I got my brother a Pelican iM3300 Storm case for his M1 Carbine for Christmas/his birthday. He's really serious about this rifle, so I thought I'd give him a nice case to go with it. Part of this present is doing custom cutouts for his rifle, scope, magazines, and any other accessories he gives me. In the past, I would do this by tracing each item on the backside of the foam and cutting it with a turkey knife. Since I want this to be a really nice gift, I've decided to move to a more accurate production method and build a hot wire foam cutting board. I'll cut poster board templates, pin them to the foam, and use them as guides to get a lot more control.

Since I won't have a lot of use for this setup once I'm done (outside of redoing the case for my SD40), I've thought about doing this for other people on the side and wanted to gauge if there was any interest from the outdoor crowd. Would having custom foam cutouts for gun/photography cases interest you, and if so, how much would you expect to pay for it?

You piqued my interest and a quick google search returned this thread. Seems like a good resource if needed.

Would you provide the foam too?

I'm not sure how much foam is because I haven't priced it, but I think it might be worthwhile to let you cut 1 or 2 additional foams for my pelican.

I've seen that. It's one of the places I got the idea from. I'm doing a slightly different setup though. I'll probably add an indicator light to my circuit and make a self adjusting tensioner to maintain a more perfect 90* angle to the table. I ordered 10' of nichrome wire, so I'll probably also make a horizontal planing table. I can use that to plane the cutouts for more depth control (place part of the cutout back in to make it more shallow).

Making these setups is fairly cheap and easy, but I feel like it's something you'd want to use a few times.

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Would you provide the foam too?

I'm not sure how much foam is because I haven't priced it, but I think it might be worthwhile to let you cut 1 or 2 additional foams for my pelican.

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I could. I found a place in Michigan that sells good products. They have various foam densities and an anti-static foam for electronics. A 2" thick 72"x80" full sheet of 1.7lb/cuft polyethylene foam (pretty much what's in a Pelican) runs about $73 plus shipping. A 1 1/2" full sheet runs about $56 plus shipping. I could also get a 2" thick 24"x72" third sheet for $27 plus shipping. A 1" thick third sheet would be $16.

ETA: To compare, a replacement set of two 1.75" layers, a bottom .5" pad, and top convoluted layer for the iM3300 is $70 from B&H Photo (where I buy anything Pelican case related). I can get a 2" and 1.5" third sheet that will provide the same depth as the middle sheets for $37 plus shipping.

I must be lazy - I just use an electric meat carver

What about the pick n pluck foam that pelican provides? Seems cheaper,quicker and easier. Although your method is more precise, which is worth it

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I must be lazy - I just use an electric meat carver

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I've tried lots of things. Meat carver, various razor blades, kitchen knives, etc. What I'm hoping to get with the hot wire cutter is cleaner, more professional results on tight areas like sights and accessories. I cut did a cutout for my SD40 like 5 times because I couldn't get a tight enough corner (for me) on the sights. Luckily, I had a giant scrap piece from another project and could redo it over and over without paying for it.

I'd be interested. Just got a pick foam case from Plano. It works fine but I had higher hopes. A custom setup would allow me to carry more stuff.

I'm with you - I'd be interested to see how it turns out and how much it costs

Where are you located? i wonder if shipping would be costly due to size?

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What about the pick n pluck foam that pelican provides? Seems cheaper,quicker and easier. Although your method is more precise, which is worth it

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The pick-n-pluck doesn't hold up well over time. I did one Phantom 2 case with it, and after less than a year, pieces of the top layer came apart. I've tried gluing them back together, but it only holds up for so long before I have to redo it. I did almost the exact same case layout for a Phantom 3, which is roughly the same size and shape, and it has held up far better with no tearing or breakage whatsoever over the same time period.

The same serrations that make the pick-pluck foam easy to shape also weaken it. If you think about it, a 1" foam divider between pieces of equipment when using pick-n-pluck is a 1" divider held to the rest of the foam by about only 1/8" to 1/4" of foam. Everything else there was cut to make those pieces easier to disjoint and pluck out. With a solid piece of foam, that divider is held to the rest of that foam by the full width of the divider. Over time, the pick-n-pluck divider will tear out with use, while the solid foam piece won't. To put it simply, the pick-n-pluck is pretty a flimsy sheet of 1" foam pieces stuck together, while the solid foam piece is just that: solid.

Pick-n-pluck also lends itself to more regular, rectangular shapes. When you start making angles in it, like around a stock or handle, you get left with little triangles that don't attach to much and come out really easily. On the pick-n-pluck Phantom 2 case, it started out with nice clean arcs for the rotor guards. Now, there's about 10-15 noticeable places where those tiny little triangle have come detached. The Phantom 3 case doesn't have that problem.

