Is there anyway that I can make a imatation piece of driftwood from foam? if so how would I get it to sink into the water? What paints are safe to use? What foam is safe to use? I just cant find a piece of drift that I like to fit my aquarium the way I want it to. Thanks for the help. By the way this is my first post, ya'll got a great site here.
Foam Driftwood
- Thread starter kyfish
- Start date
...driftwood made from foam, U ask?
In my opinion it would continually drift to the surface unless glued to the wall or glass bottom.:huh:
In my opinion it would continually drift to the surface unless glued to the wall or glass bottom.:huh:
kyfish there was a thread here a few months ago by a guy who made an amazing backdrop (huge) with: styrofoam pieces for background covered with cement then painted; and a stump-and-roots structure built over the "rocks" out of metal wire coated with spray foam then carved into shape and given the same concrete-and-paint coating. It CAN be done.
If you just want a free-standing "wood" structure I would take wire thin enough to bend but stiff enough to hold its shape once bent. Maybe old-fashioned coathanger wire if you can find it. Bend that into the basic shape/length/branch structure you want. (The more wire you use the more it will weigh. This is good as you have to counteract the buoyancy of the foam. You still may have to glue/silicone the piece to a flat rock to hold it down, but you can always bury the rock under substrate if you don't want it seen.)
Then take the foam and spray it over the wire. The end result will be a big blob, but then after it cures you start carving it down to the shape you want. As Michaelangelo or somebody reportedly said, the statue is there in the piece of rock the whole time; the sculptor's job is to just cut away the covering to let it out.
It may take a few tries until you get just the piece you want. Then comes the hard part, finding the sort of paints prescribed for this use. I have been asking for "epoxy paint" everywhere and get looked at like an idiot as nobody in west Tennessee seems to have ever heard of such a thing.
If you just want a free-standing "wood" structure I would take wire thin enough to bend but stiff enough to hold its shape once bent. Maybe old-fashioned coathanger wire if you can find it. Bend that into the basic shape/length/branch structure you want. (The more wire you use the more it will weigh. This is good as you have to counteract the buoyancy of the foam. You still may have to glue/silicone the piece to a flat rock to hold it down, but you can always bury the rock under substrate if you don't want it seen.)
Then take the foam and spray it over the wire. The end result will be a big blob, but then after it cures you start carving it down to the shape you want. As Michaelangelo or somebody reportedly said, the statue is there in the piece of rock the whole time; the sculptor's job is to just cut away the covering to let it out.
It may take a few tries until you get just the piece you want. Then comes the hard part, finding the sort of paints prescribed for this use. I have been asking for "epoxy paint" everywhere and get looked at like an idiot as nobody in west Tennessee seems to have ever heard of such a thing.
I'd worry about using wire in anything that's going to be submerged long term. I've seen really interesting stuff done with carved foam and quickcrete as well, but have you considered using a variety of smaller pieces to achieve the overall look you want?
Hi
This ?? is right up my alley lol I've used the great stuff in about any situation you can name lol
"great stuff" comes in 3 degrees of expansion use the least expanding as it will have less voids .
It is very bouyant so either form it on a rock or glue it to a rock after forming much better than gluing to the glass as it can be moved
Tends to let go over time to very smooth surfaces such as glass anyway. carve after curing.
You can cover it with cement if you like or add cork, rock or what have you but not necessary .
I use acrylic latex found it holds up just as well as two part epoxy at about a third the cost Have found a type called "patio paint"
available in small bottles at craft stores . Comes in 80 colors so you could put the "mona Lisa "on the side if you like lol
No the foam does NOT disintegrate over time and both the foam and the paint are non toxic. It will degrade in natural sunlight but easily prevented with the paint.
Will warn you that certain fish such as CAE find it delicious,will spend hours scraping it off . You can attach non strata plants such as Java moss fern to it but roots will grow directly into it causing a bit of paint chipping
Be sure to wear disposable gloves !! It is incredibly sticky until cured and you'll have to wear it off as nothing removes it gary
This ?? is right up my alley lol I've used the great stuff in about any situation you can name lol
"great stuff" comes in 3 degrees of expansion use the least expanding as it will have less voids .
It is very bouyant so either form it on a rock or glue it to a rock after forming much better than gluing to the glass as it can be moved
Tends to let go over time to very smooth surfaces such as glass anyway. carve after curing.
You can cover it with cement if you like or add cork, rock or what have you but not necessary .
I use acrylic latex found it holds up just as well as two part epoxy at about a third the cost Have found a type called "patio paint"
available in small bottles at craft stores . Comes in 80 colors so you could put the "mona Lisa "on the side if you like lol
No the foam does NOT disintegrate over time and both the foam and the paint are non toxic. It will degrade in natural sunlight but easily prevented with the paint.
Will warn you that certain fish such as CAE find it delicious,will spend hours scraping it off . You can attach non strata plants such as Java moss fern to it but roots will grow directly into it causing a bit of paint chipping
Be sure to wear disposable gloves !! It is incredibly sticky until cured and you'll have to wear it off as nothing removes it gary