Open-Cell XPS Foam 10 mm

Open-cell foam polystyrene, a thickness of 10 mm

A board of foam polystyrene with an open cell structure, ten millimeters thick and measuring two hundred by three hundred millimeters. The material has a low memory, so it keeps the impression of a tool as well as of a texture, and unlike the usual blue insulating foam it can be scribed and carved without crumbling. A thickness of ten millimeters sits between the thin facing boards and the thick boards for bulk: it will carry a relief of its own and at the same time a low terrain formation can be built from it.

Use

• low terrain formations and steps
• thicker facings and walls on buildings
• pressing texture in with a texture roller
• layering up in height when building hills

How to work with the material

The board is cut with a sharp knife or a hot wire and the shape is fine-tuned by scribing and breaking pieces off, which gives a rock a natural fracture. The surface has to be sealed with a protective coat before painting, or the foam will soak the paint up and you will use several times as much of it. Solvent-based paints and sprays dissolve foam polystyrene, which is why water-thinnable products are the ones for it. The manufacturer gives seventy-five degrees as the highest safe working temperature.

Who the material is for

For builders of dioramas and gaming surfaces, for modelers who shape their own landscape, and for anyone who needs a light material in a versatile thickness.

The dust that arises while cutting and sanding is dangerous, so work with respiratory protection and in a ventilated space. Store the material out of the reach of children and away from sources of heat.