# Homemade foam cutter for Pelican cases



## GT Whitetail (Sep 26, 2011)

Anyone make themselves a foam cutter to custom fit guns and gear in a Pelican type case? I'm trying to get something going similar to a jig saw set-up but am struggling with finding the right combination of materials like Volts/amps output for the wire. Seems to be a fine line between burning up the wire and not heating it enough to cut. Looking for a proven combination of materials.

Thanks,
GT


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## BriarPatch99 (Sep 26, 2011)

Nickle Chromium wire with a variable output source....

http://www.omega.com/pptst/NI60.html

http://www.instructables.com/id/Hot-wire-foam-cutter/

http://www.spacemodeling.org/new/how_to/Foam_Cutter.htm

http://hotwirefoamcutterinfo.com/Hot_Wire_Foam_Cutter_Info/Introduction.html


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## GT Whitetail (Sep 27, 2011)

Thanks for all the links! I haven't figured out exactly which way I am gonna go about it yet, but I got my poster bored traced out for a pattern, so hopefully ill get something to work soon.
Thanks,
GT


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## buttplate (Sep 27, 2011)

*Poor Man's Way*

We used to do it years ago by marking the foam, wetting the foam then putting it in the freezer. After it is frozen the foam cuts very well with a sharp knife.

After the cutting is complete all you need do is dry the foam.

Works like a champ.


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## cmshoot (Sep 29, 2011)

I've watched the guys at Georgia Case Company in Lilburn cut a couple cases for me.  The use something that looks like the handle and motor part of a drill, but instead of a chuck it has what looks like the blades of an electric knife (2 blades side by side, going back and forth in opposite directions), but thinner than the one you would use to cut a turkey.

The blades don't come to a point.  They have a housing on the end that is flat and allows the entire unit to "stand" on the housing, so the blade is perfectly vertical.  If I remember correctly, it was made by Bosch.

That is what they use to cut most of the lines.  They have something similar to an electric scroll saw to cut tight corners and such.

For holes, like for the knobs on your scope, they use a a variety of the type of drill bits that cut a circular hole.  Not a solid, standard drill bit, but the type that cuts out a circle.

In some of the applications, instead of using a single thick piece of foam, they will use 2 or more layers of thinner foam.  They glue them together with an air-compressor powered spray glue gun.

Here's some pics of some stuff they've done for me.


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## Offroadtek (Sep 29, 2011)

You can also put a light switch dimmer on the power supply to control wire temp.


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