Foam Insert Advice Needed

[Displaser]

I'm making a custom foam insert for a Pelican case, to be used to house my laser projector for transport. I've never done this before and would welcome any advice from those that have experience in this.

Foam has been purchased (craft store - urethane foam sheets), spray adhesive and an electric knife. My plans are to replace the normal "pluck-n-pick" foam sheets with something a little more road worthy.

Any pointers on gluing, marking, cutting, etc.?

Thanks,
Greg

[Insanity]

I cut mine with a nice sharp kitchen knife and glue it with Evo Stick contact adhesive...

Mark

[dsli_jon]

Hey Greg -

Best to build it 'dual-layer', when possible... Base (what it 'sits-on') can be medium-density (needs to be pressed to yield to pressure) to hard-density (needs to be pressed firmly to yield...) foam, but 'sides' are best made of a layer of 'medium-density' on the 'outer-layer', and 'light-density' (yields to light-weight pressure) foam on the inner-layer... DON'T use any 'styrofoam'... that's only good for like, 'one-time / shipping-impact-protection'...

The 'dual-layer' allows for 'hard-impact protection' by the outer-layer, and 'shock-absorption' by the inner layer... see pic of a 171-case for example... (obviously, yours does not need to be this 'complex' ...)

Glue by spraying a light-layer on both the case and the foam; wait ~30 sec or so, and press both together, use firm pressure, and with-pressure, 'wiggle' back-and-forth a bit, so-as-to 'seat' the glue - obviously, don't wiggle SO much, that you un-seat the bond...

Repeat the same for foam-to-foam bonds, but you probably won't have-to 'wiggle-seat' them together, just pressure... again, wait ~30-45 sec, post-spraying, to allow glue to 'tack-up'...

Oh, and this assumes you are using the 'correct' spray-glue (basically a spray-on contact-cement with a special spray-tip to make wide, 'lumpy' spray-swaths) for foam...

lemme know if you have any other questions.. Hope this helps...

cheers
j