Prop Building | Styrofoam Rock

Building a prop rock using foam core from start to finish

[@billmars6436]

Instructions: Layer the sheets of xps (expanded polystyrene) not to be confused with eps (extruded polystyrene) in the general shape you would like the rock. Flip it over and lay the first peice down. Add a thin coat of PVA glue (elmers for example), remove excess, and add the second layer, and so on. After several layers, depending the size of the sheets the PVA may not hold everything together, so wooden dowels are hammered through the foam to keep the peices togeather. After all of your foam is glued together, and the glue has dried use a hand saw to cut off chuncks of foam, to get the general shape you are looking for, you'll want to add randomness and remove square edges for more realism. Next take an angle grinder with a sanding disc and go around the edges smoothing some of the layers, adding more randomness, and sculpting the rock as you'd like. Next the rock is coated with foam coat to smooth it out, cover the seams, provide ridgidy and weather proofing. If you do not care about weather proofing you could use mod podge. There are plenty of tutorials on painting rocks, but I've gone this far so... I beleive he is using cheap acrylic paint. Apply a base coat in grey. Add a wash, or thin layer of darker paint to the areas that are low spots, or lool like they would be in shadows if a light were comind down from above. Over brush a dark brown on some of the high spots, the more random it looks the better. Do it again covering a little less area, with a slightly lighter brown. Finaly highlight with a lighter grey in the spots the rock would reflect the most light if a light source were above.

[@StarGazer0270]

Thank you for taking the time to explain the technique and entire process in great detail. I'm in the research and planning stage of creating a backyard waterfall with a slight pool. then drop off to end as a pondless waterfall. Your information was helpful.

[@kelow3542]

The finished product looks great, but the video should have been more informative. It should have contained all equipment used as well as all the different coatings.

[@patglenn7762]

At the beginning of the video he uses white glue to hold the layers together. Personally I'm not sure that was the best choice. I would have used spray foam in a can/dispenser, or PL300. At around the 4 minute mark I suspect he's using a light mixture of plaster, or possibly watered down drywall mud. Then it appears he blends several layers of paint, adding sand and small rocks as he goes. I'm not 100% sure that's exactly what he's doing, but does that help?

[@julianbraylen6049]

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[@raylandecker5932]

@Julian Braylen instablaster :)

[@julianbraylen6049]

@Raylan Decker i really appreciate your reply. I found the site through google and Im waiting for the hacking stuff now. Takes a while so I will get back to you later with my results.

[@julianbraylen6049]

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[@toddsoper8709]

Props to you! Amazing carving and faux finishing skills!

[@AM-ou1wt]

WOW! Thank you- am going to make one of these.using outdoor bonding- a can of outdoor spray foam would do the trick and could even be used as a carve-able overlay.

[@Oh6Torch]

Looks pretty good but you could have filled in all those perfectly spaced horizontal lines. Other than that, great looking rock.

[@solomon2424]

Awesome job!

[@divinegrace2935]

Your skills are amazing

[@blu3445]

Slice the top off of it for a lid, hollow out the inside. Put hinges on the lid and make a cooler 🙂👍

[@javierydianamedina3194]

Muy bien tu trabajo. Pero sale muy cara .. los materiales cuestan mucho. Te sale más barata, una piedra real.

[@khamissr]

Thats awesome bro.

[@mkfourgli1]

Nice rock, looks authentic. Can you please tell me what glue you used

[@BXTR_Werks_]

Great work! What is the white substance that you brushed onto the foam after sanding?

[@shaunramkissoon2]

A. Dennis Baxter II has to be some type of sealer so the foam doesn’t soak up all of the paint.

[@klbarneslive9918]

It is called foam coat, kind of expensive but definitely worth it!

[@MrNICOYA2009]

@@klbarneslive9918 i think that primer shall do it as well.

[@42kubawieczorek]

That precision is AMAZING! It looks identical to the real thing!

[@dianalopez5397]

What is the tool you used to carve and sand the foam with?

[@lindarutan7672]

What product did you use to apply to the foam core please?

[@chittyB75]

What size styrofoam thickness are the small ones at the bottom ?

[@jibbs1111]

I have to build a giant boulder/ cave-like prop that's transported easily. Any recommendations? 😅

[@klbarneslive9918]

I'd go with a foam covered base. Try moulding with something like chicken wire and then use foam blocks and spray foam to build it out from there.

[@jibbs1111]

@@klbarneslive9918 thank you!

[@StarGazer0270]

@@klbarneslive9918 Great Idea!

