Personally I'm a huge fan of the longer videos. Not only does it allow for more time to show each step in the process, it's also great to play in the background as I'm crafting things myself.
Hey thanks ElunarGoddess! That was my thought process as well. And it seems people also like long rambling videos so they got something to listen to while crafting. Guess I’ll need to do both!
You can also use a normal knife, make your different cuts and after that use a heatgun and the cut will expand like magik. Also it seals the foam before painting it. Also, after heating the foam with the heatgun, you can use the aluminium ball and print texture in the foam.
This is perfect! I’ve been storing a few 4”x4”x36” chunks of hard foam (not sure what kind) wondering what to do with them and would have never thought of this. Those tiles look awesome!
Good stuff man. I hadn't thought of any of this stuff before... Really opened my mind up to what I can craft instead of buy. I won't judge lengthier or shorter videos. Some people just want to get the info and go... Others like myself, have 45mins to waste right now so a longer video was great 👍 Nice work!
Thank you very much for the longer video explaining what worked and didn't. I have a bunch of EVA I use for costuming and never thought about using it for tabletop terrain.
With EVA you can just score the grid with ann exacto knife the heat the foam with a heat gun. Thos will open the Scored lines and seal eva and make a better surface for paint
Loved this - there is always so much to learn about crafting, and the different materials you can use…I did not even think about using that kind of foam.
I have a hard time getting xps foam, at least at an affordable price. I tried EVA foam, but never thought of using the heat cutter. I will have to try. This made me subscribe. Thanks for the tips
Yeah acquiring xps can be challenging for some people but I find Eva foam to be a bit more common. One of my viewers recommended trying to cut the foam with a knife and then using a heat gun to open to cuts up if you don’t happen to have a wood burning tool. Best of luck and thanks for subscribing!
FWIW, I suspected that cosplayers may have ideas about how to texture the foam. One method they have to impart a leather like quality (which makes a passable stone texture) is to place crinkled aluminum foil over the foam, then run an iron over it (I couldn't determine the temperature). I haven't tried it out myself yet, but the videos seem to bear out the technique! @@HouseDM
@@HouseDM I was actually considering this… I need a reason to have them there though. I don’t have all the set up space that it seems you have. You kinda have this epic dungeon style set up. The tiles are beautiful.
Hah cutting EVA takes quite a bit of time so I haven’t gotten around to the cavern tiles yet. And thank you! These dungeon tiles are still holdin up 👍🏼
I would love to see how you would make volcanic rock/lava terrain. I’m gonna need it for my campaign later on but I’m having trouble coming up with cheaper ideas for it.
Hmmm interesting thought. I think it could be done fairly easily with EVA but I’d have to play around with it a bit first. I’ll have to get back to you on this.
100%. Use that heat gun and then weigh it down with some 5e books. I found that to fix it right up. You don’t want to heat it too much though, just a little plus weight.
Like the idea of the eva foam for tiles. I have to ask where did the doors come from? Most interested in the flat squared top one I've seen in a couple videos.
Yeah they work alright but you definitely need a special table top to keep them from sliding around. I believe you are talking about the Mantic Terrain Crate doors yeah? If so, there’s a link to them in my video description notes. But if you aren’t talking about those ones, could you be more specific cause I have crafted a couple doors by hand and used them in other videos. Let me know!
@@HouseDM yes those were the exact doors, I was mainly looking at the ones with the metal bars, just ordered a set along with a couple other boxes of traps and general dungeon pieces, thank you.
@@gunslinger1108 hell yeah! I use those doors for EVERYTHING. So universal. I’d recommend adding some heavier bases since they can fall if someone bumps the table when getting up 👍🏼
Oddly enough I didnt try that. I wonder if the heat gun would open the cut enough so that it still looks good detail wise. Id be nervous it would open up the cut too much. Have you tried this yourself?
@@HouseDM Yes. In fact, you can take a wire brush to it, then hit it with the heat gun, and it will give you a wood grain texture. I just hit it with the gun until l get the size gaps Im looking for. Because EVA is so flexible, l use it when making boats cause it is MUCH easier to work with than XPS foam. Experiment with it and see! You can even sand it with sandpaper to round the edges instead of trying to melt them!
