GoE Labs - REFERENCE - Recipes for Prop Makers

This is by no means original, or even remotely so, but I thought I put up a quick list of references for those who need a quick mix fix.

This is definitely a work on progress, and I will add to it from time to time with other recipes that are asked for.

Where to start, well where else ?

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Monster Mud

There was a question from one of our members about suing cement to stiffen some clothing, well cement should work, but I can only imagine how heavy it'd be. From Randy Goddard in response "Make sure you use the 5gal to 1gal ratio for mud to latex paint. I have been using the mix that The Terror Syndicate uses. Here is their link: http://terrorsyndicate.com/tsp_mm.html

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Sealing the Tomb(stone) / Foam

Simple Sealing, any waterbase(eg latex paint) Need a nice texture, try waterbased dry-loc paint, gives a mice gritty sandstone like texture.
Hard Coatings

Alternately you can get special hard coats to apply over the foam that can be brushed or spray applied.
Foam Coat from Hot Wire Foam Factory , Quite reasonably priced(thanks SteveO)
Volatile Free Hard Coatings, and of course Rosco Faom Coat There are many others

Alternate Hard Coatings (and cheaper too)

Various brands of "elastometric roofing polymer" works almost as well as Rosco foam coat, and costs about 1/3 the price. It's essentially a plastic roofing sealer, and does the job quite well.

Of course you could Use Monster mud too if you want the extra weight.

Textruing Foams

You can try a product called "Jaxsan 600" as an alternative. It's a roofing product that dries with a very flexible, heavy, rubbery finish. If you put it on heavily enough, one coat can protect styrofoam. It also makes a great texture medium - try it with some styrofoam dust mixed in for a heavy stucco effect. - IIRC. Contact Plastic Coatings Corp

Distressing Foam, making water lines can be done using water and your propane torch. Using this method will require some experimentation on some xcrap pieces.
The basic idea is to wet your tombstone with water, and use the torch to LIGHTLY distress the foam. The areas where there is water will generally stay intact, and drier areas will get lightly melted and distress.
Like I said it takes some experimentation, and a quick light touch, , heavier touches will distress deeper, but you run the risk of really melting the foam and ruining your work.

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Spraying Latex (paint)
Most latex paint works well in a spray gun with your compressor. There is a catch you absolutely positively need to thin the paint ! I've found a 10-15% water add is about right. When you mix it, it should flow off your mixing stick fairly fluidly. Where it hits the paint in the can, there should be little 'mounding' with a consistency of a heavy cream.

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Aging Wood (not you SteveO)

As seen on the Extreme Restoration Site


To begin, tear up some bits of #0000 steel wool and place them loosely in a small, sealable jar or bottle.

Add enough household vinegar to fully cover the steel wool.

Attach the top of the jar and set aside for 24 hours or longer.

The vinegar and steel wool will interact to create an iron based solution.

Don't expect the steel wool to fully dissolve. It will to some degree, but due to impurities, it will never fully dissolve.


Next day, boil some water then add about 1/3 cup of water to a small jar.

Add the tea bag and allow to steep and make a really strong tea blend.

Tetley and Lipton both work just as well at English tea.........It's all a matter of what's in the pantry at the time.


Once the tea is steeped, brush it onto the piece to be aged. It isn't necessary that the tea remain warm.


Allow the tea to dry on the wood.

The tea contains tannic acid that is transferred to the wood.


Once the tea has dried, brush the area with the vinegar/steel wool mix.

You will see darkening of the wood begin almost immediately depending on the ambient temperature.

In warm weather, 30 minutes will result in the wood turning very dark gray.


It is sometimes necessary to lightly sand the oxidized area to bring the shading up a bit.

Close examination of the aged wood will show that the "shine" seen in new wood is gone. If the wood were to be stained, it would look very much like old wood now.

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