# 2015 Tombstones from the Pumpkin



## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:Hello everyone! I'm starting on the many, many tombstones I have to make this year. I have been inspired over the years by many of you forum members and the stones you make. Heresjohnny's HM tombstones really got under my skin and I decided to revamp my graveyard with a Haunted Mansion meets Tim Burton aesthetic. My first tombstone is one of Disney's, its my take on _Freddie the Bat_. Keep in mind this is just the beginning of it.
Here's my inspiration:








And here was the basic design, I'm layering two kinds of foam:








And here is a little more done:








I have lots of sculpting to do lots of fine detailing, but you get the general idea. The original Freddie design looks like the epitaph is painted rather than carved, so I am trying to only carve it out a little. And don't freak out about the wavy sides, I'll get them planed down a little straighter.


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

You have a great start, P5, very Burton-esque, love the lettering. Can't wait to see it finished:lolkin:


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## Howlinmadjack (Jul 20, 2009)

Awesome!!! Great job so far Jana!!!


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

I like it!


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## BillyVanpire (Apr 22, 2015)

very nice work so far, i love a great tombstone but they do require alot of detail work.

a great source of inspiration/information for me is Scary Lady Videos. Using her tricks & tips might help others, she has lots of how to's.


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## heresjohnny (Feb 15, 2006)

I hope I am not itchy 

Looks great so far!


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## Hairazor (Mar 13, 2012)

Likin' what I'm seein'!


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## bobzilla (Nov 13, 2008)

Very nice start PumpkinFive! :jol:
Look at you! Making tombstons and sh#*!


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

bobzilla said:


> Very nice start PumpkinFive! :jol:
> Look at you! Making tombstons and sh#*!


:jol:Thanks everyone! You guys are very kind! And Bobby I had to start making stuff asap or live with the fear of being reprimanded by you! A girl can only take so much.


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## deadSusan (Jun 26, 2013)

You sure are busy this year. Very nice tombstone! (By the way, I like the wavy edges!)


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

heresjohnny said:


> I hope I am not itchy
> 
> Looks great so far!


:jol: Thank you, and I meant that as a compliment Johnny, but I see where you may have misconstrued what I said. I saw your tombstones and I just couldn't get them out of my head. So maybe saying "under my skin" wasn't the best word choice, I should have said I loved heresjohnny tombstones so much I just had to mimic him. (sincerest form of flattery, you know)


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## Sawtooth Jack (Apr 9, 2011)

Love this! Such a whimsical look to your take on this tombstone, and that upside down text is the best. I like the subtle changes you've done to the overall shapes to make this one your own...very fun!


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## heresjohnny (Feb 15, 2006)

Oh I'm just having a little fun. I need something to get under my skin to get me off my lazy butt to build something. Build on!



Pumpkin5 said:


> :jol: Thank you, and I meant that as a compliment Johnny, but I see where you may have misconstrued what I said. I saw your tombstones and I just couldn't get them out of my head. So maybe saying "under my skin" wasn't the best word choice, I should have said I loved heresjohnny tombstones so much I just had to mimic him. (sincerest form of flattery, you know)


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## Spooky1 (Aug 25, 2008)

Very nice, I like the Burton styling


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## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

Nice work, and how many more do you plan on making?


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:Thank you Spooky! And BD I plan on making around 19 more. Most not as complicated as this one. (I have about 40 from prior years, and as the better stones are made I will replace the cheap, ugly ones with the better stones. My graveyard will be a WIP. It will grow and become better as I do.)


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## Wildcat (Nov 3, 2007)

That's a great design and it looks like you're well on your way to an awesome stone.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol: Here is a before and after of the bat on the tombstone. Just trying to give him a little bit of character.








After some sculpting, but lots more definition to add.


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## BillyVanpire (Apr 22, 2015)

nice work on the sculpting...dremel or the ol' fashioned way?


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## Hairazor (Mar 13, 2012)

Looking sweet


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:Thank you Wildcat and Jan for the encouragement. It's a work in progress.:googly: Hey Billy, it was a combination of both dremel and old fashioned. I have been using a Surform Scraper, a Dremel, exacto knives, and old fashioned sandpaper. I wish I could find tiny little rasps to contour more exact. I will be using the dremel tool and then all of a sudden a big chunk of foam comes out. It's very inconsistent....of course it could be user error and the fact that I am super impatient.


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## craigfly06 (May 11, 2012)

very nice, I like it very much!


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## Grimm Pickins (Nov 4, 2013)

Love it!


