I saw this on MadModder.com and thought it was a brilliant idea. So I asked John Hill, also known as The Artful Bodger, for permission to republish it here. MadModder is one of my favorite forums and if you visit the discussion about John’s idea you’ll be able to learn more and see a beautiful storage case someone made using it. — Rob (Chief floor sweeper and editor)
Start with one of these
…and one of these…
…some of your treasured tools and instruments..
…covered with a bit of cloth from the t-shirt..
…shake up a can of this…
…lay it on them..
…lay some newspaper over it…
…pat it down and squish it around to fill any voids…
…get a good night’s sleep and in the morning..
No related posts.
Start with one of these
…and one of these…
…some of your treasured tools and instruments..
…covered with a bit of cloth from the t-shirt..
…shake up a can of this…
…lay it on them..
…lay some newspaper over it…
…pat it down and squish it around to fill any voids…
…get a good night’s sleep and in the morning..
July 27, 2011 at 11:14 AM |
Very cool idea! Here’s an addendum to make it easier to get the tools out when you want to use them: take a couple of lumps of plasticine clay for each tool, about 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter, and mold them over an edge of the tool down to form a mushroom-cap-shaped dome on your molding surface. Remove the clay after the foam has set up. This will leave a recess on the top side to get your finger under the tool to help get it out. Best to use white clay so as not to stain the white T-shirt.
August 30, 2011 at 9:48 AM |
This is a great idea and the result looks awesome.
Did you need to square off the foam at all after it set up?
Also I’m surprised the foam doesn’t bond to the t-shirt.
August 30, 2011 at 11:30 AM |
The foam, of course, does bond to the tee shirt, so that the top surface is nice soft fabric and not crunchy foam! My only change would be to use a black teeshirt so that grease from the tools doesn’t mark up the cloth surface.
Great idea! I will be doing this!
August 30, 2011 at 6:18 PM |
… you must not have very many tools, so much wasted space!
August 31, 2011 at 5:17 AM |
No, I have quite a few tools, but I also have a lot of storage space!
September 1, 2011 at 10:26 AM |
How do you think this would go with electronics. I have audio gear I’d like to have safe cases for. I wouldn’t want the roan bleeding through the fabric and getting on the equipment. Perhaps a layer of cling film around the equipment during the molding process?
September 1, 2011 at 10:32 AM |
I love that you use a milling chuck head as a weight
September 1, 2011 at 11:18 AM |
Not everyone would want to do this for their pliers or screwdrivers but this is great for protecting delicate tools like micrometers and dial gauges. You can use the same technique with wooden boxes, either custom built or repurposed jewelry boxes and such, along with velvet or similar cloth to produce really beautiful cases for all sorts of items. I built a friend a box for an antique dueling pistol like this.
Also, lots of tools like sockets sets, etc. come in a metal box with a thin, plastic molded tray to hold the tools. That plastic soon cracks and breaks with any use of the tools. As soon as you get the set, pull out the tools and flip over the plastic tray. Put it back in the metal box face-side down, fill the back of the tray with foam and let dry. (If you don’t put it back in the box, the expanding foam may distort the sides of the plastic tray.) Use a hack-saw blade to remove extra foam and flatten the back if necessary and flip the tray back over. It’ll be much more durable and even if the plastic cracks it’ll still hold the tools in place.
September 1, 2011 at 11:21 AM |
This would be great for my guitar effects and camera….
September 1, 2011 at 12:08 PM |
Based on the stuff that’s in the expanding foam, I’d really be concerned about the long-term damage that the outgassing from the foam could do to the tools. I’d use this idea for everyday/run-of-the-mill tools, no problem.
But when it comes to precision, fine finish, or antique tools, I’d be really cautious… might be safer/easier to trace tool outlines on some pre-cut stock and use a router to hollow out the voids to place the tools in.
September 1, 2011 at 12:13 PM |
I flipping love this idea! I actually wanted to do a custom case for some of my testers that I want to protect. (Esp the one with a big breakable knob…lol) I will be sharing this with my readers on my site as well. Thank you for posting this.
September 1, 2011 at 12:52 PM |
I did something similar, but with ordinary foam, I like your idea better, so will redo this;
http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff121/inoutbox/Temimages/case.jpg
using your method and see what it comes out like.
Thanks for the idea.
September 1, 2011 at 1:04 PM |
Hang on this was done by John Hill over at http://madmodder.net/index.php?topic=4770.0
Who is this Rob? that machinistblog and lifehacker are crediting?
September 1, 2011 at 1:29 PM |
Shipped two engine heads across the nation (3300 miles) using something like this. Put them in a garbage bag in a box, filled the box with foam, let set overnight and shipped the next day. Customer said no damage even after shipping with UPS.
September 1, 2011 at 1:49 PM |
Transmitthis, read the text. Under the first photo, Rob (owner of this site) gives credit to John Hill, and there’s a link to the original post. He also asked permission to post it.
September 1, 2011 at 2:03 PM |
I’d like to hear more about the outgassing that Rob mentioned above. Would this have any effect on things with lacquer finishes? I’m thinking specifically of brass musical instruments, which have lacquer finish.
September 1, 2011 at 2:18 PM |
This is incredible!
I just got a new toolbox this weekend to spread out the tools a bit.
I’ll have to give this a shot.
Both my boxes are the roll-around type, but with the t-shirt protective layer, I see no reason this shouldn’t work swimmingly!
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Ellis Benus
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September 1, 2011 at 2:23 PM |
@Rob
“But when it comes to precision, fine finish, or antique tools, I’d be really cautious… might be safer/easier to trace tool outlines on some pre-cut stock and use a router to hollow out the voids to place the tools in.”
I don’t think out-gassing would be that detrimental to most things. The gas in common urethane spray foams is usually some kind of fluorocarbon. That puts it into a category with spray can duster.
At any rate the federal regulations on building material require that the manufacturer put all chemical components on the label even if they aren’t capable of producing harm. Armed with that a bit of research could put your mind to rest or give justification.
The only thing I’d be concerned about is oil based paints. Basically, things made from petroleum products where a fluorocarbon could act as a solvent over time. Everything else (especially organic like wood) would much more quickly react with oxygen than a fluorocarbon. May even act as a preservative.
September 1, 2011 at 4:52 PM |
Regarding outgasing, I suggested this for tools, if you want to use it for optical devices (for example) I suggest you check on the composition of the foam. The foam I used is water curing polyurethane with a hydrocarbon propellant to get it out of the can.
September 1, 2011 at 5:11 PM |
What about using for a bug-out kit that has a pistol, clip(s), knife, radios, etc?
September 1, 2011 at 11:28 PM |
What do you think about making a computer case from this do you think the gas form the foam would harm the computer or any other electronics?
September 2, 2011 at 7:26 AM |
great stuff… but i’m a bit confused- what happens to the tshirt in the end? is the last photo showing the tshirt wrapped around the foam filler and turned around to fit inside the drawer? or did i miss something?
September 3, 2011 at 5:33 AM |
Ummmmm….. the t-shirt is bonded to the foam filler and forms the top surface once you turn the block over.
John
September 3, 2011 at 6:53 PM |
make a video
March 19, 2012 at 10:00 AM |
That is a great idea! Thanks for sharing the tip. Much better and easier than wetting and freezing foam like suitcase-style toolcases.
I’m no chemist, but would be surprised if the gases hurt anything.