Adhesive: Foamboard on to ply wood. (1 Viewer)

[The Kendal Cavalier]

Me again.

The plan is to have a ply wood base for my diorama and then build up the terrain using foamboard. Obviously I don't want the foamboard to melt, so question number two is, what brand of adhesive should I be using when attaching the foamboard to the ply wood to avoid any melting?

 

[Rob]

Me again.

The plan is to have a ply wood base for my diorama and then build up the terrain using foamboard. Obviously I don't want the foamboard to melt, so question number two is, what brand of adhesive should I be using when attaching the foamboard to the ply wood to avoid any melting?

Well UHU POR is very good at foam on foam, it does not melt the foam at all, pretty sure it would stick to ply. Its not cheep though.

Rob

 

[The Kendal Cavalier]

Well UHU POR is very good at foam on foam, it does not melt the foam at all, pretty sure it would stick to ply. Its not cheep though.

Rob

The money is not a problem. The talent to do it is quite another! Do you build your own Rob?

 

[Rob]

The money is not a problem. The talent to do it is quite another! Do you build your own Rob?

Yes I do KC, here is a link to what I've done so far, the dio's go right to end of thread;

http://www.treefrogtreasures.com/forum/showthread.php?36725-My-album-of-Dioramas

 

[theBaron]

White glue should work, too, shouldn't it? You might have to scuff the underside of the foamboard, to let the glue penetrate into the rough surface, but it should bond well to the plywood.

Prost!
Brad

 

[The Kendal Cavalier]

Rob

Good stuff. Are those JG Miniatures mats? I was thinking of purchasing one of their rough pasture mats but couldn't decide. If so, do you recommend?

Brad

All assistance appreciated.

 

[Rob]

Rob

Good stuff. Are those JG Miniatures mats? I was thinking of purchasing one of their rough pasture mats but couldn't decide. If so, do you recommend?

Brad

All assistance appreciated.

I don't think I used any JG mats in those scenes as I did the groundwork myself, but I can highly recommend JG Miniatures in lots of areas, they produce some terrific items{bravo}} The cobblestone mat is from a company called Kancali in the US.

Rob

 

[Wraith]

Hot glue guns with general purpose gluesticks work very well, have great adhesion an won't melt the foam ( just watch the metal gun nozzle though, as that may if left in contact).
Simon

 

[Mitch]

The best glue I have ever used is a craft product called pinflair glue gel. It can be used from the tube or, from a syringe. Its absolutely superb and, much stronger than the PVA type glues. It sticks anything you care to mention

I would not use anything else now for all of my diorama designs and, it has replaced the scatter glue for larger items when doing rubble scenes as they can be glued permanantly with this.
Mitch

 

[Rob]

Hot glue guns with general purpose gluesticks work very well, have great adhesion an won't melt the foam ( just watch the metal gun nozzle though, as that may if left in contact).
Simon

I'll give this a go my friend, never used one but in for a penny as they say:smile2: And your tip on Kancali mats really was a good one , so I'm hoping your advice holds good! Not long until we meet at a yet to be decided watering hole Simon, wallet at the ready mate:wink2:

Rob

 

[The Kendal Cavalier]

That's very informative and a great help, thank you. So, do you use the same glue when applying the scatter?

Also, do you use a hot knife when cutting the foam or do you use something like a jab saw?

 

[Wraith]

That's very informative and a great help, thank you. So, do you use the same glue when applying the scatter?

Also, do you use a hot knife when cutting the foam or do you use something like a jab saw?

Re the hot knife, I think this is down to personal preference. I've got a hot knife and hot wire cutter, but tend not to use them. I prefer to use the snap off blade type knives and a steel ruler for general cutting and things like rough 'bastard' files to shape and give a finish to. The hot knife / wire gives a harder and smoother finish where it melts through the foam, which I'm not struck on.
Simon

 

[Wraith]

I'll give this a go my friend, never used one but in for a penny as they say:smile2: And your tip on Kancali mats really was a good one , so I'm hoping your advice holds good! Not long until we meet at a yet to be decided watering hole Simon, wallet at the ready mate:wink2:

Rob

Remember not to try and snort it mate, it's hot and'll burn your nose. Hobbycraft do a cheap own brand one with sensibly priced glue sticks which does the trick.
I'll leave the advanced recon in your capable hands mate, and as Bob always forgets to bring his wallet, I'll try and ensure I save some beer tokens.

 

[Napoleon1er]

If you you lower temperature hot glue, it should work the best. As for a matt, try instead mixing water, white glue, and dirt, spreading it thinly over the foam (after first painting the foam brown), and then adding on tufts of grass using stuff from woodland scenics or simply any cheap grasses from the dollar store (also dipped in glue+water). It is easy, and looks great!
As to foam cutting, I use both a hot knife, a large saw for big cuts, and a plane for smoothing edges.
Hope that helps,
Sandor

 

[mikemiller1955]

I do a lot of dioramas...wood to foam...I strongly recomend either:

Liquid Nails Project...

or

Liquid Nail Panel and Foam (which this is created for)...

both about a 24 hour cure time...

both less than $5.00 a tube and available anywhere...even WalMart...

I would not use white glue...trapped between the wood and foam...with no air...it can stay uncured for months...just like it's still in the bottle...

a hot glue gun is the fastest...it will dry in less than 1 minute...but it's tricky and must be done carefully...as it will melt the foam if too hot...

you will need a glue gun (less than $10) and glue sticks (less than $5.00) with a "hot" setting...they are very common...any hobby store or WalMart has them...I recommend the "large" sticks as they will dispense more glue...

the "low" setting on the gun will not dispense enough glue fast enough to do a large area...if it's a large area it must be done on the "high" setting"...I dispense a ton of it on a piece of small piece of wood that I can use like a rubber spatula...then I let it sit for a few seconds...then quickly smear in on the foam and slap it to the wood...

be careful...if it's applied when it's too hot...it will melt into the foam some...

be extra careful...I have gotten some tremendous burn blisters using it...it's like napalm...it will not fub rub off until it dries...

please trust me on this...I have made a lot of wood to foam dioramas...