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:Thanks Craig and Grimm for the positive vibe, it's coming along. I picked up some of this today, to try gluing the foam pieces together. It was recommended by Terra in a video posted by BillyVanpire on another thread. I had NEVER heard of using this to glue foam, I've always been a Gorilla Glue girl, but you know how Gorilla glue expands, it's a bit messy. So I set out to Walmart to pick this up, since it was showing available online. After 30 minutes of searching the shelves and then not getting any help from a Walmart employee, I was ready to scream. This young kid, who was the Walmart employee actually told me that if I didn't have the UPC symbol off of the product, he wouldn't be able to locate it for me....WHAT??? Never giving up, I called all the paint stores in town and found a Glidden paint store. I went to the Glidden paint store and they had it. Yay! (plus they were super-duper nice, and that goes a long way, in my book, to making me a permanent customer)








I'll let you guys know how much I love it. According to Terra, it's the shizzle.


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## heresjohnny (Feb 15, 2006)

Please post results, glueing foam can be a pain. Thanks!!!


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## Copchick (Apr 10, 2012)

I'm just now catching up with some threads. Jana, you're really doing a nice job on that stone. I too am looking forward to seeing the end result, also on how well the "glue" adheres.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

Copchick said:


> I'm just now catching up with some threads. Jana, you're really doing a nice job on that stone. I too am looking forward to seeing the end result, also on how well the "glue" adheres.


:jol:Thanks Tina for the kind words, I will definitely let you know how the Gripper works. My sister brought a bunch of fresh corn from her garden for me today, so I got side tracked shucking and cleaning about 30 ears when I left the shop today, but tomorrow I'm only working on the tombstone. I could not abandon fresh farmed sweet corn. That would be a sin.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:I worked on it a little last night and got the other bat carved out and some detail added. I need a smaller sanding disk so I am headed to Lowe's on my lunch hour to find something that won't take off big chunks. I tried using an emery board, but that was a mistake, it rolls off CHUNKS of foam. I bet I vacuumed blue foam for an hour before going to bed last night. That stuff gets EVERYWHERE! I need to find something I can graduate the sides of the blue piece with, to make it sort of look like crown molding around the stone. I may end up gluing one trim piece on the blue foam, sort of like another outline piece to give the trim piece height. I'm not describing it well, but I think that may be the way to go. I've held off gluing the blue foam to the pink until I'm through with the bat detail and inner part of trim piece. I don't want to scar up the pink foam and I fear that I would.


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## Howlinmadjack (Jul 20, 2009)

It's looking amazing Jana!! Just one comment, I've found that folding sandpaper and rolling it into tight cylinders gives great results when your trying to shape foam. It takes a lot more time, but if your patient, you can shave down even the tiniest of details. I don't use files or rasps or dremel's on foam, I use straight sandpaper. On my demon prop, to cut down on weight I've used 100% styrofoam so far to sculpt the body, and all the details have been made with straight sandpaper. Pain in the a$$....sure, but I don't have to worry about pieces breaking off!! Lol!! Just my two cents!!


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## heresjohnny (Feb 15, 2006)

That is looking good, and should look great when you paint it. I want to second the use of sandpaper. I use a hot foam knife for rough details, and sand paper to finish.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:Thanks Mike and Johnny for the sandpaper unity. I will give it a try. I'm going to try this softback sanding sponge to do the polish up, but I will use regular 80, 180, and 320 grit to even it up. The softback sponge is superfine grit.


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## bobzilla (Nov 13, 2008)

Look at the pumpkin:jol: go......go pumpkin:jol:.... go!
Very nice Jana :jol:


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## matrixmom (Aug 20, 2011)

19 tombstones! How many more have you done? Im sure you can do it. If it was me I would have plotted my strategy of steps all out on my calendar.....I tell you are going to be the haunt of the year!


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

^:undecidekin:Not as many as I'd like you to believe....So far...just the one I've posted...why? Do you think I'm in trouble??? Thank you for the vote of confidence MM, I need positive affirmations....just like Stuart Smalley. (BTW, I have about 40 old tombstones that I have used in years past, and as I make better tombstones, I will weed out the less awesome ones and donate to a needy yard) 
And thanks Bobby....I need to go, go, go...you know?


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## bobzilla (Nov 13, 2008)

Pumpkin5 said:


> ^:undecidekin:Not as many as I'd like you to believe....So far...just the one I've posted...why? Do you think I'm in trouble??? Thank you for the vote of confidence MM, I need positive affirmations....just like Stuart Smalley. (BTW, I have about 40 old tombstones that I have used in years past, and as I make better tombstones, I will weed out the less awesome ones and donate to a needy yard)
> And thanks Bobby....I need to go, go, go...you know?


I know  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


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## CrazedHaunter (Nov 18, 2012)

I've used the gripper paint. It works very well on glueing foam together. Looking good on the tombstones.


