My new Pelican case

[Veracity]

Guys,

Not sure where to post this....

My mom & dad came over for Christmas and gave me a beautiful Pelican case. 1700.

Now I've got to figure out how to cut the foam.

TOS has a lot of info on the subject, but I'd like to know if any of you have foam cutting stories/experiences.

[CLHC]

Cool!

Mine is still in an "uncut-out" state. Think I'll leave it that way for now. . .Enjoy!

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g124/ClarenceLadd/IMG_0778.jpg

[REM]

I use one of these.

http://www.demandfoamcutting.com/hotknife.html

Works Great! Have done about 10 cases for the guys at work.

[taliv]

a pic of my custom job here https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=16551
looks a little different now, as i've added accushot monopod and a spot for laser range finder

i bought a hot wire cutter. there's a huge thread on TOS about them. probably not worth it for just one case, but mine gets passed around a bit

works ok, but I gotta say, the way my MK11 mod0 case was done was much cooler. easier in and out, and modular.

[DWood]

I read about many different ways to cut the foam (electric carving knife, hot wire knife, etc) and found that my very sharp Randall Made knife with a 5" blade cut it just fine.

Hint; lay it out in reverse on the underside of the foam, trace with a Sharpie, cut using long strokes with a sharp knife. Stay just to the inside of the trace lines for a snug fit. When you put the foam in the case, the Sharpie lines won't be visible because they are underneath.

Most people orient the optic toward the hinges. I set mine up with the scope toward the handle so the weight is on the stock and barrel, not the glass. This is a LR .308 and probably doesn't matter, but that's how I like it. Won't matter with an AR.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h264/DWood13/DSC_0105.jpg

[Veracity]

Guys,

Yeah, the thought of buying an expensive piece of gear just to cut the foam is not sitting well with me.

I'm not sure I have a knife sharp enough to attempt cutting it in a traditional way.

Regardless, I will think it through, plan it out, and do something with it soon.

[AirTrafficControl]

use a rotary tool.

[CLHC]

Try looking for Olfa razor blades, and change out the blades with each single cut. That way, you'll maintain the "sharp edge" for that clean cut. That's what we do when I did wall covering. One single cut/slice and then a blade change or snap. Of course, Your Methods May Vary accordingly.

Hope you find what you're looking for and Enjoy!

[11Bravo]

a pic of my custom job here https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=16551
looks a little different now, as i've added accushot monopod and a spot for laser range finder

i bought a hot wire cutter. there's a huge thread on TOS about them. probably not worth it for just one case, but mine gets passed around a bit

works ok, but I gotta say, the way my MK11 mod0 case was done was much cooler. easier in and out, and modular.

The thread you linked to here says
The DIY foam cutting instructions on arfcom work pretty well, btw.

I tried to find anything about this there and came up empty.
Can you point to it better or quote it here if you have it copied locally?
Curious as to how to do that nice a job on it.

TIA,
Greg

[Tipy]

First see if your rifle will fit into and allow you to close and secure the case without cutting. This allows you to use the same case for different contents. If you want to put a lot of stuff, such as cleaning equip., mags, etc., you may want to cut out detail holes. Otherwise just throw the rifle in and push hard to close the lid.
Semper Fidelis,
Tipy

[Honu]

being a photographer for a living people have 2 ideas for cases

keep your gear separated well using the pluck foam or pack it together well so it does not move using the padded case things or padded sleeves both work
I prefer the pack it tight and dont like pluck foam for photo gear at all !!!!!


my idea and I will most likely go with is a thin layer of foam giving it say 1-2 inches of space so it can hold it where it needs to be kinda like tipy said

or I like the idea of just using a soft padded case inside a peli case

I never used hard cases before :) my guns would just hang out in the back of the rig in a soft case sometimes or other times a towel folded over them ? and camping gear on top to hold them down from bouncing around ;)

[seb5]

It's just foam! Easily replaceable.

A) Trace your weapon with a Sharpie,
B) Romove the foam to be cut and lay it on your garage floor.
C) Cut it out with your trustee pocket skinner or if you want it really clean use a box cutter.

That's how I've done mine and never screwed one up.

[taliv]

11B, yeah, sorry about that. try this link http://www.ar15.com/lite/topic.html?b=3&f=4&t=292695&page=15

[Veracity]

It's just foam! Easily replaceable.




Yup. :D

Just two hours ago, I bought a $17 "hot knife" at a craft store. I traced the rifle components on poster board type material. I'll cut that template out, lay it on the foam, and get to cuttin'.

Thanks guys.