Yeah, because I'm a wargaming dm I don't...typically...do grids. cheap tape measures ftw. You can even use their noodly nature to do corners or angles for shots and the like. However, on dungeon tiles I concede (if it's a ruined dungeon. If its like a cave system or the like no).
Agreed. I wouldn't call myself a wargamer as Ive only played Warhammer once, but I did enjoy Frostgrave quite a bit. But yeah, using a tape measure is so simple and fun for me.
Great question! I usually lay down a large mousepad type play at and use these on top. I’ve had that issue with XPS in the past where they slide around. They still do a little bit but only if you really bump them.
@@HouseDM I considered that the texture at the bottom of the mat wants to grip, so if they were even slightly heavier (slice on a proxxon and sandwich a floor tile substrate?) It might be just enough weight to keep them in one spot. Maybe not though.
@@knghtbrd definitely. Those tiles from big box hardware stores are great. Could definitely help them stay put. I’ve also used screws for extra weight since they go right into the Eva.
@@HouseDM Worth experimenting. Easier to get EVA squares since Amazon will send me a stack of them. Not so easy to get equivalent amounts of XPS if you don't drive.
Hello! New DM here and im interested in making tiles just like this! I tested one out using a 1’ x 1’ eva foam square that ended up warping after i painted it with a grey paint + mod podge mix. Do you run into warping issues too or how do you prevent it?
Hi Marcel! Welcome to the Hobby! There was some slight warping with my biggest tiles but that was fixed by just weighing them down with heavy books or using a heatgun or literally putting them in the sun and then weighing them down. All options worked for me. I think yours might have warped worse because you used Mod Podge. That stuff is a sealant that will shrink around the foam causing it to warp and bend. I don’t recommend it for this type of foam (works great on XPS, but not on EVA). Hope that helps!
@@HouseDM Ahh that makes sense, ill try it without mod podge next time, just paint! I admit I only used mod podge because another dm used it for mini painting, but that was before I learned about warping. Still fairly new to the hobby and want to invest as little as possible before I fully dive in and buy a hot wire cutter and xps foam lol. Thank you so much for responding to this comment!! Appreciate it and love the videos!
@@marcelhernandez2957 I hear you on the investment. Honestly, until like last week, I haven’t purchased a hot wire cutter. You can make do with a simple box cutter and finding XPS foam for free from construction sites. A lot of construction groups just throw their off cuts out. And those are perfect for crafting. Keep it simple and use as many recycled materials as you can find. You’d be surprised how easy and inexpensive crafting materials can be 😉
It's handy to see the details of how you did things. I do generally appreciate shorter videos though. So I'm torn. Is this process of burning what you did to make the circular dungeon piece you put on the lazy susan? Or did you just score that with a ballpoint pen? And was that EVA foam?
Hey Tyler thanks for commenting! Don’t worry, I’ll keep making shorter videos too, this one just went a bit long. This is a totally different process from my circular dungeon board. That video is still in queue behind a couple others but I’ll show you that process likely in the next month or so. I definitely didn’t use EVA foam for that but you certainly could, especially if you are looking for an indestructible disc. Check out the professors UDT video on his channel to see how he does it.
For the aluminum foil texture, I've seen some where they've made a "wheel" around their soldering gun that they roll along to make the texture. Again, have to be careful and I would say to practice on a piece of scrap. th-cam.com/video/sfQcEBWPqAQ/w-d-xo.html
Fascinating. Though watching Jeremy try that and not have the foil fall off looked hella frustrating lol. Also he is using that on XPS foam so I wonder if that would work for EVA. EVA is significantly tougher than xps.
Always cool to see another crafter learn the joys of EVA foam. "One of us! One of us!" Nice video (If you want to see my stuff, just check my chan. Several EVA vids, there)
Do you use EVA foam for your crafting projects? If so, what did you make from it? Thanks for watching!
i just stated and im watching your videos to learn
Personally I'm a huge fan of the longer videos. Not only does it allow for more time to show each step in the process, it's also great to play in the background as I'm crafting things myself.
