Cutting foam in Pelican case

[ChuckD]

I just ordered a new Pelican case for my hunting rifle and want to do the best job I can of cutting out the foam. I have used an exact-o knife in the past and while it was OK I was hoping for better this time. I have seen people say the best way is to use a wire heated using a transformer & plugged in to the wall.

I am wanting to try the thinnest hacksaw blade I can find in a holder that only holds one end (https://www.homedepot.com/p/Capri-To...0105/304795754) and attaching the wires from a transformer on either end of the blade and then using the heated hacksaw blade to cut the foam.

Has anyone ever tried this or have any idea if this will work or just make a mess?

[TurboChrisB]

I think the issue you'll find is that the Pelicans come with the "Pick n Pluck" foam. It's not made for cutting and it just wouldn't work well, at least not when I tried. The kind of foam you cut is the high density stuff or closed cell polyethylene foam. You can custom order the high density stuff but it's not cheap. ($100?) I used these guys once and the results were fantastic. https://mycasebuilder.com/

Another trick is to use the pick n pluck and then spray it with a couple coats of Plasti-Dip spray. I tried it and it's not bad. Better than just pick n pluck. There are plenty of videos on youtube showing it.

[Rhodester]

I use a box cutter with multiple strokes to finally get through the thickness. A real PITA but if you take your time you should have good results.

[XDJYo]

In my case, using an exacto knife made a mess and was super slow going. Just picking and plucking, or sometimes plucking and then picking made for much better results.


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[sofbak]

Buy a cheap serrated knife longer than the thickness of the foam. Sharpen it with a flat file.
The flat file creates large ",whiskers" on the edge that will slice through the foam like it was butter.

[CamW]

Might be some ideas here.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=home+made+electric+foam+cutter&t=osx&pn=3&ia=web

[Dirtlaw]

Some people use the hot knife thing. Others use the readily available electric carving knife.

[sofbak]

^^^I tried a hot knife-cumbersome to feed.
A hand-held knife that will cut the foam is much easier to guide for precision cutz.

[Hairball]

Go to Target and purchase a cheap electric carving knife.

[Dirtlaw]

Reality. It doesn't need to be perfect. It just needs to do the job. I use the electric carving knife. Not always perfect, but then again I have bigger fish to fry.

[the_tunaman]

I bought a few hot tools for this type of work. One is basically a long hot knife, another is a smaller hot knife, and the last one is a hot wire yoke.

For holes and other depressions, you can use hollow metal tubing and heat it up with a torch.

Lots of decent videos on YT with creative ways to carve foam.

[wpage]

Razor knife and take your time.

[Tank 57]

I used a long razor sharp boning knife. Worked great. My Pelican had solid foam not pluck and pull.

[five.five-six]

I lay what I want to put in the box on the foam and then use toothpicks to mark the perimeter corners and then pluck.

[Rob454]

If yiu wanna cut foam but don’t have a hot knife my buddy who is a upholsterer uses a electric carving knife.