Cleveland

FoamCore is an Arts and Crafts material that has many uses for the modeler. The material consists of a thin layer of Styrofoam, usually 3/16 of an inch, sandwiched between layers of Light card stock. Normally FoamCore is white however various colors can be found in many Art supply or Craft supply stores. The material comes in various sized sheets from 20 x 30 inches to 30 x 40 inches. I use the material to make bases to display my models because it can be made to look rich and yet the final product is very light. You notice the benefit of light when you are carrying in a box with three or four models and their bases.

Following are the steps involved in constructing the 'Cleveland Base' from FoamCore ;

1. Start by deciding the size of the upper surface of the base. I usually use a pre-printed card from Verlinden, either the entire card or just half the card.

2. Cut off a piece of FoamCore equal to the size of the upper surface of the base plus a one Inch extension on all sides. For instance, if your upper surface is 5 x 8 inches, cut a 7 x 10 inch piece of FoamCore.

3. On the bottom surface of the base, draw a line one inch from each edge. Continue the lines to the edges of the piece of FoamCore, forming a one inch square at each corner.

4. Mark the midpoints (M) of the two outer sides of the square and draw lines from the inside apex points of the squares to the midpoints. A rough diamond or kite shape will be drawn. See Figure 1 for details. Remove the four diamonds by cutting vertically with a sharp blade.

5. Make vertical cuts along the lines drawn on the bottom surface. The lines should extend between apex points and should not extend to the edge of the part. The cuts should go through the card stock on the bottom surface of the base and the Styrofoam but should not go through the upper surface of the base. I use a Balsa Stripper to control both the depth of the cut as well at the distance from the edge of the part.

6. Now material must be removed on each side of the cuts to provide clearance for the FoamCore to be bent To do this, make angled cuts through the bottom surface card dock one eighth of an inch on either side of the vertical cuts. Remove the strips of card dock and triangular strips of Styrofoam to provide clearance for the FoamCore to be bent. Figure 2 shows this operation. It is easier to do than to describe in writing.

7. When all four sides can be bent, inspect the corners and remove sufficient material so that the outer surfaces can meet tightly at the outside surface.

8. Now comes the time to glue the base into shape. Tear off several strips of masking tape to have handy for use. I use Titebond Wood Glue to form the base, if you use any other glue, check on a scrap of FoamCore to make sure that the glue will not attack the Styrofoam. Put a bead of glue along the four bend lines and on the corners. Now fold the base into the final shape and use the strips of masking tape to hold the part to the desired shape. See Figure 3. Adjust the tape to make sure that the corners meet tightly and the base is not warped. Add extra beads of glue to reinforce the assembly, clean off any glue spills on the upper surface and set it aside to dry over night. Photo 1 shows three stages in the assembly of the base.

9. When the Glue is completely dry, remove the masking tape. Next, I remove material from the inside surface of the base so that it will set level. See Figure 4.
10. If you use a special upper surface material such as the Verlinden scenery cards, glue them on at this time. I use rubber cement for this operation. It makes a good bond and can be cleaned up easily.

11. The final step is to cover the edges of the base with a trim material. I use Contact brand "shelf paper" (adhesive decorative covering) in a wood grain for this. You can choose a light or dark wood grain as you prefer. You also can find wicker, bamboo, camouflage or a solid color according to your taste or the theme of your model. Cut two inch wide strips of contact paper to cover the edges. Cover the front and rear first then do the ends. Apply the contact paper so that it overlaps the upper surface material by one eighth inch and then smooth it in place on the side of the base. Be careful with this step because the contact paper sticks wherever it touches. Roll the excess material under the base and then stick it to the undersurface. see Figure 4. Cut the material so that it fits without folding. Carefully trim the ends of the contact paper so that one eighth of an inch of material from the front and back will overlap onto the ends of the base. This is to prevent the base material from showing through the trim material at the corners. Finally apply the contact paper to the ends. Again, cover the upper surface first then smooth the paper in place on the side of the base and roll the excess to the undersurface. Here, trim the ends of the contact paper flush with the corners of the base. At this point the modeler can use the base as is or add any additional details that he sees fit. A brass plate can be added to personalize the base or additional parts to make it a diorama etc. Photo two shows several variations of finished bases.

I find that I can make bases three or four at a time with about two or three total hours work per base. The results are well worth the effort Your 'masterpiece' will show up even better on it's own base. cew.

Cleveland Base using FoamCore

Photo One

Photo Two

cew