# 5 cent fence finials



## discozombie

I was just about to place my order for 100 fence finials when I saw the total with shipping and realized my fence budget was about to be destroyed. I started to look for alternatives. Unable to find any that looked good and kept the price down I decided to make my own. For $2.00 I bought two sheets of craft foam and made about 40 finials.

supplies
12x18x3mm craft foam sheet
hot glue /gun
scissors
marker or pen

Each finial will need the follow pieces cut from foam.
(2) triangles
(1) 1.5" x 1.5" square
(1) 1" x 3" strip ( I made mine 3" + 1/16")
Sizes are based on 1/2" pvc used for the fence.

I made a template out of thin plastic but cardboard will work just as well. The triangle is 2" at the bottom and 3" tall. At this size you should get 36 finials from one full sheet. Adjust the size and shape to fit your haunt. Make it wavy, serrated what ever floats your boat.

Trace the template across the bottom then flip it over and trace a second row 









Cut out the triangles match in pairs then cut one of the pair in half length wise.









Glue the two halves to each side of the triangle creating a spear shape. Cut out a 1.5" square for each spear and glue it to the bottom.









Cut out a 1" x 3" strip and glue it to the PVC top 









Glue the spear to the top of the PVC/foam strip








Paint it with the fence and apply faux rust.


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## Copchick

Great idea!


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## Headless

They look excellent AND THEY ARE SAFE! Great job!


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## Jack Mac

Nice finials and you can't beat the price. Thanks for sharing.


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## nimblemonkey

Those look great- do you have to use hot glue or will another glue work? Never worked with craft foam.


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## pennywise

That's awesome. Where did you find 2 black sheets of craft foam for $2? At my local dollar store they only have white.


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## discozombie

nimblemonkey said:


> Those look great- do you have to use hot glue or will another glue work? Never worked with craft foam.


I know they make foam glue that would work. Not sure about other types.


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## discozombie

pennywise said:


> That's awesome. Where did you find 2 black sheets of craft foam for $2? At my local dollar store they only have white.


I bought mine at Hobby Lobby its a chain craft store. The sheets were .99 each. Even if you used white you can paint when you paint the fence.


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## Joiseygal

Very good idea and safe also. I'm curious to see how long they will hold up to the weather elements?


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## discozombie

I was thinking the same thing, Im going to mock up a few and put them out for the spring storms.



Joiseygal said:


> Very good idea and safe also. I'm curious to see how long they will hold up to the weather elements?


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## CrazedHaunter

Perfect, I was thinking of making a mold of one and using 2 part foam but this looks easier and less expensive.


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## Joiseygal

discozombie said:


> I was thinking the same thing, Im going to mock up a few and put them out for the spring storms.


Awesome please keep us updated on the results. I have finials for my fence, but eventually I have to make another one and I like how yours is safer for the little tots.


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## the bloody chef

Thanks for the idea! we need to make about 100 of these this year! Can't beat the price!


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## Lord Homicide

Great idea. I've got a bunch of this crap left over.

I noticed when I painted craft foam with spray paint - the result looked really bad. The foam curled horribly and the foam kept absorbing the paint... any suggestions to painting the foam? If you spray paint it, how many coats?


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## the bloody chef

I would think that the foam would absorb a lot of whatever you use....I'm gonna try gasso (3 parts joint compound, 1 part Elmer's and some black dye)...probably won't make them for a while, but I'll let y'all know how it works....


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## Lord Homicide

the bloody chef said:


> I would think that the foam would absorb a lot of whatever you use....I'm gonna try gasso (3 parts joint compound, 1 part Elmer's and some black dye)...probably won't make them for a while, but I'll let y'all know how it works....


What is the consistency of that? Could you dip the finials in or do you have to paint it on? I'm trying to map out a manufacturing process in my head that allows you to dip the finials then lay them out to dry.


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## the bloody chef

As is you would have to paint it on....it's what you use to smooth out and finish mache' before painting...you can mix it with paint, so I would assume you can thin it a bit and dip them


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## beelce

Those look GREAT......................


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## fontgeek

Lord Homicide said:


> Great idea. I've got a bunch of this crap left over.
> 
> I noticed when I painted craft foam with spray paint - the result looked really bad. The foam curled horribly and the foam kept absorbing the paint... any suggestions to painting the foam? If you spray paint it, how many coats?


Try using a coat of latex paint on them first, it will protect the foam from the solvents in the spray paint and also add a bit of texture at the same time.
Remember, these are supposed to be made of iron, so they should have some texture.


