This turned out great! It's amazing how such simple techniques like rasping & dry brushing can completely transform the foam. The gaps in the lid planks really make it look like an old, dried-out wooden chest.

That turned out awesome! I'm envisioning some eerie green light peeking out from between the slats on top, maybe a windshield motor that opens and closes the lid with a hand that pops out, ooh my imagination lol.

What a great project. It look fantastic. ( Especially since last Monday was National Talk Like a Pirate Day) Congrats!

I would consider putting a flickering light in the Treasure Chest glowing through the gaps in the lid.

That’s so good! A project that’s been on my “to do” list is a similar crate with spacing between the planks and a green light inside so it glows, maybe some monster claws under the lid. Maybe with your techniques I’ll be able to do it soon

I made a treasure chest that was used as a prop for the door prizes table at an Expo held on International Talk Like a Pirate Day four days ago! I bought a styrofoam cooler ($5 at dollar store, so not huge but big enough). Since it was styrofoam ball based, I diluted spackling compound with matte black acrylic paint to fill in the gaps between the balls and produce a uniform base coat. I carved grooves in the sides and top to emulate wood planks. I added baking soda to matte black acrylic paint to thicken it, and applied this mixture with a chip brush to create a wood grain. I purposely did not use a rasp or wire brush, since this type of foam will not withstand such abuse with anything resembling tact, much less grace. I sealed the painted surfaces with modpodge for durability. I used cardboard strips for the iron straps (filled in the corrugated sides with spackle), and used upholstery tacks for the nails in the boards and straps. I loosely wrapped a 100-light strand of fairy lights (~16 ft) with red and gold sparkling tulle (~20 ft), and pinned that to the inside walls of the cooler with thumbtacks that I painted gold. I wanted to add shells to the lid, but I was initially stumped on how to get them to stay put reliably without using gobs of hot glue. I finally decided to soak some paper towel in modpodge, wadded it into a ball so that a good surface area was in contact with the underside of the shell and squished it down onto the lid with books. Then I decided to be a bit fancy, and stenciled on some swoops and swirls with a silver sharpie, then painted over the silver with teal acrylic paint, letting some of the silver show through to make it look gilded. I was ecstatic with the result, and received myriad compliments. :-)

You make things look so easy. Thank you for another great tutorial!

I got some thermal plastic for another project and it didn't work out, it does however make a nice quick handle on a razor knife blade! Sometimes a bare blade is the best tool - having a little more girth is a finger saver!

I’m a DM for a homebrew DND game and your inexpensive treasure chest has given me a great idea to help make my game more interactive for my players 😊

That came out fantastic Derek!! The gaps made it look used and broken...Love it man!! Thank you for sharing!

This turned up just in time. 👍🏻

Great looking treasure chest. I'm partial to pirate props so I could be biased but this is a a favorite theme. 😂 I've made a couple similar but used cardboard boxes as my base with foamcore and craft foam for the details.

Never cease to amaze! Awesome!

Love it, easy to follow and simple to do.

Looks pretty perfect!

That foam chest turned into something amazing, well done 👏👏 ☠️☠️☠️💀🎃🎈🦇Thank you so much for sharing

I did my version of your treasure chest. I think it turned out great! Wish i could post a picture. Thank you for the inspiration!

That came out great, VOP.

I bet you could make a neat looking latch for the front.

This is awesome. I'm going to make it for an under the sea themed party. Thanks for the great work.

Love it. Super cool, and pretty easy decor/prop

great template! I am making boxes them out of various reclaimed wood. now I will try pirate chests! Thanks!!

you could even put this over a light or have some fog come through the gaps.

Using the rubber feet was genius! I love how you used them as something completely differently than what they're intended for. THAT'S creative genius, there! Once again, a great creation. I never get tired of seeing the stuff you come up with!

Superb! Add some flickering or fading LEDs on the inside to shine through the gaps in the lid planks. Maybe even a shot of fog from the inside every so often.

as always, great to watch. love your builds. I think if one was to cut the plank edges at an angle you could reduce the gaps between the planks on the lid. I have just bought a new house and there are old wine barrels downstairs and I was checking out they were built. Same method. I also found 3 old trunks that will be treasure chests in future halloween haunts. Almost spooky season. Counting the days

Nice!!!

That turned out so awesome! I love how much ease of approach there is, being a box that looks cool with simple materials. That’d be a a craft for someone just starting out or younger kids even to handle, and is still lots of fun for experienced builders. Amazingly enough, I literally just minutes ago took a tray of Sculpey bolt heads out of the oven for another project, and of course I made extras, so I may be making another chest soon… 😆

Very nice indeed me hearties.

As always I'm fascinated by the simple techniques and materials you use to create such convincing and realistic decorations. It looks fantastic. 🙂

Awesome! Such a cool project, and the end result is terrific. Question: Could you finish paint the wood and bands separately and then glue it all together? I was thinking it might be easier to paint first but I didn’t know if that would negatively affect the glue up. BTW, I live this channel! Thanks, Derek. 👍🏼

Very Nice!

Really cool! Have you tried beveling the top pieces at 15 degrees to get them to fit closer together?

This would also make for a nice childs toy box. 😊😊

Hope you make a cool padlock!

Time to go buy some Surebonder... Gonna try to make a wood chipper out of foam. Lord help me. LOL

Mimic!!!

Looks ĝood, but how can you add a hasp and lock? Solid EVA foam?

Derek, loved the chest but, it's got no handles!

Can the lid be opened? Is the inside finished?