# Foam?



## Nargle (Jan 15, 2010)

It seems that most fursuit artists involve foam in their projects one way or another. I've got a project in the works and I need to find some foam. I went to look at Joan's Fabrics and Michael's, but all I could find were sheets of foam up to 6 inches thick, sold by the yard at about $70 per yard. Honestly that sounds like it's too thin and WAY too expensive. And I didn't have any choice in softness/firmness. So I'd like to know, where do other artists buy foam?


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## Duality Jack (Jan 15, 2010)

Go to a hardware store and get pink foam insulation . Its cheap.


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## Nargle (Jan 15, 2010)

The Drunken Ace said:


> Go to a hardware store and get pink foam insulation . Its cheap.



That sounds like a decent idea, but do you have any idea if there is any fiberglass in it? I break out in hives if I come in contact with fiberglass, and I was under the impression that it was in most insulation materials.


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## Duality Jack (Jan 15, 2010)

No fibreglass at all, I used the stuff when I was making scenery its about 2-4 inches thick and some simple wood glue to sandwich it as much as you need and carve away it works great.


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## Trpdwarf (Jan 15, 2010)

You can always use upholstery foam. I buy it in rolls at Wal-Mart...although the price has gone up to around 17 USD.


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## Nargle (Jan 15, 2010)

Trpdwarf said:


> You can always use upholstery foam. I buy it in rolls at Wal-Mart...although the price has gone up to around 17 USD.


 
How much do you get for $17? And about how thick is it?

Also, do you recommend stacking it and gluing it to make it thicker, like Drunken Ace said? 

I also have another question, lol! Is there anything you would recommend that would hold its shape and not being crushed if I were to stand on it? It still has to be carvable, though. I've thought of styrofoam, but I don't know if that would support my weight. I've also thought of wood, but carving it might be an issue. Also sculpy, but I'm not sure. The only other thing I could think of was the rubber found in the soles of shoes, but I have NO idea where I would get a block of that.


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## wolico (Jan 15, 2010)

Nargle said:


> How much do you get for $17? And about how thick is it?
> 
> Also, do you recommend stacking it and gluing it to make it thicker, like Drunken Ace said?
> 
> I also have another question, lol! Is there anything you would recommend that would hold its shape and not being crushed if I were to stand on it? It still has to be carvable, though. I've thought of styrofoam, but I don't know if that would support my weight. I've also thought of wood, but carving it might be an issue. Also sculpy, but I'm not sure. The only other thing I could think of was the rubber found in the soles of shoes, but I have NO idea where I would get a block of that.



its an inch thick and it comes in a big sheet like u could make a whole wolf fursuit out of it aldi it is very durable as for the bottom of the feets i uesd cheap sandals they work very well


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## SingingPenguin (Jan 15, 2010)

Nargle said:


> I also have another question, lol! Is there anything you would recommend that would hold its shape and not being crushed if I were to stand on it? It still has to be carvable, though. I've thought of styrofoam, but I don't know if that would support my weight. I've also thought of wood, but carving it might be an issue. Also sculpy, but I'm not sure. The only other thing I could think of was the rubber found in the soles of shoes, but I have NO idea where I would get a block of that.



Some people swear by these http://www.shopgreatmats.com/shop4/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=892 I haven't used them yet, but I plan to with my next suit. :>


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## Trpdwarf (Jan 15, 2010)

Nargle said:


> How much do you get for $17? And about how thick is it?
> 
> Also, do you recommend stacking it and gluing it to make it thicker, like Drunken Ace said?
> 
> I also have another question, lol! Is there anything you would recommend that would hold its shape and not being crushed if I were to stand on it? It still has to be carvable, though. I've thought of styrofoam, but I don't know if that would support my weight. I've also thought of wood, but carving it might be an issue. Also sculpy, but I'm not sure. The only other thing I could think of was the rubber found in the soles of shoes, but I have NO idea where I would get a block of that.



I don't have the bag from the latest roll but I can tell you the stuff Zeke and I get for around that price is an inch thick. It comes in a sheet that is 24 inches wide, and well over 60 inches in length(can't give the accurate length since our current sheet has part of one end missing from beeing used...but it's probably somewhere between 70 and 80 inches long.

Yes I would recommend it. The stuff holds well to being stacked via the use of hot glue. Zeke stacks the foam, and then strip/cuts away at until the desired shape is gained. That stuff, can be stepped on, and then when you step off it'll rebound to it's original shape. As for something that wouldn't be crushed but can be sculpted...what specifically are you using it for?


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## Trpdwarf (Jan 15, 2010)

SingingPenguin said:


> Some people swear by these http://www.shopgreatmats.com/shop4/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=892 I haven't used them yet, but I plan to with my next suit. :>



For the bottoms of footpaws we use the thicker fun foam that we get at Micheals. But...I've heard great things about that stuff too.