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## discozombie

I just painted a few mock ones last night. I plan to place these outside and see how they hold up. I used a base coat of black latex paint applied via brush. Drylock in areas to add a gritty texture and then a little spay of popcorn ceiling patch (just testing to see what kind of texture I could get out of it.) A second layer of black then dry brush rust and dabs of spar to add shine. Yes this is quite excessive, but I was testing different techniques... Im not totally happy with the results, the rusting dry brush got a little out of hand....


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## Lord Homicide

It looks really good man...

FG, I was hoping to get around the latex paint but I'll try it. I was thinking about using several mud troughs to fill with paint then dip X finials in so I could hang them to drip-dry directly over the trough.


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## RoxyBlue

I like how they came out even if you don't The texture gives them an authentic aged look.


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## Pumpkin5

:jolZ that is so creative! I am really impressed and it looks really, real. Well done! I really like the look.


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## fontgeek

You can use glass jars with the paint in them, then dip the finials in them and suspend the finals above them so that the dripping goes back into the jars. individual jars means you can use less paint than trying to fill a big trough. Though you can use one of those disposable roasting pans to catch the drips and just use the jars for the actual dipping itself. That way you can do a whole lot of dipping without having to wait for the dripping to end before you dip the next finial.


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## Lord Homicide

fontgeek said:


> You can use glass jars with the paint in them, then dip the finials in them and suspend the finals above them so that the dripping goes back into the jars. individual jars means you can use less paint than trying to fill a big trough. Though you can use one of those disposable roasting pans to catch the drips and just use the jars for the actual dipping itself. That way you can do a whole lot of dipping without having to wait for the dripping to end before you dip the next finial.


I was talking about a drywall mud trough which aren't that big but... BUT... I like the roasting pan idea a lot better. Thanks man. You know, I've learned it's funny what I DON'T think about... Mind boggling actually


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## Jaybo

Hmmm...make a PVC rack over the roasting pan that has several lengths of string going over the top of the pan. Think multiple clothes lines. Use old Christmas ornament hangers, or just some cheap gardening wire, to hang the foam finials over the pan. While these are nice and wet with paint, dust them with sand, oatmeal, or wood shavings. This will give you lots of texture.

You could knock out quite a few of these, especially if you had two people. One person dips and hangs, while the other dusts and throws debris. If you made sure to hang the finials from the top, then when you went to do a rust job, it would look more realistic as the paint would run down to the bottom of the piece.


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## Spyder

I have been looking for something more .........realistic, right now I have skulls, really want to change it. THANKS!!
BTW, what about painting them with Monster Mud.


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## Palmdale Haunter

This is a great idea!


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## discozombie

Minor update....I placed a 2' section of PVC with a finial on it out in the yard for about 2 weeks now. Unfortunately we haven't received a lot of rain since I placed them, maybe 2 days worth. So far you cant tell its been exposed to any elements. After we get some more serious rain Ill check them again.


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## discozombie

5/25 - Its been a month. We've had some significant rains and extreme heat 90+, and very cold (frost warnings). The finial seems to holding up fine.


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## Bascombe

Those look pretty sweet!


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## beadyeyedbrat

sweet!


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## discozombie

I removed the outside test finial in late August and it held up just fine. What I have noticed is the hot glue is having issues sticking to the PVC. If you rough up the PVC with a heavy grit sand paper or a file the glue has somewhere to bite and holds up better.

__
https://flic.kr/p/7


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## Georgeb68

Oh he'll ya, I know what I will be doing during the games thus weekend! What a great idea.....this is why I love this site!


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## discozombie

Update on how these hold up. I had my fence out the entire month of October. We received a ridiculous amount of rain the entire month, I actually think we set a record in Chicago. The finials held up great, a few were damaged I think due to people trying to figure out what they are made from, the day before Halloween i ran around with the glue gun and did some minor repairs. Im very happy with the results, they held up better than expected.


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## Ladyhawke

Looks great!


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## The-Hog-Flu

Great idea! They look great.


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## Fright Zone

discozombie- The fence and finials look really good!!

I'm inspired by your DIY 3D finials. If I have time this season I'd fashion some up. It's good to hear they held up in the weather.

I did mine flat cut out of styrene a few years ago (primarily because I had so many other props I made - I went nuts that year).

Here's what styrene looks like. It would probably be too thin for the style you made. I'm not sure how 3D I could make these look. It could be cut to slide together. It definitely holds up to the elements. Styrene might cost more than your solution(?)


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## tatmom25

Thank you for this tutorial! I just made 64 for my fence. Cutting them all out was tedious but they turned out great! I skipped the circular band at the bottom. Mostly because I was just tired of cutting foam


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## discozombie

tatmom25 said:


> Thank you for this tutorial! I just made 64 for my fence. Cutting them all out was tedious but they turned out great! I skipped the circular band at the bottom. Mostly because I was just tired of cutting foam


Post some pics love to see your work


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