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Carving Foam

Discussion in 'Fish Taxidermy' started by drwalleye, Feb 12, 2022.

  1. Feb 12, 2022 #1
    drwalleye

    drwalleye Active Member

    371
    27
    I am looking to get into doing more of my own carving of fish forms. I was wondering is there anything else I can get that's not as expensive as the stuff from the taxidermy companies I've tried construction foam and that's not as dense and sandable just wondering if there's anything else I can use. usually there's always a substitute for things like this and I'm just checking to see if anybody has any thing to share thank you
     
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  3. Feb 12, 2022 #2
    3bears

    3bears Well-Known Member

    6,407
    2,426
    MN
    Sure, you can order foam from a foam manufacturing facility, I've done it but they have a minimum quantity for purchasing so, unless you want to dump a ton of money and then store it, it probably isn't worth it. You could also maybe get some others in your area to split it with you, that's what was suggested to me. I no longer use the stuff, I went to buying sheets of pink or blue foam and gluing them together.
     
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  5. Feb 12, 2022 #3
    John C

    John C Well-Known Member

    16,647
    600
    Between South Africa and America.
    Cook bros insulation Kansas City MO
     
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  6. Feb 12, 2022 #4
    Clew

    Clew Help a child, Build our future

    8,202
    15,564
    York, SC
    I got so tired of carving bodies
    I got to the point of making my own molds in half inch increments
    Up to 15 lbs
    Today I have about 30 differnt bass molds, what I do most of
    And several bream and crappie molds
    Initial cost was up
    But now
    Very cheap
     
    J.N.L likes this.
  7. Feb 12, 2022 #5
    Clew

    Clew Help a child, Build our future

    8,202
    15,564
    York, SC
    I bought a bunch of repo molds from don Patton for sunfish bream and perch
    And made body molds from these
    Some of these Jimmy Lawrence had that I bought
    Investment up front means profits later
     
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  8. Feb 13, 2022 #6
    Richs Taxidermy

    Richs Taxidermy Well-Known Member

    606
    292
    Northern Illinois
    If you have a home depot near by they can get blue dock foam,a little pricey but free shipping
     
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  9. Feb 13, 2022 #7
    Mudbat

    Mudbat Well-Known Member

    827
    1,531
    With the cost of shipping and the current cost of foam. On larger fish it’s cheaper to just buy and alter a form.
     
  10. Feb 13, 2022 #8
    3bears

    3bears Well-Known Member

    6,407
    2,426
    MN
    Yep, I pretty much anymore only carve forms for fish that one isn't available for.
     
    Mudbat likes this.
  11. Feb 14, 2022 #9
    Bruledrift

    Bruledrift Active Member

    412
    110
    I have had good success with the general bead board you can buy at Menards/Lowes/etc. Carves nice and you can sand it pretty smooth. I have been using the pink foam and gluing for thickness, but it is more problematic than the white bead board when rasping/filing/sanding. But, it works.
     
    Beltonbanger likes this.