Woodland Scenics EPS foam alternatives

[robertjohndavis]

I am rebuilding a large portable N scale layout my son and I built, as the moves have taken their toll. Part of the work requires both upgrading and adding new sections so EPS foam sheets are required.

I like the Woodland Scenics EPS but my wallet doesn’t. Of course, like many WS products it’s just repackaged common materials sold at a premium.

There are many options for EPS at much lower costs, so I am sourcing alternatives.

Does anyone know the density of the WS foam (generally expressed in pounds - .5 lb being quite breakable and unusable for layouts on up to 3 lbs which is very tight and strong)?

The higher the density, the higher the cost. I want the same structural quality as the WS foam without going higher.

TIA,

Rob

PS: The kinds of savings I am talking about are huge. Assuming WS EPS is 2lb density, here’s a comparison: one 12x24 one-inch WS sheet retails for about $8. I have found sources as low as $3.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Why not use the extruded stuff instead?

Or, if you're looking for more rigidity people swear by gatorfoam. I was also blown away by the variety of foamcore at the Plaza art supply store.

[C855B]

I'm not familiar with the WS foam sheets. I just perused the WS site and can't seem to find it. Can one of you supply a link?

As far as XPS goes, pink is good, blue is not as strong and inconsistent thickness, green... don't know, not carried local to me. White polystyrene beaded, run away as fast as you can.

Now faced signage foams like Gatorboard - fabulous, very expensive, like ~$150 for a 1/2" 4'x8' sheet.

[robertjohndavis]

Why not use the extruded stuff instead?

Or, if you're looking for more rigidity people swear by gatorfoam. I was also blown away by the variety of foamcore at the Plaza art supply store.

Good questions.

I first started using foam as my main scenery base back in 1992, and I've tried so many different kinds I can't remember them all.

I love the WS EPS for its ease of shaping and the variety of sizes and thicknesses it comes in (which is even greater outside the WS line in the general EPS world). The durability of high-density EPS helps it stand up to the ravages of moving a layout. For the most, the EPS on the layout is fine: it's the wood framing that has suffered the most.

I am using 2" pink XPS (Foamular) for my base layer, where strength is my main concern. But it is expensive and harder to get in the varieties I want. And although I am sure a hot knife or surform kick up nasty stuff from both, XPS smells worse when cutting/sahping and seems to be messier. These issues are common discussions in the theater scenery industry. It is what it is.

Gatorboard is cool for certain uses, but it's not as conducive to scenery IMO. It's also too expensive for wide-scale usage (even though portable, our layout is 8x16 and growing to 8x20).

I find that modelers can have success with all of these products. It comes to down to personal taste. If the end results look good, who am I to judge?

I am an old scenery dog whose favorite medium is high density EPS and I can get it cheap. My original question about the density weight of the WS foam is that I want to match it and not pay more for a higher density I don't need.

All the best,

Rob

[robertjohndavis]

I'm not familiar with the WS foam sheets. I just perused the WS site and can't seem to find it. Can one of you supply a link?

As far as XPS goes, pink is good, blue is not as strong and inconsistent thickness, green... don't know, not carried local to me. White polystyrene beaded, run away as fast as you can.

Now faced signage foams like Gatorboard - fabulous, very expensive, like ~$150 for a 1/2" 4'x8' sheet.

Here you go. WS EPS: https://woodlandscenics.woodlandscenics.com/show/item/FOAMSH

Price is a driver for me: for a 1/2" 4x8 of EPS, I can pay under $20.

[Jimbo]

One word of caution:  if using hot wire/hot knife to carve, please make sure to remember that some of these products give off toxic fumes.

I believe most EPS is safer than XPS, but not sure.

If you’re not using hot wire / hot knife, then I guess this doesn’t matter.

Jim

[C855B]

... a hot knife or surform kick up nasty stuff from both, XPS smells worse when cutting/shaping and seems to be messier. ...

Solution for cutting*: https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=24108.msg504004#msg504004

Solution for sculpting: https://v i m e o.com/249133503 (Remove spaces in "vimeo". TRW forum software hoses the raw link.)

The sculpting tool is a Craftsman product now: https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN-Restorer-120-Volt-4-Amps-Drum-Sander/1001435330

* - All of my images are on an HTTP server, not HTTPS. They won't show-up if your browser doesn't have mixed HTTPS/HTTP content enabled.