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The foam clay math that broke my brain
I was planning a big armor set for a con next month and got curious about cost. Turns out, a standard 500g tub of foam clay costs about $18, but you get maybe 15% less usable volume than a $9 roll of EVA foam after you factor in shrinkage. Found this on a crafting budget spreadsheet someone made over on the Replica Props forum. Has anyone else run the numbers and found foam is actually way cheaper per square inch than clay, or did I mess up my math?
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sandra6931mo ago
A buddy of mine tried clay once. Absolutely cursed the shrinkage.
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kevin_wells461mo ago
My buddy Tom tried working with some local clay from a creek bed near his property. He spent a whole weekend shaping a big bowl and then it cracked into three pieces when it dried. Shrinkage is no joke, especially with natural clays that haven't been tested for that sort of thing. He learned the hard way that you gotta account for like 10 to 15 percent loss in size depending on the clay type. Did your friend ever try mixing in some grog to help with that?
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