink based type you find in ledgers and receipt books. (works mediocre at best.)

Roxy, I've never looked for tracing paper in the fabric section, I'll have to look into that. 
BioH, I typically use a wood burner to carve anyway, I may also give that a try.


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## Rage (Oct 23, 2012)

If you feel the need to make alot of the same general shape then trace the pattern onto a 1/8 sheet of plywood (any plywood) 3M makes a spray on adhesive that is tacky but not extremely sticky. Use the projector to make the pattern on the 1/8 and the 3M to "stick" it to the foam. A Foam cutter or a drywall saw will make short work of cutting the pattern. Since Krylon's solvents dissolves foam by making a "resist" you can etch the foam with Krylon instead of carving letters..........as an example, by cutting letters from an old inter tube and using the same 3M spray you can spell out what you want on the gravestone and then use the Krylon to etch the foam back to the depth you want. But a word of caution......go slowly or the thing will melt right in front of you. Coat with an Acrylic base coat and then you can spray any color of Krylon you want on it afterwards.


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## Warrant2000 (Oct 8, 2008)

I printed mine on regular white printer paper, and used Elmers spray glue to attach them to the foam. I cut the letters with my Xacto knife, then peeled the paper off. I cut each side of the letter edge at a 45 degree angle, so when done it gives a nice chiseled "V" groove. Since it took me less than 30 minutes to cut all the letters out (it went much faster than I thought) it seems the paper didn't have time to fasten itself completely.


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## austenandrews (Aug 22, 2010)

We burned the font for our roof sign on a DVD and used a cheap TV projector to enlarge it onto our foam. Worked like a charm.


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## R. Lamb (Oct 11, 2011)

I've just laid the whole thing out on butcher paper. The lettering comes from a computer printer. I use a very little spray adhesive to glue the butcher paper to the foam glue the lettering over that and when it all looks right I just go at it with a dry wall saw and a dremmel. When the thing is done I just need to peel off the paper and then paint.


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## Rex Stevens (Oct 25, 2011)

I saw a video on you tube awhile back. She wrote her message in in a word processing program and reversed it. She then printed it on a laser printer. It had to be a laser printer or copy machine with toner. She then taped it onto the foam and used a iron on low temp and it transferred onto the foam. She then used a dremel with a router bit and and routered out the letters


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