Hey thanks ElunarGoddess! That was my thought process as well. And it seems people also like long rambling videos so they got something to listen to while crafting. Guess I’ll need to do both!
I liked the way the longer form format allowed for more of a focus on each step of the production process, for what it's worth.
Thanks Will! Its worth a lot. Glad this was helpful.
This video was fantastic - DO like the longer form. Thank you!
You can also use a normal knife, make your different cuts and after that use a heatgun and the cut will expand like magik. Also it seals the foam before painting it. Also, after heating the foam with the heatgun, you can use the aluminium ball and print texture in the foam.
Here I am watching this video again.
I still like the long format.
Hehehe you rock Jacob! Thanks for the support 😁
This is perfect! I’ve been storing a few 4”x4”x36” chunks of hard foam (not sure what kind) wondering what to do with them and would have never thought of this. Those tiles look awesome!
Good stuff man. I hadn't thought of any of this stuff before... Really opened my mind up to what I can craft instead of buy. I won't judge lengthier or shorter videos. Some people just want to get the info and go... Others like myself, have 45mins to waste right now so a longer video was great 👍
Nice work!
Thanks for your feedback, Boom! And yeah, there’s so much you can craft instead of dropping a ton of cash.
Thank you very much for the longer video explaining what worked and didn't. I have a bunch of EVA I use for costuming and never thought about using it for tabletop terrain.
Love the long form, easy to listen to while doing something else (also because you have a nice voice), and then jump back if something intrigues.
Awww thank you! I’m so glad you love it!
With EVA you can just score the grid with ann exacto knife the heat the foam with a heat gun. Thos will open the Scored lines and seal eva and make a better surface for paint
I definitely prefer a longer video. Thanks for taking the time for us.
Thanks for sharing that Jacob! I try!
Loved this - there is always so much to learn about crafting, and the different materials you can use…I did not even think about using that kind of foam.
Awesome! Glad it was helpful Joe! Really enjoying working with EVA foam, so durable.
Dang. That came out looking really good!!
Thank you! I think so too. Trade a hot wire table for a heat gun and a sharp knife and you get this effect.
so awesome. appreciate you taking the time for these. very cool
Hey thanks Martin! These crafting vids take much longer than my other ones. Glad you enjoyed it!
I saw these puzzle foam tiles at Aldi this week.
Killer vid man! Wicked 6/4 tune at the end 🤘
Those highlights look lovely!
Thanks Mono! Glad you like them 🤘🏼
Hi ! I just want to say your work are amazing !!
You give me ideas to enhance my game...
Don't stop please your so good :)
Aww wow Jean! I’m glad I helped you enhance your games and it’s so nice to hear this, thank you so much!
Thx for the video. Always great to learn a new technique.
I have a hard time getting xps foam, at least at an affordable price. I tried EVA foam, but never thought of using the heat cutter. I will have to try.
This made me subscribe.
Thanks for the tips
Yeah acquiring xps can be challenging for some people but I find Eva foam to be a bit more common. One of my viewers recommended trying to cut the foam with a knife and then using a heat gun to open to cuts up if you don’t happen to have a wood burning tool. Best of luck and thanks for subscribing!
This was very instructive! And I was considering trying that heat gun trick...😛
Glad you found it helpful! Still use these tiles to date!
FWIW, I suspected that cosplayers may have ideas about how to texture the foam. One method they have to impart a leather like quality (which makes a passable stone texture) is to place crinkled aluminum foil over the foam, then run an iron over it (I couldn't determine the temperature). I haven't tried it out myself yet, but the videos seem to bear out the technique! @@HouseDM
Mora kniv is the best cheap knife. And the classic version works well for reenactment.
I loved this! Thanks a lot
Thanks to you, I made some! Love this video.
Hehe glad you went for it! Can’t wait to see them used in a video of yours!
@@HouseDM I was actually considering this… I need a reason to have them there though. I don’t have all the set up space that it seems you have. You kinda have this epic dungeon style set up. The tiles are beautiful.
