How to Engrave Blue Styrofoam

Blue foam can be engraved for making a wide variety of craft projects. Engrave blue foam to put text, images, patterns or symbols onto holiday decorations, wall ornamentation, dollhouse parts, train set scenery or theatrical props. Foam crafts can be painted, covered with a decoupage of fabric or paper, or embellished with various items that can be poked into or pinned onto the foam. Blue foam typically comes in blocks or sheets, and is easy to engrave with the use of a heated foam engraving tool. A foam engraving tool has an easy grip handle, looks similar to a soldering iron, and is as smooth as drawing with ink and pen.

Things You'll Need

• Tracing materials (markers, stencils, transfer paper)
• Blue foam (blocks or sheets)
• Electric foam engraving tool

Instructions

1. Plan your design and transfer it onto the foam, or choose to engrave freehand. Designs can be predrawn on the foam using markers, traced onto the foam with stencil cut outs or transferred directly from paper using transfer paper.

2. Attach the engraving tool to the power adaptor, plug the adaptor in, and let the tool sit for a few minutes while it heats up.

3. Engrave following the outline. Hold the engraver as you would hold a pencil, and position it against the foam surface at a slight angle. Apply light pressure and move at a slow and steady speed, letting the tool do the work.

4. Make additional passes over the engraved lines if you want them to be deeper or wider.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the engraver tool in conjunction with other heated foam tools, such as a knife tool and a wire cutter. Foam tools can be bought together in kits.

• Work in a well-ventilated area to avoid inhalation of the vapors that are released when cutting foam.

References

• terragenesis.co.uk: Hot Wire Foam Factory Tools