Cut the Foam

[torwoodlee]

Greetings!

I just joined the group and wanted to intruduce myself:

I have been struggling with the pipes now for over a year. I have an O'Grady full set. I live in Indiana so I'll probably never figure out the humidity issue as it goes from 0-90% in minutes. You can use a hydrometer as a fan though.

I serve a small country church outside of Marion, IN, as a pastor. When the congregation misbehaves I break out the pipes and play. haha

Now to my question:

I just ordered a rather large Pelican case for carrying the pipes and they come with foam. How do I cut the foam to get the most protection for the instrument? Do I use a taylor's pencil and trace a white line around the pipes?

Any feedback is great.

Thanks gang!

Matthew

[Tony]

I used to work for an upholstery shop that cut block foam with a specialized jig-saw that had 2 thin blades running alongside each other.


This is only good for straight cuts.
If you plan to cut a groove or trough into the foam, get a really sharp kitchen knife... the kind with a smooth blade. It may be best to cut completely through the foam. Follow the outline you made with the chalk. Then, remove that piece and slice it down by it's thickness. Replace part of your cutout to create the trough.

Don't attempt freehand cutting with a Dremel tool. It may snag and yank the tool from your hand.

If the cutting ends up too rough you can cover it with fabric or velvet-like material typically used in musicial instrument cases.

[torwoodlee]

Thanks for the heads up. I would have been tempted to go down the Dremel path.

I saw a thing on TLC--as my wife had the tv hijacked, come on how many hours of Trading Spaces can one person watch?!--
where they were using one of those large kitchen-chain-saw-looking knives that grandma uses to carve the Thanksgiving turkey. Would this work better at cutting the curves?

[Jay-eye]

Cutting slightly oversize and then covering with cloth (nylon velvet or whatever) makes for a much neater and more durable finish I've found. Stops little bits of foam from finding their way into your reeds, etc.

I lay the cloth over the cut foam, then push the parts in to make the depressions adjusting the cloth as necessary. Then glue only the flat surface parts of the foam and stick the cloth to it, leaving the depressed bits loose.

Works for me! I've also found closed cell foam really good, camping sleep mats are a good cheap source.

[djm]

An electric carving knife is excellent for cutting foam (I picked this up watching guys working in an upholstery shop).

djm

[John O'Gara]

Torwoodlee wrote:

I serve a small country church outside of Marion, IN, as a pastor. When the congregation misbehaves I break out the pipes and play. haha

Now we have proof that playing the pipes is a religious experience

Welcome to the forum!

[misterpatrick]

Hello,

I have several Pelican cases. Isn't the foam the "Pick n Pluck" or whatever you call it? I think it may be a little tricky with an electric saw or dremel. What I've used is a long bread knife and then just pull the stuff out. It is really easy to get out once you break the lines between the foam cubes.

[maze]

i did the same thing, with a long uffa knife.... was not the neatest, but it worked.

by the way, i have only used the case like once, and should probalby sell it if anyone is in dire need of one. it is about the size of an electric guitar case, with wheels on the bottom... cut outs for two full sets, and extra whistles, flute, chanters, etc.