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## Takun (Jan 15, 2010)

Omgosh Nargle are you making a suit O:

what kind.  :3


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## Nargle (Jan 15, 2010)

Trpdwarf said:


> I don't have the bag from the latest roll but I can tell you the stuff Zeke and I get for around that price is an inch thick. It comes in a sheet that is 24 inches wide, and well over 60 inches in length(can't give the accurate length since our current sheet has part of one end missing from beeing used...but it's probably somewhere between 70 and 80 inches long.
> 
> Yes I would recommend it. The stuff holds well to being stacked via the use of hot glue. Zeke stacks the foam, and then strip/cuts away at until the desired shape is gained. That stuff, can be stepped on, and then when you step off it'll rebound to it's original shape.


 
Thanks a ton! I'll definitely look for it at Walmart. What kind of hot glue do you use, btw? I think I used the kind that melts at a low temp, and it frequently unsticks. Do you use the kind that melts at a high temp? 



Trpdwarf said:


> As for something that wouldn't be crushed but can be sculpted...what specifically are you using it for?


 


Takumi_L said:


> Omgosh Nargle are you making a suit O:
> 
> what kind. :3


 
Heh, well it's not actually a suit, but I'm planning on making a costume for the Renaissance Faire this Spring. I want to go as a deer-faun-thing, lol! So basically I'll have digitigrade deer legs (and ears). I wanted to keep the legs looking rather thin, which shouldn't be a huge problem because my legs are pretty skinny, but most plans I've found on the internet for digitigrade legs, including the stilts, end up looking really chunky. Obviously deer legs aren't chunky.. So I made some plans involving carved foam and fabric (no stilts), but to keep the legs looking thin I'll have to stand on my toes. Now, my calves are pretty strong and I can stand on my toes for hours and hours, but I don't want to end up bending my heel and making the leg look weird and unnatural. So I thought that maybe if I could have some support under my foot, it would work. The image in my head was something like this, but obviously carved to blend in smoothly with the rest of the leg, so it looks like my real heel isn't there. I have some drawn plans, but I haven't scanned them in yet. So far I'm thinking sculpy might be the best option so far, what do you think? I might even be able to make a narrower heel with sculpy, and just surround it with foam to fill it out and carve it to blend in with the rest of the leg. Any suggestions?


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## Trpdwarf (Jan 15, 2010)

Nargle said:


> Thanks a ton! I'll definitely look for it at Walmart. What kind of hot glue do you use, btw? I think I used the kind that melts at a low temp, and it frequently unsticks. Do you use the kind that melts at a high temp?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Well, we like to go for low to medium temp. Some high temp glue guns are okay, just not the industrial kind which melts even hotter. Just make sure you are in a well ventilated room when you apply the hot glue because the glue hitting the foam can release interesting but not deadly fumes. These are the kind of fumes that can make you loopy.

The second part of your post is not my area of expertise. You might bug Lion of the Sun and ask him for his advice because he knows more about this kind thing and he's really good at it.


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## Takun (Jan 15, 2010)

Nargle said:


> Thanks a ton! I'll definitely look for it at Walmart. What kind of hot glue do you use, btw? I think I used the kind that melts at a low temp, and it frequently unsticks. Do you use the kind that melts at a high temp?
> 
> 
> Heh, well it's not actually a suit, but I'm planning on making a costume for the Renaissance Faire this Spring. I want to go as a deer-faun-thing, lol! So basically I'll have digitigrade deer legs (and ears). I wanted to keep the legs looking rather thin, which shouldn't be a huge problem because my legs are pretty skinny, but most plans I've found on the internet for digitigrade legs, including the stilts, end up looking really chunky. Obviously deer legs aren't chunky.. So I made some plans involving carved foam and fabric (no stilts), but to keep the legs looking thin I'll have to stand on my toes. Now, my calves are pretty strong and I can stand on my toes for hours and hours, but I don't want to end up bending my heel and making the leg look weird and unnatural. So I thought that maybe if I could have some support under my foot, it would work. The image in my head was something like this, but obviously carved to blend in smoothly with the rest of the leg, so it looks like my real heel isn't there. I have some drawn plans, but I haven't scanned them in yet. So far I'm thinking sculpy might be the best option so far, what do you think? I might even be able to make a narrower heel with sculpy, and just surround it with foam to fill it out and carve it to blend in with the rest of the leg. Any suggestions?




Oh if you want I can go hunt you a deer and then you can use its body as a deer suit  :3c


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## Nargle (Jan 15, 2010)

Trpdwarf said:


> Well, we like to go for low to medium temp. Some high temp glue guns are okay, just not the industrial kind which melts even hotter. Just make sure you are in a well ventilated room when you apply the hot glue because the glue hitting the foam can release interesting but not deadly fumes. These are the kind of fumes that can make you loopy.
> 
> The second part of your post is not my area of expertise. You might bug Lion of the Sun and ask him for his advice because he knows more about this kind thing and he's really good at it.



Okay, hmm... Now I have a rather large concern, lol! These fumes might be an issue. I have a parrot, and I can't spray arisol, cook with non-stick pans, or even light candles, for fear of killing him. Even if I open up some windows, it sounds really dangerous... Is there any good glue you would recommend that doesn't produce any fumes? I guess if all else fails I can borrow one of the fashion department's sewing rooms here at school to just glue stacks of foam. (I planned on gluing foam to leggings or tights, though I could sew it on I suppose.)


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