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## discozombie (Jun 21, 2012)

looking good


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:Thank you Joe and Disco, I appreciate the encouragement. My take on Glidden Gripper? It's the best thing since sliced bread. No kidding! Paint it on, and for me it was set in about 6 hours. Totally amazing and clean up was a BREEZE! I cut out some "molding" for the tombstone with an electric kitchen knife! No kidding, if you haven't used one on foam, it's quite delightful. No mess, no foam bits everywhere, it's magical, plus no funky fumes like with a hot knife. 








The cuts aren't super precise, but I was "chunking out" some big parts so that I could sand it down easily.








I used my B&D Mouse sander, my dremel and plain old sandpaper to get it shaped up.








Of course there were some casualties........








But a little Glidden Gripper and everything is copacetic. Love me some GG.


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## BillyVanpire (Apr 22, 2015)

looking really good there MsP 
i need to tackle some stones myself, 
i'm glad the glidden gripper worked for you.


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## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

Glad to hear a good report on the "gripper" and the easy clean up is a major plus. With Great Stuff there is no clean up.
Geeee, I been using my electric kitchen knife for years, surprised you just started using one.


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## bobzilla (Nov 13, 2008)

Looking pretty dang nice pumpkinfiver! :jol::biggrinkin:


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:Thanks Billy, Bone, & Bob! (ha, ha, triple B) It's coming... Honestly I had never used an electric knife or Glidden Gripper. You know what would be cool? To have a thread titled "My Secret Weapons" and have everyone list what their tried and true solutions are for prop making. Just a thought.


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## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

*Mmmmm, well the electric knife was a secret. Sorry I slipped up, but the men in black will be by to talk to you about that. Just look into the light.*


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## Howlinmadjack (Jul 20, 2009)

Lol, all my secret "tools" are shaped Popsicle sticks, sand paper, paper clips, and all manner of "whatever's available"!!


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## Howlinmadjack (Jul 20, 2009)

Oh, and great work so far!! Lol!! Really can't wait to see the end result Jana!!


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## bobzilla (Nov 13, 2008)

Pumpkin5 said:


> :jol:Thanks Billy, Bone, & Bob! (ha, ha, triple B) It's coming... Honestly I had never used an electric knife or Glidden Gripper. You know what would be cool? To have a thread titled "My Secret Weapons" and have everyone list what their tried and true solutions are for prop making. Just a thought.


Good idea about the "My Secret Weapons" thread Jglow! :jol:


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## heresjohnny (Feb 15, 2006)

I got the gripper, thanks for the test report! Love the job you did carving the bats, and the different foam layers really make the depth pop.


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## Lightman (Aug 25, 2014)

Heading to Home Depot or Lowes for glidden gripper tomorrow. You and scarylady sold me on it. Looking good!


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:Yay for Glidden Gripper! I guess the foam stones I've done before were not as detailed, so I made do with the things I knew. Air-saw and hotknife for cutting, exacto knife & sandpaper for detailing, Gorilla glue for attaching. (Previously I used liquid nails, but for me, the liquid nails has released over time) I'm just discovering new tools as I go along and I so want to share it all with you guys. H.H.H. (Haunters Helping Haunters) I'm all about great results with speed. I have zero patience and although I admire the tenacity of some of you creative types, I'm all about speed.


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## Lightman (Aug 25, 2014)

Do you prefer the "pink" foam over "blue" or "white" EPS foam? Is there an advantage to one over the other?

I probably should search the forum but I'm on my phone and the search doesn't work.

EDIT: I found this link that answers my question....

http://www.hauntforum.com/showpost.php?p=828836&postcount=2

But feel free to elaborate....Thanks

BTW... Bought Glidden Gripper today and running a test on the White EPS foam as I write this.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:Hey Brian,
I like the pink for depth and the blue too. I've always used many layers of blue, glued together, until I discovered the pink foam an hour away at Home Depot. Just a few hours and I'm hacking away into 2inch loveliness! The white stuff, the bead foam I have used for Christmas decor, but not for tombstones. I found that carving away the white foam with a silver spoon creates a "snowy" texture for Dept. 56 village landscapes. But I admit I love the two inch pink foam for tombstones. It's like Johnny said, the layered blue on top of the pink will give the stone depth without a lot of carving. I'm all about easy.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol.S. Brian, I think you will LOVE the GG on everything!!!


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## Lightman (Aug 25, 2014)

Thanks Jana. One thing I have learned is listen to those who have gone before you... Your advice is priceless.


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## BillyVanpire (Apr 22, 2015)

about the GG available in Canada, seems the formula was changed for 'coverage' and it doesn't work as well. I believe Glidden Canada was bought out by CIL a few years back and they added water basically..

foam/rc/model guys suggest a substitute in Canada: Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 primer. 
i will need to test it in the next few days to see how it holds up.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:undecidekin: Yay Brian! I agree, best to tread lightly in other 's footsteps. Boo Hiss! Billy, I've heard from other places that the chemical make up has changed on different products, and that is unfortunate. I bought mine from a Glidden dealer and he says the retail version is the same as the wholesale version, just different packaging. If you need some U.S. versions, just holler, I'm sure I can send some to you. Once again, it's the shizzle!