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I'm with you - I'd be interested to see how it turns out and how much it costs

Where are you located? i wonder if shipping would be costly due to size?

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I'm in San Antonio. I have no idea what shipping would be. It may have to be something where I meet you, because I'd need access to your equipment to make templates unless you want to make them yourself and send them to me. My brother is giving me his rifle over New Year's to work with, and I'm giving it back to him with the case the next time I see him.

Like I said, I'm just thinking of doing this as kind of a weekend thing. If anything it might help me pay for other projects around the house. I will try to post pics of the whole process so you can see for yourself.

Thanks, good to know

I could definitely send you some templates in a flat rate envelope or something. I think my case is 42"x24". I'd have to send a template for that too because it has rounded edges.

You'd just have to let us know the cost of the foam + whatever you want for your time.

I received a Pelican 1750 double-rifle case for Christmas in which I will be storing my AR and mags.

Am interested in which method you go with and the results.

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You piqued my interest and a quick google search returned this thread. Seems like a good resource if needed.

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Whoa that's badass!

Alright. I will get my board constructed and do some practice on the scrap foam I have. I'll post results and let you guys know.

ABATT,

I did this a few years ago for my PredatAR, 1911, and accessories in a Pelican rifle case. I've been using a hot wire for years cutting foam wing cores & fuselages for R/C aircraft. Doing it RIGHT will require a foam cutting wire; but the good news is that there are no less than thousand online designs of foam cutting wires that can be built with $40 worth of stuff from Home Depot or Lowes. If you run low on plans or ideas include 'foam wing core cutting' in your search and you should find lots of simple plans. Mine works on a rheostat from some ancient contraption that ham radio operators used; I plug it in to 115v on one end and can crank it down to less than enough power to run a wristwatch. The thing weighs 100 pounds, but it's not necessary.

You are correct that cutting with a hot wire will set the product apart. You can cut in almost infinite detail with patience. I traced my weapons out on pasteboard, pinned it to the foam, and went to work. If you can scare up a project here or there it is worth the effort to put a simple rig together - once people see your own they will want in on the game.

ETA photos

Rifle, 1911, 25rd mags, 30rd mags, bipod, 1911 mags.



Bipod detail. This level of detail makes pick-n-pluck look, well, plucked.



One more ETA - first set of hot wire plans I came across:

I like seeing one of my fish being productive, and on the outdoor board too!

That's a heck of a nice case(!) and exactly what I'm going for. Blue star for your work, sir.

I've got my wire (10' of 26 AWG nichrome), a dimmer, and a transformer on order already. This site was a pretty helpful resource when it came to figuring out what I need in terms of electrical equipment. I should be able to dial it in pretty easily and have a lot of foam to practice on. I'll redo my SD40 case and try to perfect my technique before I touch my brother's project or anyone else's. I would never ask anyone for money for something that I wouldn't be proud of putting my name on, so practice (and patience) is the word of the day.


As far as designs, I've got some of my own in mind right now after looking at a lot of others. I want two wooden arms on fulcrums, one below and one above the table. The long ends of the arms will extend over and under a plywood base and hold the nichrome cutting wire (going through a hole in the base), and the short ends of the arms will have a spring in them to pull the arms and tension the wire as it heats up. It will be like a cross between a bow cutter and a scroll saw. This way, as long as I build it right, I should maintain a perfect 90* angle to the base. I think a 24" arm should do it for what I want. My only concern is the arm being flimsy and moving, but hopefully going slow will negate that. If it doesn't work, I'll just double the arm length and make it free floating on the other side of the table between two supports. That will allow it to move vertically and tension the wire, but not horizontally if I push too fast.

You're on it. That should work excellently. When you build your table or surface that foam will be on, MAKE IT SMOOTH; think of something like a formica surface. You can't have your foam snagging on anything when you're sliding it or you'll get frustrated when you get to detailed areas. It needs to slide smooth as silk in all directions and even smoothly sanded plywood will still reach up and grab the foam on occasion. Just a suggestion.

Also, wire temperature. Too hot and the foam melts way out in front of the wire or way away from the wire; too cold and it bogs down in the foam - so it takes some practice on some scrap to get it just right. I just used a thin copper wire and I usually get a little aggressive for my wire and melt/break it - so don't panic if your wire breaks. When the wire is at the proper temperature it will cut through the foam with minimal trouble. So don't worry about over-building your support. In fact, when I did mine, I used an eyebolt in the ceiling of my shop as the 'top arm'. I just hooked the alligator clip to the wire above my work.

It's a rewarding project. Good luck and I think you'll be surprised how many people will have projects they'd like done.