Hey man! Where's that video of cavern eva terrain? That piece looked BONKERS!
Hah cutting EVA takes quite a bit of time so I haven’t gotten around to the cavern tiles yet. And thank you! These dungeon tiles are still holdin up 👍🏼
I would love to see how you would make volcanic rock/lava terrain. I’m gonna need it for my campaign later on but I’m having trouble coming up with cheaper ideas for it.
Hmmm interesting thought. I think it could be done fairly easily with EVA but I’d have to play around with it a bit first. I’ll have to get back to you on this.
These look great! Any ideas on preventing or fixing any warping?
100%. Use that heat gun and then weigh it down with some 5e books. I found that to fix it right up. You don’t want to heat it too much though, just a little plus weight.
Thank you for sharing this
Brilliant! Cheers!
Great video!! But can I ask (not sure if it was my eyes) do did your foam warp slightly?? And if it did how did you go about unwrapping the pieces?
Like the idea of the eva foam for tiles.
I have to ask where did the doors come from? Most interested in the flat squared top one I've seen in a couple videos.
Yeah they work alright but you definitely need a special table top to keep them from sliding around.
I believe you are talking about the Mantic Terrain Crate doors yeah? If so, there’s a link to them in my video description notes. But if you aren’t talking about those ones, could you be more specific cause I have crafted a couple doors by hand and used them in other videos. Let me know!
@@HouseDM yes those were the exact doors, I was mainly looking at the ones with the metal bars, just ordered a set along with a couple other boxes of traps and general dungeon pieces, thank you.
@@gunslinger1108 hell yeah! I use those doors for EVERYTHING. So universal. I’d recommend adding some heavier bases since they can fall if someone bumps the table when getting up 👍🏼
This is Zen dude 👍
Great Video. Quick question, how do you make your doors?
Alas I did not make those. They are by Mantic Games. There’s a link in the description if you want to grab a box yourself!
I am looking to make a steampunk or victorian DnD board. I like the EVA foam material. How could I make it less rustic?
With EVA, you can cut your grid with a regular hobby knife and then hit it with a heat gun. The cuts open up and the heat seals the foam for painting.
Oddly enough I didnt try that. I wonder if the heat gun would open the cut enough so that it still looks good detail wise. Id be nervous it would open up the cut too much. Have you tried this yourself?
@@HouseDM Yes. In fact, you can take a wire brush to it, then hit it with the heat gun, and it will give you a wood grain texture. I just hit it with the gun until l get the size gaps Im looking for. Because EVA is so flexible, l use it when making boats cause it is MUCH easier to work with than XPS foam. Experiment with it and see! You can even sand it with sandpaper to round the edges instead of trying to melt them!
@@rodrick6538 fascinating! I was even considering making some wood texture tiles for interior spaces that aren’t dungeons. Great idea!
Eva foam is a great solution!
It’s a pretty tough and durable material 🤘🏼
Have you tried tin foil crumpled on your woodburner end for the stone effect?
I have tried it! But ultimately had pretty rough luck getting the pattern to stick.
Long form good. ❤
Like #420! Lol. Also, love your cat sticker
Yeah, because I'm a wargaming dm I don't...typically...do grids. cheap tape measures ftw. You can even use their noodly nature to do corners or angles for shots and the like. However, on dungeon tiles I concede (if it's a ruined dungeon. If its like a cave system or the like no).
Agreed. I wouldn't call myself a wargamer as Ive only played Warhammer once, but I did enjoy Frostgrave quite a bit. But yeah, using a tape measure is so simple and fun for me.
How light and how slippy are those on the table vs XPS foam?
Great question! I usually lay down a large mousepad type play at and use these on top. I’ve had that issue with XPS in the past where they slide around. They still do a little bit but only if you really bump them.
@@HouseDM I considered that the texture at the bottom of the mat wants to grip, so if they were even slightly heavier (slice on a proxxon and sandwich a floor tile substrate?) It might be just enough weight to keep them in one spot. Maybe not though.
