4 foot Great White Shark

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tmerrill
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4 foot Great White Shark

Post by tmerrill »

Thanks to all of you who have shared their experiences and knowledge creating large projects in foam.

This is my first and I found it very enjoyable. For me, it won't replace wood but was a nice change of pace. As with all first time projects I learned a lot. The approach I took was to only use materials I had on-hand for this first one.

My 2+ year old grandson is really interested in fish so I thought what could be better for his bedroom wall than a 4 foot Great White Shark. The model comes from James at VectorArt3D.

I increased the size to approximately 24" high by 46" long and increasing the Z height to 7.75" really brought out the detail. After slicing into 4 slices it fit easily in one-half of a 48" X 96" X2" sheet of foam insulation.

Cutting went fast but was messy. Glue up was with Titebond 3 and I used blue painters tape to hold everything together until the glue set. I sanded a few rough areas but didn't spend much time on it. After a thick initial coat of a water based primer I sanded it better and filled in the joints and any gaps with a lite spackling compound. Did this combination a couple of more times (primer and filler) sanding between coats with a sponge sanding pad. When happy I gave it a final coat of primer and then sprayed with Krylon.

Can't wait to see how big his eyes get (and whether he will be able to sleep in his bed with that over it :D).

Tim
Attachments
What a mess 1.jpg
What a mess 2.jpg
Before primer.jpg
First coat of primer.jpg
Shark finished.jpg

moto633
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Re: 4 foot Great White Shark

Post by moto633 »

Tim That thing is AWESOME!! :lol: He is going to love that!!!!!

What is the blue that you mounted it on? And what type of water based primer did you use(brand please)?

Thanks for posting this one!! :lol:

Nick

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JamesB
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Re: 4 foot Great White Shark

Post by JamesB »

Tim, Good project to sink your teeth into :roll: although posting here you may just be fishing for compliments :roll:
OK I am stopping now, seriously looks great!
Cheers,
James

tmerrill
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Re: 4 foot Great White Shark

Post by tmerrill »

Thanks guys.

James, you are in rare form - been keeping cool have you :D

Nick,

The blue boards are matte foam boards I purchased at W-Mart to use as backgrounds for pictures. In this case they are too small. I'm not going to mount it to anything. There is a slot on the back where I will glue a small board with horizontal keyhole slot. Had to figure out where the balance point was for this first one.

I use and like Zinsser's 1-2-3 water based primer and their BIN shellac based primer. Normalliy I give the edge to the shellac based one, but wasn't sure how that may react with the foam (if at all). Instead of experimenting I just grabbed the water based one. You can put it on thick and it drys pretty quick.

Tim

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Re: 4 foot Great White Shark

Post by mezalick »

Very nice Tim !
Working bigger give a different approach to the project.
The finish looks great. Let's us know how you grandson likes it.
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Re: 4 foot Great White Shark

Post by Turtle49 »

tmerrill wrote:The blue boards are matte foam boards I purchased at W-Mart to use as backgrounds for pictures. In this case they are too small. I'm not going to mount it to anything.
I think it looks great with the fins hanging off the top and bottom!

Tim
:D
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Re: 4 foot Great White Shark

Post by mikeacg »

Alright Tim! Looks great!

I'll never give up wood either but foam is so perfect for some many things. I am working on a tiki themed room right now for a friend. It would be way too expensive in anything else but foam...

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Re: 4 foot Great White Shark

Post by zeeway »

That is simply awesome, Tim. I think I would have trouble sleeping in the same room as that big fish (sharks are fish, right?)

Gc3

Re: 4 foot Great White Shark

Post by Gc3 »

Nice work Tim

How do you feel about the foam "dust" and collection... Do you have any issues with static build up, control issues with the bot...lost coms...ect, ect.

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joecnc2006
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Re: 4 foot Great White Shark

Post by joecnc2006 »

Where would be the best place to get foam and what does it run in a 4x8 sheet?

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Re: 4 foot Great White Shark

Post by sailfl »

Tim,

Nice work. You inspired me to start working on some fish. I think they would be hot here in FL.

Joe, I started with some pink foam like you find at HomeDepot. It is cheap and cuts well. You can glue it together easily with the right glue. I have also used foam like they use on the outside of buildings for designs.

It is a mess to cut. The stuff wants to stick to every thing.

tmerrill
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Re: 4 foot Great White Shark

Post by tmerrill »

Nils,

If you haven't done it yet, go to the VectorArt3D site and search for fish. There are a lot of them that would be popular in Florida. You will pay for the model with your first sale.

Gene,

The shavings stick to everything, including yourself. I turned on the shopvac every 10-15 minutes and picked up most of it. I didn't have any comm issues, but never had.

Joe,

As Nils said, you can normally find the 2 inch thick foam at your local home improvment centers. This particular sheet is an Owens/Corning product from HD. I paid $28. Some sheets are prescored every 12", which is the only one I can get, but I would recommend getting the solid sheets if you can find them.

Tim

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Re: 4 foot Great White Shark

Post by sailfl »

Some companies that do architectual designs in foam will have scrap pieces that they throw away. Some will give it to you. It is easy to machine and cheap.

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fretsman68
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Re: 4 foot Great White Shark

Post by fretsman68 »

Firstly, Tim, that thing is "Killer", no pun intended, it's just fantastic, beautiful work/art!
sailfl wrote: You can glue it together easily with the right glue.
What exactly is the correct glue for this type of foam?

Thanks,
Dave
--------------
Dave

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Re: 4 foot Great White Shark

Post by rrrevels »

Tim,

Great looking Shark. Just don't let the grandson watch the movie JAWS! :shock:
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