Over time, you may have built up a stockpile of scrap materials that you just aren’t willing to part with. Thankfully, holding onto those leftovers can pay off. If you’re asking, what can I do with scrap EVA foam specifically, we have a list of fun things you can use these leftovers for.
What to Use Scrap EVA Foam For
- Paint swatching – If you want to verify how different paint colors look on foam and with different primers, you can use scrap pieces for swatching. I have even taken small pieces of foam and glued it to the cap of my paint bottle so I can have the swatch with the paint.
- Texture sampling – There’s so many ways to create different textures to your EVA foam and it can be hard to keep track of every technique. Sample different methods for texturing your foam with scrap pieces. You can then save them with notes on how you created the effect so you can replicate it later.
- Practice – Whether it’s new or old techniques, scrap foam is the perfect thing to practice on. If you’re new to cosplay or a veteran, you can never get enough practice. So hold onto those scrap pieces so you can keep on developing and learning different skills.
- Small detail pieces – For smaller details on your props or armor, you can cut them out from your pieces of scrap foam. This will be hard to use for particularly small pieces of scraps but can be good for your medium to large sized leftovers.
- Padding – If you need some padding in your cosplay either to make areas appear larger or to just make the costume interior more comfortable, you can add pieces of scrap EVA foam to it.
- Make stamps – Use a Dremel or knife to turn that piece of scrap foam into a stamp. You can then put paint on it and press that stamp onto foams, fabrics and more.
- Spreading contact cement – While most containers of contact cement come with a brush, some people would prefer to spread the adhesive with a piece of foam. Small scraps can be perfect for this job so you aren’t wasting any foam.
- Reinforcement – For things like Worbla, scrap foam can be used to reinforce the material. Use it as a back layer on your fragile materials to help make it more durable.
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