@@knghtbrd definitely. Those tiles from big box hardware stores are great. Could definitely help them stay put. I’ve also used screws for extra weight since they go right into the Eva.
@@HouseDM Worth experimenting. Easier to get EVA squares since Amazon will send me a stack of them. Not so easy to get equivalent amounts of XPS if you don't drive.
Cool! Cuz I have a lot of eva foam.
This is the way.
Hello! New DM here and im interested in making tiles just like this! I tested one out using a 1’ x 1’ eva foam square that ended up warping after i painted it with a grey paint + mod podge mix. Do you run into warping issues too or how do you prevent it?
Hi Marcel! Welcome to the Hobby! There was some slight warping with my biggest tiles but that was fixed by just weighing them down with heavy books or using a heatgun or literally putting them in the sun and then weighing them down. All options worked for me.
I think yours might have warped worse because you used Mod Podge. That stuff is a sealant that will shrink around the foam causing it to warp and bend. I don’t recommend it for this type of foam (works great on XPS, but not on EVA). Hope that helps!
@@HouseDM Ahh that makes sense, ill try it without mod podge next time, just paint! I admit I only used mod podge because another dm used it for mini painting, but that was before I learned about warping.
Still fairly new to the hobby and want to invest as little as possible before I fully dive in and buy a hot wire cutter and xps foam lol. Thank you so much for responding to this comment!! Appreciate it and love the videos!
@@marcelhernandez2957 I hear you on the investment. Honestly, until like last week, I haven’t purchased a hot wire cutter. You can make do with a simple box cutter and finding XPS foam for free from construction sites. A lot of construction groups just throw their off cuts out. And those are perfect for crafting. Keep it simple and use as many recycled materials as you can find. You’d be surprised how easy and inexpensive crafting materials can be 😉
It's handy to see the details of how you did things. I do generally appreciate shorter videos though. So I'm torn.
Is this process of burning what you did to make the circular dungeon piece you put on the lazy susan? Or did you just score that with a ballpoint pen? And was that EVA foam?
Hey Tyler thanks for commenting! Don’t worry, I’ll keep making shorter videos too, this one just went a bit long.
This is a totally different process from my circular dungeon board. That video is still in queue behind a couple others but I’ll show you that process likely in the next month or so. I definitely didn’t use EVA foam for that but you certainly could, especially if you are looking for an indestructible disc. Check out the professors UDT video on his channel to see how he does it.
Short or long, it's all good.
Like the long form
This is the way.
I cant believe you hit Lalo Salamanca with the butt of an ax in Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 6
Lol Stefan Kapičić actually looks more like the Hound from GoT, but thanks!
I use a heat gun to make the EVA soft for texturing.
Hellzyeah!
Nobody tells me what to do with my terrain tiles *throws them at a wall*
LOL. These ones you can.
EVA and PIR/PUR are not hotwire safe foams. Stick with ESP and XPS for anything involving HEAT, and cut the rest normally if you can.
Truth. I did mention it was super toxic in a non ventilated area. Not sure what PIR/PUR foam is though.
For the aluminum foil texture, I've seen some where they've made a "wheel" around their soldering gun that they roll along to make the texture. Again, have to be careful and I would say to practice on a piece of scrap.
th-cam.com/video/sfQcEBWPqAQ/w-d-xo.html
Fascinating. Though watching Jeremy try that and not have the foil fall off looked hella frustrating lol. Also he is using that on XPS foam so I wonder if that would work for EVA. EVA is significantly tougher than xps.
@@HouseDM I know it's denser, but it should work. Just a thought on something to try.
@@jasonstatham5879 Working on another video using the scraps from this project so I’ll test it out and see🤘🏼
they look kind of delicious, i wanna eat them
Lol the tiles?! 😂
Miaow 😺
Magnets makes them better.
36 seconds in and you haven't talked yet. I'm out.
Always cool to see another crafter learn the joys of EVA foam. "One of us! One of us!" Nice video
(If you want to see my stuff, just check my chan. Several EVA vids, there)
Hey Campaign Terrain! Always enjoy seeing what you’re up to. And yeah, EVA is pretty great!