# Foam. The expandable kind!



## Big Howlin (Jul 15, 2006)

*So....I used my first can of spray foam...

Honestly, I was not aware of the results this thing was gonna produce.
I hope it doesn't keep expanding, if so my 20 dollar challenge is ruined!

lol

Second...how the hell do you get this crap off your hands?
I forgot to put gloves on. Its not clumped but I can feel it on my fingers.
So annoying.*


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## Front Yard Fright (Dec 23, 2005)

i don't think that you can get it off your hands. or clothes. or hair. it will eventually come off your hands after time (a couple days) or you can sit there and rip it off. (ouch.)
as for it expanding, it depends on what kind of foam you bought.
hope your project is okay! if you don't like the way it turned out you can hack off the dried foam and try it again!


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## Frighteners Entertainment (Jan 24, 2006)

Acetone will take it off your hands


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## trishaanne (Aug 20, 2005)

Once it dries, it can be carved down to the shape you want it to be. For an example, go to Ghostess's website and look at her pics of the bird girl! AWESOME work.


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## Front Yard Fright (Dec 23, 2005)

Frighteners Entertainment said:


> Acetone will take it off your hands


acetone will work? i thought it wouldn't


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## Big Howlin (Jul 15, 2006)

*it does when its still wet
I have little splatters on my fingers...ugh
so annoying*


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## Front Yard Fright (Dec 23, 2005)

lol i know the feeling! i would have it all over my hands and have to go to school the next day. people thought i had some kind of disease. hahaha


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## Lilly (Jun 13, 2006)

Well your expansion will depend on what kind you used...even the minimal expands more than you think. you can puch it down kinda after top skin dries too.
hope it worked out for you.


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## Big Howlin (Jul 15, 2006)

*whats a good tool for shaving and polishing it?*


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## turtle2778 (Jul 9, 2006)

LMAOOOOOOOOOOOo god im glad someone else has things like that happen to them too. I forgot to use gloves myself..UGH. Sorry to hear about ur mishap. Hope it works out for you.


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## Ghostess (Aug 21, 2005)

Without knowing what you're doing with the Great Stuff, here's some tips from me:

I used a boning knife to shave it when I made Bird Girl:
http://hometown.aol.com/howloweenqueen/page1.html

The trick is to have a sharpener close at hand, because that stuff will dull a knife quickly. A hot wire foam cutter didn't work well for me, but maybe one better than a Wonder Cutter would work. It expands a bunch, and will continue to expand for a while after you think it's stopped when you have thick layers of it. Bird Girl ended up with some cracks in her from expanding 2 months after I made her.

As for polishing, that's impossible as far as I can tell, unless you use some sort of heat method. I used a palm sander and a small Mouse sander to smooth it as best I could. I used LOTS of paint on her too, since the foam soaks it up.

Good luck!


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## Ghostess (Aug 21, 2005)

Oh, and good luck getting it off anything it comes in contact with. Even acetone wouldn't take it off of me when I was working with it.


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## Front Yard Fright (Dec 23, 2005)

Ghostess said:


> Oh, and good luck getting it off anything it comes in contact with. Even acetone wouldn't take it off of me when I was working with it.


yeah that's what i thought. because i think i tried to use it but it didn't come off at all. i ended up having to peel the crap off my hand. ouch.


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## Lotus (Nov 12, 2004)

I got it off using WD40


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## BadOleRoss (Oct 7, 2006)

I hate that stuff..........Not So Great Stuff!


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## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

Don't give up on it. Like all new mediums it takes some practice and experimentation to get a feel for what it will do. I have seen some good work done with it.


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## Frighteners Entertainment (Jan 24, 2006)

The acetone only works if you use it before the foam dries.


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## NATUREPIXIE (Jan 15, 2007)

I've never used great stuff, but I keep wanting to get some to try t out.. I've seen a lot of great props made with it.... I might just have to go get some and try it out to get a feel for how to use it...


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## Ghostess (Aug 21, 2005)

I love Great Stuff, and I believe it is a wonderful medium for propmaking. Matter of fact, Bird Girl stays out in the flower bed all year long since Great Stuff if so resilient. Everyone thinks she is a concrete statue. 

I also save all the shavings from it when I carve it to use as filler for other props, since it is a lot less likely to hold water or disintegrate than wadded up newspaper.


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## HibLaGrande (Sep 25, 2005)

I like great stuff, however I learned the hard way that old clothes, shoes,gloves, and a hood or a stocking cap are a must. I even wear the protective goggles now. 

a mouse sander with a coarse grit really eats this stuff up in a hurry, great for forming.


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## NATUREPIXIE (Jan 15, 2007)

Ghostess said:


> I also save all the shavings from it when I carve it to use as filler for other props, since it is a lot less likely to hold water or disintegrate than wadded up newspaper.


What kind of props Ghostess, scarecrows or dummy's? Don't laugh, I'm new..LOL

Okay so be prepared old clothes or protective covering, gloves and hat...got it!

Thanks!!


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## Ghostess (Aug 21, 2005)

"What kind of props Ghostess, scarecrows or dummy's? Don't laugh, I'm new..LOL"

Anything that needs filler material. Dummies, masks, anything you would use newspaper, packing peanuts, or other stuff to fill with. I save extra leftover bits of styrofoam and the blue/pink foams as well for light weight filler material. No sense in throwing it out when it can be used!


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## Big Howlin (Jul 15, 2006)

*Wow. Just when you think its dried and settled. You wake up the next morning and find it expanded even more and stuck to your table.
Good stuff....
wow many lessons learned the hard way.*


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## NATUREPIXIE (Jan 15, 2007)

Great idea Ghostess! Thanks for the info...

Cheetah now I'm getting scared of the Great stuff.. LOL


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## Lilly (Jun 13, 2006)

I rubbed vaseline on my hands before using it. Didnt have a prob with it coming off my hands after that.


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## Big Howlin (Jul 15, 2006)

*but then everything's all goopy and schloppy....like a kinky party.*


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## HibLaGrande (Sep 25, 2005)

if you make the stuff too thick, the stuff in the middle will never dry. they key is patience and layers.


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## rasp (Apr 4, 2006)

If I have to shape it before it dries I put a bit of dish soap on my gloves. Keeps it from sticking to the latex.

I had the nozzle blow off a can a few years back. Still find chuncks of foam stuck to things in the garage. LOL


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## Big Howlin (Jul 15, 2006)

*Hahah! gooodtimes! Shaping huh? Might try that next time.
As for this time, looks like I have a lot of shaving and cutting to do!*


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## NATUREPIXIE (Jan 15, 2007)

Lots of good info on that Great Stuff....thanks for sharing.


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