[@patglenn7762]

It's been a couple of years since you made the video. So how's that white glue holding together?

[@patglenn7762]

@Anna S Tough to say. At 0:44 the top half of the label is sort of visible. I can't quite make out the name, but I believe it's an "Elmer's" brand bottle.

[@vjeranastipetic5091]

what glue? what is the white thing? which paint? some info please :) otherwise looks great

[@MoonsInRetrograde]

I've made some rocks for a theater performance thanks to your video. Just one question: the edges of the rocks have gotten damaged during rehearsals.... is there any product we can put over the paint that protects them?

[@sharonrichards1627]

I get big pieces of Styrofoam at the local recycle center for free.

[@pj3998]

Will this last outdoors?

[@lofiart1190]

what my teacher expected when making a fake props:

[@edsonluisdeoliveira6914]

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[@pkfamily2199]

ฝีมือดีมากครับ

[@charlenehumphries8019]

Can we get a material list?

[@user-br3gw2kx3q]

Words would be appreciated

[@qrs3658]

nice video but the music annoying to me. can i order a few of these?

[@poweralginator]

What glue did you use on the Styrofoam ??

[@klbarneslive9918]

It was regular Elmers. Definitely needs a thin, even coat on every layer and the skewers really hold it all together.

[@TomReichner]

@@klbarneslive9918 Regular Elmers? Would that hold up to outdoor use in the rain and floating on ponds? I always thought that Elmers was water-based, and would come unglued if it was in water for a prolonged amount of time.

[@klbarneslive9918]

@@TomReichner Regular Elmers, and this type of rock, would not be ideal for outdoor applications. You may consider vacuform plastic, although I am not very familiar with the process.

[@orionas8481]

How to glue foam plz ?

[@robertblackburn7740]

looks to layerd

[@kellyziegler4776]

Can you actually sit on this?

[@KissDaBoi]

Do make and sell them . I’m having a party and would like to purchase some ice Rocks with icicles hanging from them

[@klbarneslive9918]

Unfortunately I do not make them for sale. The cost of the foam and foam coat unfortunately adds up incredibly quick for projects like this.

[@SovereignNational]

Can you make me one for my fish tank? I will send you the design.

[@cccr-fw6rr]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@mia-pd6mo]

Who's watching this in 2019??

[@jaybc6149]

me

[@markgriffith3076]

2020

[@TomReichner]

2020 for me

[@user-yy7jp4ks9e]

Очень дорогой камень получился

[@christdiedandroseagainfory2133]

Cardboard boxes wire mesh and concrete 5 times cheaper

[@brettstrader365]

how - instructions?

[@klbarneslive9918]

For theatre we have to consider weight, movability, and stability as well as cost. This is what we needed at the time.

[@TomReichner]

Yeah, but that sounds like it would be heavy. I would think that anybody making an artificial rock is doing so because they need something that looks like a rock, but is extremely light and portable.

[@mosart7025]

@@TomReichner You can use Portland Cement, Vermiculite and Peat moss, over the boxes and chicken wire. It will still have some weight, but not near as much as straight concrete. You just have to have some lead time, it takes a couple of weeks to cure. This guy probably did his in a day or two.

[@TomReichner]

@@mosart7025 That is an interesting combination of materials! How would one keep the peat moss from absorbing water? I would be using my rocks in outdoor situations, where they would be exposed to the elements. But I would be putting them back in my car at the day's end to take them back home, or to another location for the next day's photoshoot. I can't have rocks that absorb water - that would make them too heavy, and possibly make a mess when they're riding in the passenger's seat of my car from one location to another.

[@mindycabral7532]

Would it be possible to find a more annoying background noise - i mean music? No? Yeah probably not. Nice rock on mute tho.

[@pd6834]

Total fail. What is it that you did? We saw some high speed action involving foam. What you did with it remains a mystery. Much less work intensive ways of making artificial rocks available. Cheaper too.

[@klbarneslive9918]

made a fun video

[@dmomcilovic9185]

No info just sped up video showing nothing

[@herrhansmeier34]

🤦🏼‍♂️

[@ericab936]

I learned nothing.

[@pejalankaki526]

Great job!

[@kelow3542]

The finished product looks great, but the video should have been more informative. It should have contained all equipment used as well as all the different coatings.

[@TomReichner]

I agree. The reason I watch videos like this is to find out all of the detailed information about each part of the process. I am here looking for instructional step-by-step "how to" videos.

[@klbarneslive9918]

This is not meant to be instructional, just a fun video.

[@edsonluisdeoliveira6914]

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