Abstract: A carbon foam article useful for, inter alia, composite tooling or other high temperature applications, which includes a substrate, wherein the substrate includes at least one material selected from carbon foam, extruded graphite, graphite foam, and isomolded graphite. The tool may also include a skin as a working surface and a filler disposed below the skin. The tool has a surface roughness of no more than about 63 micro-inches. Such a tool may be used to make a composite prototype part.