Styrofoam Board For Carving?

[J lure]

Anyone using the pink/blue styrofoam board the sell at the home improvement stores for carving masters? I see that prop and miniatures guys use it and since I live in a apartment and thought it may be easier to use and handle. Anyone else doing this and if so what tools do you use and any tips?

Thanks

[capt mike]

i use it to make duck decoy bodies. Its very messy and fragile and leaves a pourous surface that would have to be sealed with something.

[sammy01007]

My concern would be, How are you going to test your bait prior to making your mold? Because the foam is so light, I don't think you could replicate it with resin, and therefore, your lure may respond very differently. Making a mold and pouring resin is a very expensive way to test a bait.

I use to live in a apt in Brooklyn when I first started carving. This is what I did.

1. Use Balsa. Buy a bunch from a local hobby store to determine what thickness and size you like working with. Then, order some hard balsa online for making your lures after you've decided what thickness is best.

2. I carved inside an old armour I bought used for $60. Cost me another $40 to have it delivered. I cut a hole in the back of it and put a box fan there, blowing out. I bought some cheap air filters from Home Depot to put against the fan. This caught about 80% of the dust I created. Just change your filter frequently. Here is a link to a picture.

http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/21009-brooklyn-apt-lure-making-cabinet/

You can see a lot of the tools I used too. The two tools that helped the most were a dremel with an attachment to sand fairly square edges and a good miter box saw. I included a link to the saw I bought, and still using today.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100197650/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=miter+box+saw&storeId=10051

[J lure]

Sammy, Great post and information.

I was thinking about styrofoam board just to shape and add detail to the bait with hand saws and exacto blades. I wasn't really worried about testing the styrofoam but you make a good point.

I have no experience with balsa or wood carving. I have been just sculpting clay with my hands and now need a more uniform way.

I will be building a lure building work bench or cabniet now, that's to your post.