Information on Polystyrene balls, eggs, hearts, stars, cones & rings
What can you make with Polystyrene Shapes ?
Polystyrene or Styrofoam balls, eggs, hearts, rings and cones are highly versatile 3D craft shapes that suit a multitude of projects. Craftmill stock the widest range of sizes in each of these polystyrene products in the UK. From tiny 20mm polystyrene balls to massive 600mm (60cm) polystyrene spheres and giant 55cm polystrene cones.
So what can you use polystyrene products for? Let your imagination run wild! The uses are literally endless…..
The very large polysytrene balls are often used as advertising and stage props. Our large polystyrene eggs have featured in many stage performances!! The smaller polystyrene balls are often used for replica snowballs, golf balls or are decorated using pincraft, decoupage, fabrics and more. The 70mm polystyrene balls make great Christmas baubles and children just love to decorate them. Teamed with our bauble hanging pins they are an excellent Christmas craft.
A new fashion is to make sweet trees using some of the larger balls. We now stock 150mm and 200mm solid balls which are ideal for the biggest sweet trees. Whilst the 10cm and 12cm balls remain the favoured size for creating these table decorations. You can find out more about how to make sweet trees on our sweet tree supplies section by clicking this link . We also stock accessories like dowels for the tree trunks, and buckets for the base together with plaster of paris to fix the dowels in – all at the lowest prices.
Polystyrene cones are also extremely popular for sweet tree topiary and we stock the largest off-the-shelf cones in the UK – up to a massive 55cm tall.
Polystyrene eggs can be used for the creation of Easter eggs and human and animal shapes. The readily available size range in craft eggs is from 55mm to 300mm. By combining them with balls, glueing or otherwise joining them, the potential for making creative works is greatly expanded. Make your own Faberge eggs next Easter time!
How to Model with Polystyrene Armatures
More unusually, polystyrene eggs, polystyrene balls, cones, rings, stars and hearts can be used as armatures (frames) onto which clay can be modelled. They enable economic use of clay so long as it isn’t fired as firing the work will probably result in the polystyrene evaporating which would not be a good thing for the model. For air drying clay like paper clay and Das they are very useful in providing a basic shape upon which to work. As these are low shrink when drying, they are unlikely to crack. We do not advising using polystyrene for modelling earthen clay as the clay shrinks too much when it dries, resulting in it cracking away from the polystyrene. We advise using chicken wire for high shrink clays as the wire should absorb some of the stress resulting in the drying process.
Animation artists using Colour clay Plasticine, use polystyrene balls and eggs as armatures for their characters. The clay does not dry out and can be reused. As the polystyrene is extremely light, modelling onto them helps to save not only clay but also weight as clay is very heavy. Models will therefore not require as much reinforcing to hold the components together and to remain upright.
If you are a serious user of polystyrene shapes in your business and resell a finished product using hundreds or thousands of a size, we are also happy to supply. Contact us for a quote at enquiries@craftmill.co.uk
