Project : Far Cry

[Zero_Limits]

Well... they don’t really serve a purpose.. will be just decorative in the end. Just wont look the same :p Thanks for the input though its good to get opinions on it, if I agree and I don’t like it either its never to late to change it... the FarCry logo from previous posts is in the bin because I didn’t like my paint job :p

Just txt my mate and he wont be home tonight so no blue foam I have a little though so I can make a start on the next stage.

Edit: sweet 4th page!!! lol

[Zero_Limits]

Seeing there was nothing good on TV tonight (not that there ever really is) I got out to the garage, after a quick job for a customer at work it was onto the case.

I needed to cut some Blue foam today. Instead of cutting it then spending hours sanding it to make it square and fit properly I threw together a simple little system to make things much easier. After a little trial and error this is what I came up with.

Screwed one bit of wood to a sheet of 18mm MDF with a strait edge and checked to make sure it was square.

Put the foam on the MDF and a bit of 25x25 angle aluminum on top for my other strait edge.

Added some clamps so that the angle didn’t slip while I was cutting.

Used a hot wire cutter that I got from work and spent way to much on because I was to lazy to make my own at the time. These are the results. It turned out perfectly square the small lines aren’t bumps or anything just different shades of the blue caused by the wire moving slower in some places.

Oh yeah probably should mention. Safety. Because it’s a foam when you heat it by cutting with the hotwire it lets off smoke which is like bad and stuff :p the dust isn’t good for you either… common sense really… I wear one of these, not comfortable but better then being dead.

I used the drop saw to cut them to length and on the correct angles. After a little trimming they fit well.

Cut a couple more bits for the front.

Here you can see where I will need to trim for the corners. You can also just see where some smart person (that would be me) forgot to allow for the thickness of the wood and made the foam to big. Better to big then to small I guess.

So it was back to the cutting rig to trim. Such a small amount, really annoyed me but it had to be done!

This is where a previous mistake came in handy. If you have read the whole thread you might remember a while back I cut a part to small for the front at the bottom where the rounded corners are. Well I didn’t throw that out (because it wouldn’t fit in the bin) and it turns out I have a use for it. I placed it on top of the foam to use as a top guide for the hot wire.

I am pleased with the results… glad I didn’t throw that bit out now!

All that’s left to show is an overall pic of where it’s at currently.

I should be getting some more blue foam off a friend in the next couple of days to finish things off. In the mean time I can start shaping this lot.

[Rankenphile]

nice work. very clever.

How much did the hot wire cutter run you?

[Zero_Limits]

Thanks!

ummm if by run you, you mean how much did it cost ... Was about $90 NZ I think... Plus a little discount I Get.. 90NZ = about $60 US.... kind of a rip off really but that’s what happens when your on the other side of the world and have to import stuff from the states which has already been imported from china :p

You can find the one I use Here and its only $31.98 US

Still they aren’t hard to make from what I hear. I just got that one because we had it in stock and I needed something that day to get a project done on time.

Sorry if I have completely misunderstood what you meant.

[Rankenphile]

Nope, that was exactly what I meant. Thanks!

[onelegout]

Great stuff!
I dont mean to sound annoying after you spent so much money, but when I needed to cut foam for a warhammer model when I was 10, I used two 9v batteries, and a coping saw. I took off the blade, painted the ends of the coping saw where the blade attatches (I think acrylics work best) to stop any electricity being conducted through the saw body, and then fixed some wire tightly on in place of the blade, I hooked up the wire to two 9v batteries and it worked perfectly!

P.S. Those 3m respirators are the best! I use one for my graffiti and it means I can paint in my room with no worry about killing myself. It's SO nice to use after not having one for years! It's nice to not cough up multicoloured phlegm (sp?) every morning!

[Blandclock]

Looking good, can't wait to see how this turns out.

[Zero_Limits]

Nope, that was exactly what I meant. Thanks!

No problem. If I was to do it again I would probably make my own though.

Great stuff!
I dont mean to sound annoying after you spent so much money, but when I needed to cut foam for a warhammer model when I was 10, I used two 9v batteries, and a coping saw. I took off the blade, painted the ends of the coping saw where the blade attatches (I think acrylics work best) to stop any electricity being conducted through the saw body, and then fixed some wire tightly on in place of the blade, I hooked up the wire to two 9v batteries and it worked perfectly!

P.S. Those 3m respirators are the best! I use one for my graffiti and it means I can paint in my room with no worry about killing myself. It's SO nice to use after not having one for years! It's nice to not cough up multicoloured phlegm (sp?) every morning!

Thanks man.

Yeh like I said they are easy enough to make. I was just in a hurry. Plus when it comes to hot wire I wasn’t to keen on it seeing its basically just shorting out a battery :p

Indeed those 3m masks rule. I got mine last year and use it just about every time I’m out in the garage. Never had the multicoloured phlegm… but snot the same colour as what I was painting was kinda scary :p LOL

Looking good, can't wait to see how this turns out.

Thanks! Yep I cant await to see how it turns out either. Hopefully it all works out like I want.

[Zero_Limits]

Finally got the rest of the foam I needed last night. So today I spent a few hours cutting carving shaping sanding and generally making a mess of the garage :p

Not much to explain on this one.

I marked out roughly what I wanted in red marking pen. Attacked it with the dremel type tool. Then sanded for a bit of detail.

Here are some pics from today’s work.

You probably can’t see it from this next picture. After I had done that to see the detail of how I wanted it I actually went over with the 60g sand paper to remove most of the detail but to still show the basic shape.

Also the top block of foam isn’t in that picture because I had taken it inside to mark out for carving tomorrow as that one has to look similar to something in the game.

Next step will be to shape the top. After that its fiber glass over the whole lot using epoxy resin to seal the foam as a lot of glues will melt it. Hopefully tomorrow if I have enough money in the bank I can get some rock moulds from work and start making rocks to complete the sides.

More updates soon.

[Rankenphile]

Do you know how spray putty would affect the foam? I use a foam like that for 40 terrain a lot, and never considered using spray putty on it to act as a sealant to keep paint and such from melting. Have you ever tried it?