Foam for Pelican cases

ParkerSmithPhoto · Sep 27, 2015

I've got a few Pelican cases without foam, so rather than buy the pick and pluck stuff which tends to fall apart, I'd rather buy a block of foam and cut it myself.

Anyone ever done this? Suggestions please on the foam material, where to get it and cutting technique.

Peter Rockstroh01 · Sep 27, 2015

Buy PU (Polyurethane)foam in a hardware store. It is used to seal leaks and cracks. Place some plastic film on the bottom and sides of your case, to prevent the foam from adhereing to the box. Put a first layer of foam on the bottom, following the instructions. Let it dry overnight. On the next day, take the equipment you want to pack in the box and build simple cardboard shapes around them and the wrap them in plastic. With a sharp knife, level the foam to ca. 3 cm. Arrange the pieces on this first layer of hardened foam and then fill the box to the rim with foam.

On the next day, cut the foam flush with the rim and cut the outline of your equipment's shapes, in order to be able to remove your gear. Finish the edges of your compartments with an Xacto knife and try your foam molds for a snug fit of you gear.

cowanw · Sep 27, 2015

Great idea, Peter. I used 1 inch thick slices cut to fit the case and cut full thickness to approximate the item at that depth. Then stack them.
But you idea is better, be sure nothing is bigger lower down that cannot pull out.

mgb74 · Sep 27, 2015

First, there are many grades and quality of foam. I prefer foam made for electronics cases and avoid the white foam often found at craft stores. It's not a certainty, but generally grey or green foam is better. I like a higher density foam as I believe I can place items closer together with it.

I would think there'd be a foam "specialty" within 20 miles if you're in Atlanta.

As to cutting, I've used a sharp filet knife after freezing the foam. Others suggest an electric knife. The foam provider might be able do the cutting too after you outline the gear. And you can have multiple foam inserts for different systems in a given case.

BradleyK · Sep 28, 2015

I'm not sure if "Foam King" is an international franchise operation (we have them up here in Canada), but if they operate stateside, they are worth checking out. I refoamed my 11 Halliburtons (3x103, 6x105, 2x111), with high density foam (5 pieces per case, of varying thicknesses) 3 1/2 years ago for less than $400. The foam, after a short visit to my deep freezer (4 hours?), cut easily an very neatly.

Peter Rockstroh01 · Sep 28, 2015

US $ 400.00 for foam sounds extremely expensive to me. The PU foam I use can't exceed US$ 15.00. It takes 24 hours to set and can be cut at room temperature with any sharp knife.
It is, however, rigid foam.

Brian Puccio · Sep 28, 2015

Ive seen a bunch of videos lately on the use of Kaizen foam to make custom tool drawer organizers:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dwe0QEvG1ew

Could do the same with camera gear.

I looked into doing this with some non-camera gear and it looks like I can get a thick slab of foam two feet by four feet for about $25 shipped from Amazon.

RalphLambrecht · Sep 28, 2015

ParkerSmithPhoto said:
I've got a few Pelican cases without foam, so rather than buy the pick and pluck stuff which tends to fall apart, I'd rather buy a block of foam and cut it myself.

Anyone ever done this? Suggestions please on the foam material, where to get it and cutting technique.

I used the Yellw Pages to get it and a utility knife to cut it;worked fine

RalphLambrecht · Sep 28, 2015

Peter Rockstroh01 said:
Buy PU (Polyurethane)foam in a hardware store. It is used to seal leaks and cracks. Place some plastic film on the bottom and sides of your case, to prevent the foam from adhereing to the box. Put a first layer of foam on the bottom, following the instructions. Let it dry overnight. On the next day, take the equipment you want to pack in the box and build simple cardboard shapes around them and the wrap them in plastic. With a sharp knife, level the foam to ca. 3 cm. Arrange the pieces on this first layer of hardened foam and then fill the box to the rim with foam.

On the next day, cut the foam flush with the rim and cut the outline of your equipment's shapes, in order to be able to remove your gear. Finish the edges of your compartments with an Xacto knife and try your foam molds for a snug fit of you gear.

I recommend against PU foam. It gets brittle and crumbles over time,covering the case content with a dusty mess.open-cell PP foam works better for me

StephenT · Sep 28, 2015

Would the expandable PU foam out-gas after curing? If so, what would be the affect on equipment in the closed case?

ParkerSmithPhoto · Sep 28, 2015

Brian Puccio said:
Ive seen a bunch of videos lately on the use of Kaizen foam to make custom tool drawer organizers:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dwe0QEvG1ew

Could do the same with camera gear.

I looked into doing this with some non-camera gear and it looks like I can get a thick slab of foam two feet by four feet for about $25 shipped from Amazon.

That's it! Much appreciated.

It turns out that Pelican sells pre-fitted Kaizen foam through their website.

Brian Puccio · Sep 28, 2015

ParkerSmithPhoto said:
That's it! Much appreciated.

It turns out that Pelican sells pre-fitted Kaizen foam through their website.

Awesome, post back a picture when it's done!

Foam for Pelican cases

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