homemade ground foam

Tom, while I'm unsure about making any recommendations for dyeing foam, I do have a couple of thoughts about the phone wire.  You are right, it's typically 24 gauge solid wire and can be used for low current signalling (relay control) and low load lighting.  It can also be used for extending the wiring for remote control of low current turnouts.

As for the deleted post offering track, I recall seeing that in the S-scale forum.  You may have better luck posting it in the For Sale Forum, and making sure you either include a price, explicitly state that it's free, or free plus shipping, etc.  Hope this helps.

Tom,

When I first got into scenery making, I went through a "phase" where I tried making my own ground foam.

I was most successful when I used diluted acrylic paints to color it. The paint worked well, but made it clump together quite a bit as it dried. That can either be a good thing or a bad thing depending on where and how you want to use it.

I eventually decided that I could never successfully reproduce the realistic range of colors in the Woodland Scenics and Scenic Express lines of products.

I did use up my homemade foam by coloring it some sort of green, gluing it down, and then applying a thin layer of the more realistic, store-bought stuff on top of it for the final coloring.

Jim

I used RIT green dye to color sawdust about 25 years ago. I thought it worked okay and it was certainly cheap enough if you have a source of free sawdust. Of course, when you are done you have a bunch of green sawdust... which doesn't look very much like grass.

I’ve had pretty good success with dying/grinding my own foam. I had a bunch of old memory foam from a mattress, so I decided to give it a go.

I also used Rit dye. The dark green is pretty vibrant, but this can be toned down with a little yellow or brown depending on the look you’re going for.

I think the key is heating it up.  Around half a bottle of the dye in a half gallon or so of water seemed to do the trick. Kept it just under boiling for the most part.  I cut the foam up into ~1” cubes for the dying part. Each one stayed in the bath for 10 mins or so I think.  If the dye runs out, or they aren’t left in long enough, you get lighter color in the center of the cube, which can give it some nice variability after grinding if you like. They need to be continuously agitated and squeezed while they’re in there.

Like you said, the grinding part is pretty easy. I used a “bullet” style blender about half full of water. Amount of time blending determines how coarse the final product is. Strange side note: no matter how long I blended it, I always ended up with a few round balls of foam that wouldn’t blend. I saved those to use as bushes.  

I left the mix out on a tray for about a day for it to complete dry out.  It is a pretty cheap and easy process, but it did end up taking more dye than I expected. I think it was around 2 whole bottles for what you see here.  

I think you'll that making your own foam, etc. while perhaps satisfying at one level is probably not worth your expended time and additional resources unless you have those in infinite supply.

The wire could be useful as noted already.

There does reach a point where visiting the dumpster to make a donation is reached and embraced.

@Patrick Keistler posted:

I also used Rit dye. The dark green is pretty vibrant, but this can be toned down with a little yellow or brown depending on the look you’re going for.
I left the mix out on a tray for about a day for it to complete dry out.  It is a pretty cheap and easy process, but it did end up taking more dye than I expected. I think it was around 2 whole bottles for what you see here.  

Wow Patrick, that's looks fantastic.  that's what I wanted to have it end up like.  I tried the Rit dye but not the hot bath method.  I didn't get the color to stick on the foam.  Last night I thought I might give ink a try but I looks like I should retry the Rit.  I was trying to dye the foam after the final grinding.

I used a hand crank grinder which did take some work.  I didn't think of adding water.  What is a bullet grinder?

Thank you,

Tom Stoltz

in Maine

I guess "Bullet" is a brand name, but it's just a single serving blender (rather than grinder) where the jar's lid has a built-in blade.  That assembly goes upside down on the motor base for blending.  I never really used it beyond the occasional protein shake, and it came with two blade-lids, so I've just dedicated one for non-food use.

That being said, I think any blender would work.  I'm unsure of the safety of then using it again for food, so check on that if you plan to do so. @mwb also makes a good point about cost tradeoffs.  I happened to have everything I needed, minus the dye, so it was a minimal investment.  Depends on how much you need and how much you enjoy the DIY aspects.

@Patrick Keistler posted:

I’ve had pretty good success with dying/grinding my own foam. I had a bunch of old memory foam from a mattress, so I decided to give it a go.

I also used Rit dye. The dark green is pretty vibrant, but this can be toned down with a little yellow or brown depending on the look you’re going for.

I think the key is heating it up.  Around half a bottle of the dye in a half gallon or so of water seemed to do the trick. Kept it just under boiling for the most part.  I cut the foam up into ~1” cubes for the dying part. Each one stayed in the bath for 10 mins or so I think.  If the dye runs out, or they aren’t left in long enough, you get lighter color in the center of the cube, which can give it some nice variability after grinding if you like. They need to be continuously agitated and squeezed while they’re in there.

Like you said, the grinding part is pretty easy. I used a “bullet” style blender about half full of water. Amount of time blending determines how coarse the final product is. Strange side note: no matter how long I blended it, I always ended up with a few round balls of foam that wouldn’t blend. I saved those to use as bushes.  

I left the mix out on a tray for about a day for it to complete dry out.  It is a pretty cheap and easy process, but it did end up taking more dye than I expected. I think it was around 2 whole bottles for what you see here.  

Excellent job !

@Tom Stoltz posted:

  Last night I thought I might give ink

Tom Stoltz

in Maine

I should have written sooner, I want to tell you the the ink worked.  At least black ink.  Amazon has lots of colored inks.  So I have to figure out which is easier and cheaper.

What about coloring sawdust?  Has anyone tried to do that?

Tom Stoltz

in Maine