Thread: Tombstone Writing!

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Well, im a total newbie , and in 2009 (yeah, 2009 =P ) I would like to learn how to make tombstones. I dont know where to get the foam material, and have no idea how to carve them to make the letters look that good! My dad has a razor blade, would that work? Thanks guys

You can get foam from Home Depot or Lowes. It is either pink or blue, comes in varying thicknesses, and is usually either 2 or 4 feet wide, and 8 feet long.

Personally, I use the 2" thick stuff, but others have used the 1" or 1.5". It really doesn't matter much, but the thicker stuff should stand up to abuse or high winds a little better.

Plan out your stones before you cut, as you want to maximize the amount you can get out of a sheet, and minimize mistakes.

You can cut the stones out using a number of tools, including saws and serrated blades, hot foam knives and wires, and power tools. I cut mine using a jig saw. A thinner board may not stand the vibration though, so you may need to experiment a bit.

Regarding design, again, you need to plan out what you want on the stone. I printed my text and graphics out on the PC and printed them out. I then lightly glued the paper down to the foam. For this step, you need to use a glue that won't eat styrofoam - spray adhesives and paints will eat foam! I used a spray adhesive, but sprayed it on the paper itself. I then waited a few seconds for the glue to cure a bit and then placed my paper on the foam. The damage is almost nil this way. After cutting your design, you can just peel the paper off the stone. Sometimes it will stick and leave remnants, but don't worry - you can get a wet sponge or rag and sit it on the stuck paper bits. In a minute or two, the paper will slough right off. You can also use an ultra-fine sandpaper or sanding sponge to remove the paper and glue. Won't affect the look of your stone a bit.

For carving, you can use an X-acto blade or hot knife, but I prefer to use a Dremel or other rotary tool. I put in a drill bit, attach the grout attachment, and go to town. You can get a rotary tool kit from Home Depot for well under $50, and router and grout attachments are pretty inexpensive.

There are plenty of tutorials and examples out there on construction and painting tombstones - check this site, HauntForum.com, Monsterlist, and HauntProject for more details.

Good luck!

No problem - there are plenty of good sites to help!

Try this one for one of the best instructions on how to do a fantastic tombstone:
Keebas tombstones

and a good site with LOTS of tutorials:
HauntProject.com - Your visual source for Haunting How-To's

You can get the foam core from places like Lowes or Home Depot. It is 4 foot x 8 foot sheets of foam insulation used in building, made by either Dow (blue) or Owens-Corning (pink). Thicknesses are up to 2 inches, but it really depends on where you live - cold climates with real winters will stock the 2 inch foam, but if you live in hotter climates, you'll be lucky to find even 1 inch foam. (I live in south texas, so my stores only stock 1/2 and 3/4 inch foam sheets)

With foam/styrofoam, spray paint and certain glues will "melt" the foam - which means that if you want to paint or glue, use stuff that is rated for foam or in the case of paint, use latex (like house paint, and check the oops paint section!) or acrylics. You can get some pretty interesting effects using spray paint, but TEST first to see how it does.

Cutting... some people swear by hot wires that cut by melting the foam and wood burning stylus kits for doing the lettering/design. Just be aware that you are MELTING the foam and releasing toxic chemicals in the air and do this carefully with lots of ventilation and fans and masks if possible.

You can use things like a serrated steak knife to cut out the foam, and smaller razors - like an Xacto knife to do the cutting. A bit harder and time consuming, but you have more control over the look and no chemical gook to worry about.

A dremel is a great tool for carving also - but it creates a lot of dust, so again, wear a mask and do it outside!

Originally Posted by Frankie's Girl

A dremel is a great tool for carving also - but it creates a lot of dust, so again, wear a mask and do it outside!

Just to bring this to people's attentions, like any plastic-type material, this foam will not break down naturally. If you carve and/or cut outside, the waste can blow off creating litter that will never go away. I made this mistake last year and had pink dust all over my yard for a month.

If you want to be a little environmentally responsible, do this in your basement or garage, vaccum up the waste, and empty into your trash. It isn't a perfect solution, but at least you're trying...

Laughing... pink dust. You should have made a pink scary fairy prop... that way no one would suspect anything...

Sorry, could not resist!!1

Joel

Originally Posted by berzerkmonkey

Just to bring this to people's attentions, like any plastic-type material, this foam will not break down naturally. If you carve and/or cut outside, the waste can blow off creating litter that will never go away. I made this mistake last year and had pink dust all over my yard for a month.

If you want to be a little environmentally responsible, do this in your basement or garage, vaccum up the waste, and empty into your trash. It isn't a perfect solution, but at least you're trying...

Good idea - I'd have to do it in a garage (we don't have basements around my area)!

I use a knife for the large cuts and use wood burning tool for the letters and detailing. Just make sure to wear a mask if you melt the foam.......the fumes are nasty.

how old are you/ have your dad supervise or work with you if your a preteen and are going to use sharp knives or power tools, plus more hands means more tombstones,

sorry to be a buzzkill, but real blood doesnt make the best prop,, unless its someone's you dont like, haha

never mind - your profile pic looks old enoufgh