Custom cut-out foam for your gun case

[NutriaKiller]

Hey guys, I don't know if you have seen this link over at ar15.com where a guy used a hot wire foam cutter to make cut outs in his pelican case, so I thought I might share.

He used a home built hot wire foam cutter and made templates out of poster board. I am going to do this with my 1720 as soon as I get my equipment in but until then a buddy of mine let me experiment on his cases. Here is the first one I did. It didn't turn out too bad, and sorry for the camera phone pics.
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I tried at first to build my own hot-wire foam cutter using a modified styro-cutter from Michael's, but that didn't turn out too well. It was eating D batteries too fast. They also outline how to build one using a transformer from radio shack, but I like my house too much to burn it down. So I ended up buying one from HotWire Foam Factory. It works fairly well.
Here is the short of the Ar15 post if you want to try it yourself.
1. Buy or make a hot-wire foam cutter.
2. Trace out your weapon on a piece of poster board, then cut it out.
3. Arrange your templates on your case foam the way you want it to look then pin it down with some push pins to hold it in place.
3. I used a knife to cut a pilot hole for the wire, that way the cut outs didn't have a 'break' in them.
4. Cut with your foam cutter using the templates.

 

[Request Dust Off]

Nice job.

 

[LACamper]

I remember reading somewhere you could quickly modify a soldering gun to do this...

 

[owen502]

I used an electric turkey carving knife and it worked great. Cut the foam like butter. The only thing I would have done differently is use the cardboard like noted above and not draw directly on the foam. Or draw a reverse image on the back of the foam. Next time...

 

[Ryan316]

I made this several years ago for easy transport to the buffer zone. Its not perfect, but I think I did ok with it. Alot of people get a huge kick out of it. I recall I used a very thin kitchen knife to cut the foam after tracing it out. If i had an electric knife, I def woulda used it.

 

[cajungunslinger]

Thats ****in awesome.Kinda like in that movie Desperado

I made this several years ago for easy transport to the buffer zone. Its not perfect, but I think I did ok with it. Alot of people get a huge kick out of it. I recall I used a very thing kitchen knife to cut the foam after tracing it out. If i had an electric knife, I def woulda used it.

 

[JBP55]

I cut foam to fit the box and pistol when I have to ship same.

 

[Ryan316]

Thats ****in awesome.Kinda like in that movie Desperado

Thank you! That is where I got the idea from originally, although he never had foam in that case, he just threw them in (probably scratched the hell out of them too!). I mainly did it to make transporting all of them to & from the buffer zone easy. I used to wrap them in t shirts & put them in a rifle case before (when I was young and broke) and its just so much easier now. I'm actually about to set up the other side for the 7 new pistols I've bought since.

 

[dantheman]

Or draw a reverse image on the back of the foam.

That sounds like a good idea . The back side is usually flat .

 

[Nolacopusmc]

I made this several years ago for easy transport to the buffer zone. Its not perfect, but I think I did ok with it. Alot of people get a huge kick out of it. I recall I used a very thin kitchen knife to cut the foam after tracing it out. If i had an electric knife, I def woulda used it.

That is double f**king awesome