foam blocks

[saucycracka]

Hello all Im about to undertake a massive puppet building project and was curious about where to get large blocks of foam and what kind of price range i would be looking at also I was wondering if it was a feasable Idea to build 70% of the head from a hard flourist styrofoam with a foam mouth I need very sharp angled features on my puppets and was wondering if this was possible


any locations that sell the afore mentioned blocks of foam neat cincinatti, OH or in west TN would be great as well

Mucho Thanks mis amigos

 

[Buck-Beaver]

Try looking in your local Yellow Pages for either a foam supplier or manufacturer or a dressmaking shop or a camping supply place (a lot of them sell blocks and sheets of foam for mattresses and pillows).

Foam that is more than 2 inches thick is sold by either weight or cubic volume and is usually more expensive than buying the thinner sheets. The price really varies depending on the supplier, the foam's density (PPI or pores per inch) and the size. It's usally good to shop around and check a few places to compare pricing.

The handy dandy Puppetry Homepage also has a list of U.S. foam suppliers in their puppet building section.

Good luck!

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Originally posted by saucycracka
any locations that sell the afore mentioned blocks of foam neat cincinatti, OH or in west TN would be great as well

HEY!! I'm in Memphis, TN!! Nate's only down in Oxford. We should all hook up sometime!

 

[saucycracka]

hoo-rah well im in school near cincinatti, OH right now but I'll be back in jackson TN this summer.
So are there any good places to get foam in that general area Im getting board from playing with sheets of foam and desperatly need to find something else

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Well, there's always the big cushion foam that you can get at fabric shops like Hancock's or Michael's. I do know that there is a place in Tupelo, MS, that sells foam blocks, but I dunno the name of it. I talked to a guy in Olive Branch, MS, about it. He was supposed to get me the contact info but never did. Maybe, too, you can check at re-upholstery places or at any local furniture factories?

I know, I'm no help! But, I tried.

FOZ

 

[saucycracka]

thanx a lot chief, its deffinatly a starting point methinks im gonna try carving some mock-ups out of the styrofoam with polyfoam mouths before i invest in blocks of foam. i've got about 9 characters i need to fasion in extreme detail.
now to completly change topic does anyone now anything about making eyes? googly eyes, pingpong balls, marbles and the regular ideas or out I need a shiny, thin(non-bulging), akwardly shaped eye. something that has sort of an anime look to it. I leave ye the sultans of puppetry with that querry.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

well, my main character Muley's eyes are simple: felt.

You can use plastic spoon ladels with the handle cut off.

You can use those little sheets of Foamies.

Eyes can be made from just about ANYTHING. Look around and just do it!

Nike.