# Bending Foam



## chrisbohnert (Feb 23, 2010)

any know how to bend Styrofoam, white beaded or blue board.


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## Reynolds (Feb 23, 2010)

What are you trying to have the Styrofoam do? I wouldn't trust Styrofoam to hold together long if its bent too much, especially if you put even the tiniest bit of weight on it.

Also, how much Styrofoam do you have to work with? Instead of bending, I'd recommend cutting the shape you need from a larger brick of Styrofoam.


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## ajb (Feb 23, 2010)

Like just about any material, you can bend it to a certain point, and if you need to bend it tighter than that you can make relief cuts on the inside of the bend or laminate multiple thinner sheets. If you need a still tighter radius, then you'll need to build up a blank and cut it to shape. If you want to have a curved foam piece that is self-supporting (ie-not attached to a rigid wood or metal frame), than you'll need to go with the lamination method (you could also laminate it with other materials--fabric, wood, fiberglass, solid polystyrene sheet, etc) or the built-up-then-cut method.

There is really no good way to take a single sheet of EPS and bend it so that it stays how you put it. Well, you could heat and bend it. . . but that tends to be a really nasty (read: toxic) thing to do.


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## BrianWolfe (Feb 24, 2010)

Not sure what you are trying to do but you can just cut the radius or you can cut the foam thin enough to take the curve you want and then glue it together in layers to hold the shape.


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## chrisbohnert (Feb 24, 2010)

didn't even think of thin lamination. Thanks. tried heat gun, toxic and troublesome.


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## TOG (Mar 10, 2010)

Looking at the title I had a Zen Moment and forgot I was in the Scenery Section...


I've used the laminating method. Tedious and you need to grow about nine hands but I sheathed an entire 90 degree corner because the plans said "NO SHARP CORNERS". Watch out for the seams- I ended up putting cloth and resin over it. Kind of looked like an open-ended kayak when I got done...


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## ssellers (Mar 15, 2010)

we coat all of our foam set pieces in a rubber coating... Bmi sells it... havent tried to bend it but it should be more structural that way....


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