My fist attempt at cutting case foam.

[schadenfreude]

I bought a Vanguard case for my pistols this week because my fiance doesn't have enough stuff to complain about lately.

It came with pluck foam which I spent tons of time messing with and it looked like crap no matter what I did. Today I went to a foam store that mostly does mattress stuff and bought some "camera case" foam for around $3 per sq.ft. He told me to get a hot knife but that's something I'm going to have to order because no one around here stocks something like that. (I am getting a hot knife because this has all sorts of possibilities)

I traced all three pistols with a sharpie marker then used an X-acto knife to cut it all out. Here's a tip. I had to put a fresh blade in for each cutout.

It's not perfect and you can still see the sharpie(next time I'll use chalk) I bought some extra foam so I can do it over till I'm happy.

Here's a pic.

 

[ZekeLuvs1911]

Nice work. Here is my custom work.

 

[WonderNine]

Um, you're not supposed to cut out the foam....

Oh well, nice anyways...

I hope the Ruger or the Beretta wasn't injured in the process.

The Glock? Who cares about the Glock? LoL.

 

[Glockster35]

I would say both of you are quite the pluckers!

The boxes look nice, job well done!

 

[echo3mike]

If you have one handy, an electric carving knife works pretty well too.

Not a handgun, but you get the idea.

S.

 

[45R]

I'm about to be in the same position were I want to do foam cut outs for my guns. What is a "hot knife".

Thanks!

45R

 

[Standing Wolf]

I had to put a fresh blade in for each cutout.

Lots of people don't realize it, but X-Acto blades can be sharpened just like ordinary knife blades.

When cutting foam, I've found it helps to make many shallow cuts rather than a few deep cuts. When I cut foam for my big camera case, I used a cardboard template to mark each layer, and used a multitude of 1.5" layers stacked atop one another in the case. It took awhile, but the net result works well and looks fairly good.

 

[nemesis]

Put the foam in the freezer for a few hour before you begin cutting it. Old photographers trick.

 

[schadenfreude]

Lots of people don't realize it, but X-Acto blades can be sharpened just like ordinary knife blades.

I usually don't bother sharpening them but I strop them several times during use.

I wish I had enough freezer space to try that trick but I have a side by side and the freezer is tiny.



45R, a hot knife is a lot like a soldering iron with a blade on the end.
Here are a few
http://hotwirefoamfactory.com/1_products.htm

I found this one in a hobby shop today and it was too big
http://www.sculpt.com/catalog_98/waxtools/Crafters_Hotknife.htm

This is the one I want but the "boss" said no.
http://www.demandproducts.com/hotknife.html

 

[Mike Irwin]

Soak it in water and freeze it until it's just firm. Then cut it, thaw it out, and dry it out very thoroughly.

 

[armabill]

I used a hack saw blade.

 

[bigjim]

All this talk of Hot knives and Saddom getting captured gives me some Ideas.

 

[45R]

Thanks for the information on the hot knife

 

[bountyhunter]

I buy X-acto replacement blades that are about 1 1/4" long and clamp the tip in a very small pair of vise-grip pliers so only about 1" of blade hangs out. Lay the gun on the foam and draw the outline. Then use the blade to cut along the line (keeping it vertical, slight up down motion) and you will get a consistent 1" depth. Use another blade to undercut the section and pull it out. I have probably made about 30 of these inserts at various times. It gets pretty easy after a while.

 

[MagKnightX]

Might have to try that for my new case for my shotgun...

 

[Archer]

Back when using Freon was politically correct, I would spray the cut line with Freon to freeze the foam. Perfect cuts and no hot-knife odor.

Just remember that you need to avoid long term storage in foam unless you like your firearms to have that nice orange patina the rest of call rust...

 

[Leibster]

I second echo3mike's suggestion of an electric carving knife (the kind you carve turkey with.) It makes cutting foam a breeze, and it's a lot easier to come by then a hot knife.

--Leibster

 

[cidirkona]

Something we used in my highschool art class was a current generator, some thick-??? battery cabling and some thin, thiny wire set up in a wooden jig-saw like fasion so that the current through the tiny wire would heat up and cut through the styrofoam/rubberfoam/etc.

-Colin

PS We found that it was eaiser to control with a current generator rather than a voltage generator. Nearly no resistance makes a small voltage a huge current - don't use batteries; they could explode.

 

[Graystar]

I found a bread or tomato knife worked well to cut thick foam.

 

[fatboyclone]

you can still see the sharpie(next time I'll use chalk)

turn the foam over, no more unsightly sharpie marks

 

[Roboshred]

Yep!!

battery cabling and some thin, thiny wire set up in a wooden jig-saw like fasion so that the current through the tiny wire would heat up and cut through the styrofoam/rubberfoam/etc.

Thats how we cut surf board shapes with templates. It works quite well with EPS foam. I used a 2 inch Xacto blade for mine then realized the
firearms were compacted enough in the egg crate foam that I didn't need to use the cutouts although they look nice. One other trick is to pattern the cutout on the side that won't be seen. Great stuff on these threads and some resourceful individuals. RB