thick board for display

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ERIC

ERIC

SGF, Supreme Grumble Framer
Joined
Dec 31, 2001
Posts
1,851
Loc
New York's Hudson River Valley
Business
Newburgh Mercantile
I have a customer who is creating a display for a museum. He will print out a life-size graphic of a man working. It needs to be mounted on a board that :

A) will allow it to stand up on its own – ½ inch thick
B) is solid black
C) and can be die cut around the image’s curves

Will standard black ½” fome-core work? Does it come in ½ in black? How easy will it be to get a clean and even cut? Blade? Hot wire cutter?

Ideas?
 
I've used 1/2" black Kapa board for similar things with success. It's like Gatorboard, in fact it may be another brand name for a similar foam board. Gatorboard may make a black on black core too. Gatorboard and Kapa board are much stiffer than regular foam core which I feel will be too flimsy for this application. It should die cut ok but check a piece to make sure. I used a ZipCutter (like a Dremel tool) to cut out my figures but it make a heck of a mess so if you figure out something else let me know.
 
You can make that cut on Gatorboard with a scrollsaw or bandsaw. Both will work just fine, without quite as much mess as the zipsaw. A little slower, but will work, is a coping or hack saw. I'm just a power tool junkie, so always head for them first. :D
 
A board that is well worth considering for your project is BLACK on BLACK 1/2" Mighty Core Foam Board from the HUNT BIENFANG stable of products.

Mighty Core is a rigid board that you would put halfway between regular foam board and extremely rigid Gatorboard. It is flat, rigid and has a great surface for mounting photos or any other mounting papers. It is cheaper than Gatorboard and more expensive than regular foamboard. The Black core is great for leaving exposed when that is required. It comes as large as 48" x 96"

We sell a lot of it into the Digital Image and Wide Format industries and they love it.

Hunt Corp has a great web site for all their products. You can find out more about the Foam Board products by clicking on that section.

Foam Board Product Knowledge - Bienfang

You should be able to cut it easily with a scroll or jig saw. A sharp X-Acto blade knife will cut it as well.

Alan Sturgess
 
Another good choice would be 1/4" Sintra. It is an expanded foam product and cuts easily with a scroll saw or reciprocating saw. Many plastics distributors (Cadillac) for example would probably even cut the shape for you. The CNC suggestion is also a good one.
 
I just spoke to my client, and he was told of Sintra by another museum curator. I have to find a source now. Since it does not have a paper skin on it, this might be ideal for carving. Thanks everyone!
 
We just love Sintra. Here and n the Carolinas and surrounds it's available from Piedmont Platics. We buy in 4 x 8 sheets and comes 1/8" up to I believe 1" thick.

We use it for building the interior of shadowboxes. We're using a 48 x 68 piece tommorrow to drymount a large Jasper Johns poster.

Like Jim Miller's Coroplast, no frame shop should be without it.
 
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