 

[Rob]

Remember not to try and snort it mate, it's hot and'll burn your nose. Hobbycraft do a cheap own brand one with sensibly priced glue sticks which does the trick.
I'll leave the advanced recon in your capable hands mate, and as Bob always forgets to bring his wallet, I'll try and ensure I save some beer tokens.

Good man! And thanks for glue gun advice^&cool

I do a lot of dioramas...wood to foam...I strongly recomend either:

Liquid Nails Project...

or

Liquid Nail Panel and Foam (which this is created for)...

both about a 24 hour cure time...

both less than $5.00 a tube and available anywhere...even WalMart...

I would not use white glue...trapped between the wood and foam...with no air...it can stay uncured for months...just like it's still in the bottle...

a hot glue gun is the fastest...it will dry in less than 1 minute...but it's tricky and must be done carefully...as it will melt the foam if too hot...

you will need a glue gun (less than $10) and glue sticks (less than $5.00) with a "hot" setting...they are very common...any hobby store or WalMart has them...I recommend the "large" sticks as they will dispense more glue...

the "low" setting on the gun will not dispense enough glue fast enough to do a large area...if it's a large area it must be done on the "high" setting"...I dispense a ton of it on a piece of small piece of wood that I can use like a rubber spatula...then I let it sit for a few seconds...then quickly smear in on the foam and slap it to the wood...

be careful...if it's applied when it's too hot...it will melt into the foam some...

be extra careful...I have gotten some tremendous burn blisters using it...it's like napalm...it will not fub rub off until it dries...

please trust me on this...I have made a lot of wood to foam dioramas...

Mike the same thanks to you re glue gun, also I'm very much interested in the panel to foam glue. Not been able to find anything as specific as that over here so may give that a try.

Thanks for sharing your info guys.

Rob

 

[The Kendal Cavalier]

This is great. All power to you people for being so helpful.

I'm basically going to attempt a WW1 trench layout - Western Front to begin with but I want all the bits and bobs I need in advance rather than having to stop during the project through a lack of materials.

I've ordered 500 coffee stirring sticks in the hope that I can turn these into duckboards and trench support slats but my painting limitations concerns me greatly, hence why I have ordered so many! I need to learn the art of drybrushing to weather them sufficiently and learn fast.

As a follow on from the advice you have given thus far, the next question involves paint. This will probably be a question for the UK as I suspect brands over here differ greatly from those overseas. What paint do you use to prime the foamboard? I understand latex paint is good or just plain water based acrylic. What do you use and what brand? The same question applies to the paint used for more detailing such as that I will need for the duckboards etc.

I'm hoping this will develop into a great thread for other novices like myself.

 

[The Kendal Cavalier]

The best glue I have ever used is a craft product called pinflair glue gel. It can be used from the tube or, from a syringe. Its absolutely superb and, much stronger than the PVA type glues. It sticks anything you care to mention

I would not use anything else now for all of my diorama designs and, it has replaced the scatter glue for larger items when doing rubble scenes as they can be glued permanantly with this.
Mitch

Hi Mitch

Just viewed this product. There's a little demo you can view. It looks decent stuff. What brand do you use for your scatter?

 

[Rob]

This is great. All power to you people for being so helpful.

I'm basically going to attempt a WW1 trench layout - Western Front to begin with but I want all the bits and bobs I need in advance rather than having to stop during the project through a lack of materials.

I've ordered 500 coffee stirring sticks in the hope that I can turn these into duckboards and trench support slats but my painting limitations concerns me greatly, hence why I have ordered so many! I need to learn the art of drybrushing to weather them sufficiently and learn fast.

As a follow on from the advice you have given thus far, the next question involves paint. This will probably be a question for the UK as I suspect brands over here differ greatly from those overseas. What paint do you use to prime the foamboard? I understand latex paint is good or just plain water based acrylic. What do you use and what brand? The same question applies to the paint used for more detailing such as that I will need for the duckboards etc.

I'm hoping this will develop into a great thread for other novices like myself.

Well jumping straight to your Trench dio its really worth doing some surfing of modelling websites as there are some excellent products out there nowadays. Vallejo do some really good paints including old wood etc that may look good in your scene. Tamiya's terrain texture paint is very good indeed for wet mud when glossed over once dry. Hudson & Allen also produce splendid groundwork products that again with artists gloss added produce stunning results. As for your Trench (and knowing you are in UK) pop to your local hobby craft and check out their long strips of plywood that would make excellent Trench supports. Finally get hold of some JG barbed wire, unravel it, put some rust paint on it and you've got barbed wire, although you may need lots of it! Check out ;

JG miniatures
Hudson and Allen
Modelsforsale.com
Netmerchants

All these have good stuff to use

Rob

 

[Wraith]

Hi Mitch

Just viewed this product. There's a little demo you can view. It looks decent stuff. What brand do you use for your scatter?

For large areas like those you're describing, I use the tubes of acryllics you get at places like The Works, bookshops. They are about 2 or 3 quid per large tube and last forever. I also use the cheap brushes from the same place got terrain painting. There's more than enough colours to get what you need with a bit of mixing. The same stuff can be used for detail stuff, watering down where necessary.
I'd recommend looking at some of the many guides on how to dry brush and do washes if you've not tried this before. There are loads on line. Look forward to seeing it progress.
Cheers
Simon