I have some leftover cabinet grade 3/4" plywood that I was thinking of using. I'd have to bevel and sand down the edges and round off the corners, but I think it would work. There's no imperfections in the top, but I may get a piece of melamine or MDF or HDF or something to cover it with anyway. Now that I think of it, I could build a 4x8 cutting table if I had the room... Thanks for the advice.

I'm going to do a lot of practice on my spare foam to dial in a temperature and then mark it on my dimmer. I have like 10 SF still, so it shouldn't be much of a problem. My SD40 case will be the real test of how well I can do before I start on anyone else's. Although, now that I'm thinking about it, my brother's M1 will fight nicely into my leftover scrap piece, so I may do my practice on the convoluted I have left and test his rifle template using my spare piece of solid. We'll see.

I have to play devils advocate here, why on earth would someone pay for that? That foam cuts like butter with a marker and a razor utility knife or electric knife. It's something that can be done very cleanly without going to the level of detail you are taking it to.

To cut intricate detail around target turrets and screw heads is just not possible with anything but a hot wire. Using a knife to cut 1.5" foam or thicker is hard to do without sneezing it, and when you squeeze it to cut it - it springs back to some other shape. Now, is a knife good enough for almost everyone- absolutely, but to be professionally done almost certainly requires a hot wire. I drew my motivation from the Larue guy who was posting stuff on Arfcom circa 2008; but like I said, I already had the rig from cutting wings. No, it's not necessary- but it is cool as hell.

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I have to play devils advocate here, why on earth would someone pay for that? That foam cuts like butter with a marker and a razor utility knife or electric knife. It's something that can be done very cleanly without going to the level of detail you are taking it to.

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Like I said earlier and centerpole reiterated, the turkey knife does not allow you to go into this level of detail. I've done the turkey knife many times, and it simply doesn't give you the accuracy on corners that I want. I've also used a long utility knife, and didn't give me what I wanted either. I wound up with too many choppy edges or cuts that didn't run perpendicular to my foam. You simply don't get this level of detail with a razor blade or turkey knife:




It is also impossible to use a knife when you start getting to the thicker foam (2-3"+) in things like camera cases or when you cut multiple levels of foam to match each other when cutting for thicker objects. When I did my first Phantom case, Pelican's stock foam came in 3 25x25x4 layers. Cutting that with a Turkey knife was a huge pain in my *** and the results left me wanting a lot more.

ETA: I could also cut many different kinds and densities of foam. If I were to want a closed cell neoprene, I'd never be able to do that with a knife.

I want that case and all of its contents.

I agree on the turkey knife when it comes to cutting deeper pieces of foam and corners, but disagree with you on the long utility knife, but to each is own. I used a 7" utility blade like the one below and just took my time. Got plenty of detail and clean cuts on three different cases. You have to go slow and let the knife do the work, when you start to really force it and compress it is when you get tears. It also takes some strategic slicing to knock out finer corners along with a smaller razor blade, such as making perpendicular slices in wood when chiseling.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Stanley-FatMax-25-mm-Snap-Off-Knife-10-486/203849619

Hot wire direct has foam cutting supplies.

To the poster in SA, Ace foam just south of the alamo dome can hot wire cut anything with computerized equipment.

There will be similar foam fabricators in just about every major metro area... usually the foam distributors. You can reliably cut foam as dense as ethafoam400 with no issues, you just have to slow down, crank up the power and use the right wire.

Or you can buy a variac and some stainless steel wire and form your own hoop cutter. This is a very mature industry.

I know. I'd just do it on the side for anyone interested. I'm mainly building this for me and this project. If I can make $20 over a weekend cutting out someone else's case, that'd pay for most of my setup and save them money on a pro job.

Yeah I'll pay you to do it for me.

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I know. I'd just do it on the side for anyone interested. I'm mainly building this for me and this project. If I can make $20 over a weekend cutting out someone else's case, that'd pay for most of my setup and save them money on a pro job.

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deal

Cutting straight without assistance is easier said than done. At a bare minimum, I would suggest a setup using cardboard templates as guides.

Abatt11. I'd be interested in having you wire cut some foam for me.

I have a general question....is it possible to create a template that would allow you to use multiple rifles in the same "space". I've thought about laying my rifle with largest footprint and make an outline. Then overlay another rifle and add any projections that may fall outside the first outline and make a multi rifle template. Has anyone done this. Is this a dumbass idea?

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Cutting straight without assistance is easier said than done. At a bare minimum, I would suggest a setup using cardboard templates as guides.

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I plan on using poster board templates and pinning them to the foam. No slipping and sliding and nice straight edges.

BQ Discount?
Have a couple I'd like to do.
TX COWDOC