I have difficulty getting the same detail out of EPS as I do urethane foam. Is that common or is it just me not taking enough time with the EPS or needing to change my approach to EPS?
EPS doesn’t finish quite the same. So much of the finish is in how it’s sealed. I always use Dap Fast and Final to get a nice seal and a great finish on the blank. Done right there isn’t much diffence in the look of the finished board or the airbrush. Also with a nice seal the lamination goes really easy, much easier than any other.
Aquafiend:
I’ve really enjoyed my Fiberglass Hawaii grit drum. Am using an old Clark Foam Hitachi chasis that I’ve rebuilt and made some mods to. Over time I’ve found that using this tool you can shape 95 percent of your shape and with some sanding blocks and well worn folded sandpaper the finish work takes minutes. EPS beads do tear easily, so I rarely use a sureform or similar tools and my block planes are kept sharp. Since you are going to be using a sealer coat (I use white pigmented epoxy with a filler material) there is not much reason to take your sanding beyond 80/100 grit…IMHO.
Have had good results with acrylic paints on this sealed surface finish with a good bond once laminated.
Tom S.
I agree with tomas about fine sanding, in fact I finsh with 60 on the block and then 80 screen on a soft pad. I don’t use surforms at all, I prefer a block with 36 or 40 grit. I’ve had grit drums in the past but today use blades and get the same results. The 36 grit block is, to me, where so much can be done with the shaping of this stuff. Glides and cuts nice withouit tearing anything up.
Thats good stuff. But what about channels or spoons or…(?), y’know stuff that requires alot of detail. Can you do it with EPS?
Channels im doubting and spoons I think would just be wayyy to bendy to shape. I have problems with like a two inch thick stringered blank.
I’ve shaped every shape you can imagine in EPS. Hundreds of channels and thousands of concaves (if that’s what you mean by spoons).
I was thinking of the spoons in the archives that are like foam rails and fiberglass in the middle… but you probally have done much more EPS work than me so I’ll let you anwser.