I am wanting to try using balsa foam, I have heard wonderful things about it but cant seem to locale any.

I did find some stuff online however it is very expensive. Are there cheaper places to find it or do I have to bit the bullet on this one?

Thanks

Hey mate. I have bought it from my local hardware store called Bunnings. I think your equivalent is called Michaels?

I have heard that cedar wood and bass wood is far superior to balsa in some respects, but I have not had a chance to test it for myself.

Chas

Ooooppps... I have just seen you are looking for Balsa foam, not wood.

Sorry, I have not heard of balsa foam so can't help there.

Hey Chas,

Yeah Im looking for Balsa Foam. It is used for carving structures and other details.

Here is a pic of what can be done with it:

And it comes in sheets like this:

Hi Chris

What do you want to use it for ? It's a dense but lightweight material which has great carving and sanding capabilities. I've seen it used for many things but mostly sculptor work, scenery (lifesize not modelling) lettering, product prototypes etc.

If its just for diorama use such as creating hills and contours you are better off with the much cheaper alternatives. Polystyrene foam, and the roofing insulation boards from building supplies etc.

Googling will get you lots of detail and a fair few suppliers, but as you say it's not cheap.

Alan

Alan,

I am wanting to use it for creating structures, such as the example image i posted.

I did find a site with 2 sheets of 6X9X1/2" for $10.75.......cheapest Ive found, most want $6 - $8 for one sheet....

Hi Chris,
Try Oriental Trading company. orientaltrading.com type in Balsa Foam in the search block. They all different sizes, shapes.

Jesse

I pick it up at Blick

Thanks for the help all!

My guess is he is looking to use it for buildings. And for that it is really nice. This link is to a thread I started about a dio I am working on. The main structure of the building is done is balsa foam. It is also the first time I have used the stuff for a building, and while what I have is not perfect, I think it shows off the possibilities fairly well.

Chris, I get mine from the same place Dave linked.

Matt