PART 1 - Custom Foam Cutting Tutorial for the Pelican 1720 Gun Case (How To Using Hot Wire Cutter) 

That would be to easy and smart for an Eskimo.

Thank you for the kind words and I am stoked that you made a good cutter! Also, that's a great idea to sand and paint the cutter for a smoother surface. Good job!

The Hard Way where can I send my pix to you. I would love your input/opinion

@@shanehammond8520 Feel free to email me at info@BryanEarl.com as I would love to see what you did.

Sent you a tweet

+lostalaska Thanks! Also, hello to a fellow Alaskan :-)

+Jordan Mason Good idea, I may have to use that!

I appreciate the kind words! It's an all-day project and I would charge $300. You would just need to make sure that you get the 1750 with SOLID foam (not pick-and-pluck style).

The little parts at the end were the individual pieces that I cut out for each item (I was shaving down the thickness of each)... For example, the pistol cutout, the magazine cutouts, etc. Since I wanted everything in the case to be sitting at about the same height, I re-used those pieces that I cut out to place underneath each item to essentially "lift up" the items so they all sit at the same level. Otherwise, the magazines (for instance) would be sitting very low in the foam and would be difficult to pull out. I hope that makes sense.

Gotcha. That makes sense. I just took out the foam to cram as much as possible into the case for 3 gun comp. I was only driving, but I’m about fly and best to keep everything from jostling around. Thanks for the video.

ILLUMINATORIUS

Make sure the heat is high enough that there is little to no resistance when cutting through the foam. Besides that, you will just need to figure out how fast the optimum movement speed is and be as consistent as possible, not slowing down or speeding up until you finish whatever piece you are working on. Also, whatever you do, don't stop in one place with the wire on heat.

Thanks, I have not used the plastidip yet, but I have seriously considered it. I am actually very torn between wanting the foam to be stronger but also worried about having a more abrasive surface that might scratch items when taking them in or out of the case. I also didn't want to have everything "set in stone" yet because I have also made a few planned changes to the layout since I made this video. I got a custom extended threaded barrel for the Beretta and also replaced the EoTech EXPS with a Hartman MH1 so I had to make a few additional cuts in the foam. Now that everything is really "done" I think I will go ahead and plastidip it. I'll make a new video when I do, for sure. Regarding securing the foam, the pelican cases have 3 layers of foam (top in the lid of the case, middle that gets all of the cutting for items and the bottom layer in the lower portion of the case). The top and bottom pieces of foam stay in place very well with no need to glue them. I generally just use some spray adhesive to secure the middle piece to the bottom layer. Loctite makes a pretty decent adhesive for the two foam surfaces.

it should just come down to hardness, the foam, even if plasti dip (which i have no idea what it is, but it sounds like some sort of paint that hards toa plastic like level) if it's SOFTER then finishes on teh items in question, it shouldn't be possible for it to scratch it, even with repeat removal

Wanted to let you know that I did end up plasti dipping the case foam and just uploaded a new 'Part 2' video for it here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-N45wgrqsmDQ.html It is well worth doing and absolutely transforms the foam. Much, much stronger.

I use the "Pelican 1721" 3-Piece Foam Set. It should be plenty of foam for what you are wanting to do: amzn.to/2osrMpM

Thanks for the quick reply mate!

Hell yeah, you should! I have seen a ton of really nice guitar cases modded for various firearms.

im looking for foam right now, recommend any sites or stores?

Risky Business kaizen foam

When that has happened to me it was because: 1) The wire was not tight enough... 2) The wire was not hot enough - or I was cutting too fast... 3) Too large gauge of wire that was unable to get hot enough. I typically turn the heat up until the wire glows red and then slightly back it off a little.

FYI, another thing to watch for that causes the "wire jumping" issue is if the wire gets gunky / covered in melted foam... After each piece has been successfully cut out (and I remove the wire in preparation for the next cut), I will turn the heat all the way up and burn off any residue on the wire. This keeps it nice and clean for each cut.

Great question... For the rifle, since I was not planning to re-use that piece for anything, it did not need to be cut out all in one solid piece. You are correct that I could have done it in 2 or 3 portions to make it easier and have an area for the wire to burn off.

Unfortunately I don't know how exactly one would do that. The cutter I made is not intended for circular objects.

Yes, there are 3 layers total of foam. The top and bottom layers are still solid foam and only the middle layer has been cut.