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## heresjohnny (Feb 15, 2006)

I got a quart of the gripper at Home Depot in the U.S. Will post how it works.


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## Lightman (Aug 25, 2014)

Glidden Gripper Update:

Using Glidden Gripper, I allowed two test pieces of white EPS (~5" x 8" x 1.5") to dry overnight (23 hours) Specimen 1 single coat and Specimen 2 both sides coated. The Glidden Gripper I used was purchased at Tucson, AZ Home Depot (See photo below). Samples were pressed together with weight. Temp ~90F and Humidity at ~40%.

Results: 
a) Both specimens stuck extremely well when separating from outside edges... and had to break foam before adhesive let go.
b) I then cut through middle of both with sharp blade and attempted to pull foam apart again from inside. The single coated specimen held tight and again had to break foam..as primer was completely dry. The 2 sided coating was still a little wet in some areas...but still required excessive force and some foam had to break to release.

Conclusions: This is an outstanding foam adhesive as Jana points out. Single coating seemed to work best..or allows handling/working in shorter time than double coating. Since the primer is an "Air Drying" material, it may require additional time to completely cure if two thick coats are used and the piece is large.

In summary... as Jana says..."Its the Shizzle"... and ScaryLady's assessment is spot on.

Side Note: I also used it to glue two pieces of paper together...and it worked great! Paper tore before glue let go.

Regarding the change in formula discussion, I have posted the side of the can's "Analysis" that shows the majority of the material used to make up this primer. You may compare to cans you find and see if there is a difference. Notice at end of label... "Contents Partially Unkonwn".










Jana... thanks for letting me hijack your thread a bit here with the Glidden assessment. You really got me going on this stuff and I have great plans for some upcoming projects.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming... Tombstones!


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## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

Excellent report, thanks for sharing. Glidden Gripper may become the new bonding agent of choice for foam board.


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## IMU (Apr 8, 2009)

Wow ... what a cool looking stone. Very nice work. Slowly catching up on here.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:I got some great advice from my forum buddy, Bobzilla, who told me about a great product by DAP. It goes on pink and dries white, so there is no guesswork about when it's ready. Here's the product:








And the application:








Now to sand.....








I have to agree with Robert....it's like butter! (that's a good thing, easy to put on, easy to fill with, easy to sand) Funny thing, I saw it advertised on the FOX weekend show, in a DIY segment, while I was putting another layer on Freddie...it must be the hot new thing.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Looking good, P5!


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## Lightman (Aug 25, 2014)

Funny thing...I was just looking at spackling materials yesterday and saw this product. Didn't know anything about it....but now with your's and Bob's endorsement, I'll give it a try.

For your project...how long did it take to dry?


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:Thanks Roxy, and Lightman, I think you'll love it. Keep in mind, I used more than the recommended amount, so it took about six hours to dry. I think Robert has had really good luck with it drying quicker than that, but he is a pro. However, it does turn white when it's ready to sand, so it's kind of PHD proof. It's very humid in NC this time of year, which may have affected the drying time for me. 

BTW, the texture of it is lovely....creamy and easy to put on...I used my hands, gloved of course, and it was almost like sculpting putty.


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## Lightman (Aug 25, 2014)

Very cool Jana! 

I also saw using a hair dryer can speed up dry time. Of course, the thicker the patch, the longer it will take to dry Dry Dex.

I have also used Patch n Paint (another DAP product) on foam with success too.


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## bobzilla (Nov 13, 2008)

Looking great Jana! 
I really love this stuff!
I also use it in my refurbishing construction projects with great results.
I like to test out different products at work to see if they'll transcend into my Halloween building endeavors. Building it up in layers seems to get the best results as far as drying time goes. I did a test on a piece of wood with about a half inch blob of Dap, and it didn't crack. Sanded nicely, but took about two days to dry. My go to patching compound in the past was "Flexall" patching compound, but the formula was changed when Dap purchased the original company that made it.  Dang you Dap! :finger:



Pumpkin5 said:


> http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m545/pumpkin513/DAP_zpscqh2ypoj.jpg[/IMG]
> And the application:
> 
> 
> ...


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## heresjohnny (Feb 15, 2006)

Lightman said:


> Very cool Jana!
> 
> I also saw using a hair dryer can speed up dry time. Of course, the thicker the patch, the longer it will take to dry Dry Dex.
> 
> I have also used Patch n Paint (another DAP product) on foam with success too.


I have also had a lot of success with DAP patch n paint, specifically the light weight spackling. I looked into what the difference was, and found that DryDex is harder and made for sanding, where as patch and paint is not recommended for sanding. I might just switch to DryDex, it also appears to be cheaper.


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