/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

I'm making a sword out of craft foam, however the hilt ended up with really ugly big seams on the bottom. I have three different ideas for how to cover the seams and smooth out any ridges - I could cover the whole thing in air dry clay or sculpey, I could cover the seams in duct tape and then paper mache, or I could just directly apply paper mache to the foam. Which one of these would work best? Are there other techniques any of you can recommend to build a smoother topcoat over a foam core?
I am going to paint the hilt, too, but the seams and ridges are so pronounced right now that the paint wouldn't really be able to cover them.