Tips for cutting gun case foam

[Carrots]

I have heard that freezing the foam first is a good idea, is it? Any other tips for getting it right the 1st time? I''m only doing pistols so no fiddly scopes to worry about, although I do have a lot of mags I'd like to get in there. Thanks

[boomerang]

Trace.

Use a sharp X-acto knife or razor knife.

Cut small. You can always make a hole bigger.

[kd5zex]

I think I have read something about using a heated thin wire.

ETA:

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b ... 695&page=1

Greay DIY with lots of photos.

Disclaimer: Link is to a non 10 year old daughter compliant website.

[ScubaSigGuy]

I have never heard of freezing it. Let us know how that works if you try it.

We did a lot of custom foam case when I was in the military. If you can get a #3 scalpel handle and a #11 pointed scalpel blade they work great. We always traced the outline first as well.

[TwinCarry]

I have to admit, it took me about 3-4 hours to complete this. It was lot of work, but I'm sure theres an easier way. I just basically traced the items then used a foam cutter to cut the outlines. It really helps if you use the stiffer foam. Most gun cases uses the softer foam. So I bought the stiffer foam online (don't remember the online store).

Hope this helps.











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[Silverhawk]

Freezing the foam will make it stiffer, making it easier to cut in a straight line. It never gets real solid, but it helps. A sharp blade, small strokes, not trying to go too deep worked best for me.

[Charles L. Cotton]

If you are going to cut enough to make it worth the time to built one, a hot-wire cutter works great. Here is a link to just one of many articles on building hot-wire cutters. If I build one, I'll mount it vertically so I can work the foam, rather than the bow. It will be like using a bandsaw, rather than a jig saw.

Chas.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_4968914/tm.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Carrots]

Thank you for all of your tips, I finally found the time to sit down and get this done today. I did end up freezing the foam and I think that doing that did indeed help with the cutting although I was very pleased with how easy it turned out to be regardless of this potential slight edge. The foam that came with my case was indeed the 'soft' type but it worked out OK. I used a scalpel, a stanley knife and a hacksaw blade, traced all four of them out and then carefully removed all of the middles. I'm not sure if that was a mistake or not, but it seemed to me that it would easier to take all of it out and then cut the removed foam pistol outline molds in half and put those back into the holes rather than cutting half way down into the foam and then trying to scrape out half of the middles to create the needed indentations. A solid housing would have been nice but it did seem a little too fiddly.

I decided against doing a second layer for my mags as these are already safely stored in my various gun rugs and I thought that it would be a better idea to save the extra case space and the extra foam for my inevitable future pistol purchases.

Anyhow it is not a work of art, but it is both tidy and functional and a good step up for me storage wise (I had been using boot socks!)

Thanks for that link Charles, when I get myself a long gun something like that would probably be the way to go.

[Oldgringo]

Good job, Carrots. What do your friends and relatives in 'ol Blighty think of your handgun collection?

[Carrots]

A few of them are a little alarmed, but most are green eyed (especially the ladies funnily enough). I went back for a visit in March and had a great deal of fun using my CHL as ID when ordering my dearly missed real ale around town. It was a good trip, but I was glad to see that I wasn't missing anything of any real significance and I was delighted to come back home.

My FFL asked me what I planned to do with my growing collection when I have to go back last week, to which I replied......

"Go back? I'm not going back....ever!" And I meant it.

[CompVest]

Good we would be honored to keep you, Carrots!

[Carrots]

Thank you