Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I'm working on carving out some Mycetic Spores from the styrofoam eggs you can buy at most any hobby store (I got mine from Hobby Lobby). I'm looking for suggestions on how to seal the styrofoam so that it can be primed and painted and not look like styrofoam with paint on it. Right now, I'm experimenting with a coating of wood glue, which works alright, but takes a couple days to properly set and be ready to work with.

Anyone got any ideas on something that might be a bit quicker/better (and preferably not more expensive)?

Add some plaster to the glue and it'll cure faster

http://www.industrialpolymers.com/styrospray.html?gclid=CNS8heq_5Z8CFQkcawoddEYHHg
Some hobby stores sell foam carving sets hot wire cutters and stuff like ^ that you can get there

Coat it with plaster of paris, or just by drywall filler and cover it with that.

Plaster will do the job, but will flake off over time.

Mixing a generous dollop of PVA glue (white glue, Elmer's glue, whatever else it's called around the place) into the plaster can make it a little more durable.

Otherwise, just painting the foam with a generous layer of PVA works as well.

And if you're willing to hunt around craft stores a little, there are acrylic spraypaints available these days that don't hurt styrofoam.

Any latex paint will work, just paint it and then prime over it with normal primer.

Walmart/Michaels/Home Depot sells a brand of latex spraypaint called "H2O" or something to that effect, I've used it on styrofoam many many times and it doesn't eat the foam like normal spraypaint.

Thanks for all the tips. I'm planning on heading to Hobby Lobby tomorrow to check prices on a couple of different methods here and ones recommended by an artist friend (layered thick acrylic paint). We'll see if something works more quickly than the potentially fragile glue shell (on the test piece, one bit has cracked slightly on a corner).

I can tell you from experience, that using elmers glue works perfectly. I watered it down and added a couple coats to some of the terrain I made from foam, and then primed it. Works like a charm

I always just give it a few coats of watered-down Elmer's. Have to be careful on large, thin sheets, as it can cause some warping, but for an egg, it should do the trick.

elmers is a good choice. I've used housepaint in the past. If there is alot of very fine detail, housepaint isn't the best choice, but if the detail is bold, housepaint is great. Best part is, most everyone or their friend has a can lying around somewhere.

It's also great if you use floral foam which molds and cuts easily, but can be dented. The houspaint soaks in and hardens the top of the foam.

How about plain old house paint - called emulsion paint in the uk. You can get bathroom spec ones that are waterproof when dry.

Housepaint works for me.

We had the inside of our house painted a couple of years ago, and had around 22 litres of paint left over (3 shades of blue and a very pale grey-white).

I've used it for a snow/ice table and some terrain and it worked fine.

Plasti Dip

I have seen it used on other crafts before... Looks pretty cool. Very sturdy.
I think the texture would be awesome for Spores. It is textured for making things like handle grips on tools.

That texture reminds me of the eggs in Alien.

Only the textured would be more uniform than in my reference pic.

Right now, I'm going with a wood glue coat and thick acryllic over that. This is mainly due to the fact that I have both on hand.

I'm looking into the other ideas presented here (esp. the Elmer's Glue) and will hopefully have a pic to post as soon as the next coat is dry.