Tech tip wanted

Is there an easy way to cut protective foam into shapes to arrange or protect things?

example 1: Torkel's tool box

How can you easily cut around those tools?

Example 2: Camera

On the right side of this it looks easy.  The left side around the camera with it's gentle curves, not so much.

Help, I need somebody.  Help,  not just anybody. 

Hot knife? 

Waterjet? Lazer?

I adapted one of the Harbor Freight hard cases to carry some shoes last year and it took some work, given the shape that I needed to work around.  The Apache cases have the foam that's already cut up into perforated blocks so I laid the shoes on the foam and went around the edges with a marker.  Since I was working in three dimensions, I went a single layer at a time and basically lowered the shoe into the foam.

I've also worked with foam that doesn't have the perforated sections and you've got a couple options for that.  If the foam is pretty dense, you can cut the outline with a hot knife and then carve it out with a rotary tool to get a cavity.  That's not the most exact way to do it, though, so I like to work with multiple layers.  You can use two thin layers with the first being cut all the way through around the outline of the thing and then glue it to a solid bottom layer with something like construction adhesive or Gorilla spray glue.  If it's complex shape, you can use more thin layers to build it out.

 That's not the most exact way to do it, though, so I like to work with multiple layers.  You can use two thin layers with the first being cut all the way through around the outline of the thing and then glue it to a solid bottom layer with something like construction adhesive or Gorilla spray glue.  If it's complex shape, you can use more thin layers to build it out.

That is what I was afraid of.  I guess if it is worth doing, I might as well do it right.

I've used an electric carving knife for bigger/chunkier items. 

In reply to CAinCA :

For that matter, a good bread knife works fairly well when shaping foam for seats. Not sure if you could get good enough for tool shadowing, but maybe. 

Where does on buy a "hot knife"?  I know where to by a Saturday night special, but the knife is new to me...

Hot wire foam cutter

Can be home built

Got a soldering gun? Bend an old coat hanger into a useful shape, screw it into the upper and lower holders, get it hot, and go to town.

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In reply to Appleseed :Thanks Man!

For sockets you can just put em on a drill and spin them into the foam.

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