The Hard Way Thanks for getting back to me!

I absolutely agree. In fact, I already plan on adding finger cut-outs, I just haven't got around to it yet.

When building your own custom coils for vaping, you use "kanthal" wire. I was referencing the fact that because I used to vape, I had a large roll of kanthal wire on-hand, which happens to be perfect for using with the hot-wire cutter.

I would use the same exact method for a Tuff Box... Solid layer of foam on the bottom, middle layer cut out for your components and another layer of solid foam on top. However, I am not certain what (if any) foam is included WITH the Tuff Box, so you may have to find the best foam for the box.

Thanks for fast reply

You can definitely use chalk, it will just be a much thicker line (less precise).

I have used both 26 and 28 gauge. 28ga worked the best.

thanks :) the way i built mine is, i hung some 550 cord from the ceilling, drilled a hole into my worktable and fed about 5cm of hanging wire through the hole after attaching it to the 550. maximum workspace that way, i can move the foam piece around any way i want. i didnt have a single 12v 2a transformator so i tried hooking up 3 different ones in a row to get sufficient voltage, which worked for a little bit but then the hanging wire melted multiple times and the transformators kind of broke down and the cut that i made with that doesnt look clean at all so now ill try the proper, less improvised way. i think ni-chrome wire will be easier to get aquire though.. also 28ga i guess?

I always purchase the 3-piece foam kits off Amazon so I have an extra on-hand: amzn.to/3bO6bAo

+fckurvtc Here in Alaska we have a shop called "Frigid North Electronics". However, most any Radio Shack or similar electronics store should have them. It is just a "120v to 12v" 2 amp transformer. And technically, it is dual 6v (12v total). Dual 12v (24v total) would be just fine too, you just wouldn't need to turn it up as much.

+fckurvtc Just added a link to the wiring diagram to the main video, but here it is: bryanearl.com/images/hot-wire-cutter-diagram.jpg

+TheHardWay The link to the diagram is returning a "404 Not found"

+Aaron Silver Fixed the link, thanks for letting me know!

I used the actual Pelican 1721 3-piece replacement foam kit, made specifically for this case ($60 on Amazon). However, I have heard that you really do have a ton of options for generic foam replacement. If you have a Pelican 1720 case, you can look up the "1721" replacement foam specs for the exact dimensions and shop around for generic options.

thanks man! and nice work

It is a 3-piece replacement Pelican foam kit specifically for the 1720 case (Foam Kit #1721). The pelican kit ran me about $65 shipped from Amazon. I have been told that you can get generic foam many other places for cheaper, but I like to stick with the Pelican brand.

Thanks for the quick response. Beautiful setup and equipment.

+fckurvtc I have used both 26 and 28 gauge. 28ga worked the best.

Pelican 1720 Interior Dimensions (inches): 42.00 x 13.50 x 5.25 Exterior Dimensions (inches): 44.37 x 16.00 x 6.12

Here's a link to the replacement Pelican 1721 3-piece foam kit that I always buy: amzn.to/3bO6bAo

The Hard Way thank ya sir...

+Manuel Rios The Pelican 1720 lid opens all the way flat. I just have it propped up against the wall in the video so it's not open all the way. The Pelican 1700 case that I have is a different story though, it only opens 90 degree.

+TheHardWay I have a 1700 too and it the lid stays open which is great but I wanted to get the 1720 version, so I wanted to make sure it stays open as well but doesn't seem to be the case. Very strange, I've called Pelican customer service and they swear that it stays open. I guess I stick to my 1700. Thank you so much.

There are three layers of foam (top / middle / bottom). They are all the same thickness, at about 1.75" each. The only one I cut is the middle layer, leaving the top and bottom solid.

Top layer being the one in the lid?

Correct

The Hard Way where did u get your foam from? I have an skb case I need to get new foam from

I actually use the factory "Pelican 1721" kit from amazon, which is all three pieces of foam (exact replacement for 1720 case). You might want to check it out to see if the dimensions of each piece will work for your case, here is a link to the foam kit that I buy: amzn.to/2osrMpM

I used chalk initially for another case project and was disappointed. Because the thickness of the chalk lines, it just didn't turn out as tight-fit as I wanted. Hence I started using a fine-tip marker.

Turns out that you don't HAVE to do anything because this is a free country. Feel free to cut your gun case foam however you want.

lol You're funny. Good trolling attempt but you should know (if you don't, you do now) that it's all real.