18Oct DIY Camera / Lens Custom Formed Cases
Here’s a couple of DIY Custom Form Molded Cases from Vimeo member Roberto Caverra and Bernie Hipos. A couple of peeps with some DIY inspiration on camera bags and rolling cases.
Email from Roberto Below -
Hey, simple idea using expanding foam in a can. $20 case bought at a flee market, $10 foam can.
1. I covered all my equip very well with something like Cine foil and spaced them out to my liking.
2. Sprayed the expanding foam around cam body and lenses.
3. Once it was dry (about 24hrs) I removed equip and sprayed foam black.Lenses and Cam body fit very snug and there is no movement once lid is closed. The cool thing is that you can cut it easily once dry.
In hindsight, I could have used more foam. I wasn’t sure how much it was going to expand.
It’s definitely a custom form mold to tightly hold the gear. I’m thinking another thin layer of black foam over the top and nobody would ever know what lies beneath.
[Thanks Roberto]
For a Roller bag, Bernie Hipos writes in with a tip on using Foam Fabric from your local Fabric store (below). You can find the full WordPress post at his blog here: http://berniehipos.com/2010/10/17/diy-thinktank-bag/img_4402/. Cut out the forms for your gear and double layer it up to sandwich. Keeps things from shifting around during travel, as well as a bit of cushion to absorb shock impacts.
[Thanks Bernie]
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October 18th, 2010 at 9:55 am
nice… I like that idea
I think I’m gonna try that with my backpack soon
http://blog.sebastiankubatz.de
cheers,
sebastian
October 18th, 2010 at 10:14 am
Hi Emm,
You’re welcome! Thanks for posting it on your blog. I appreciate it. Cheers!
October 18th, 2010 at 10:39 am
That top aluminum case looks just like my kit, the difference was my buying a case from Harbor Freight for $30 and it had a block of the “pick apart” or whatever it’s called foam inside. You just pull the 1/2″ pieces out until everything fits.
I like this idea, my question had been whether the expansion foam might be harmful somehow to the gear, but it appears to be safe.
October 28th, 2010 at 7:07 am
That is a great low cost idea… I don’t know the price on this stuff, but it’s already black so it may eliminate the messy/stinky/more work stage of the project:
http://www.todol.com/pdfs/purblacknf_tech.pdf
October 28th, 2010 at 7:17 am
@Wayne – Doesnt ship to California but this looks like it.
January 10th, 2011 at 12:51 pm
after spraying the case with the expanding urethane sealant let it dry and then hit it again with a light spray glue then lay down some red or black velvet or other nice cloth, tuck in the edges and you will get a nice pro custom look at a diy price.
December 17th, 2011 at 8:38 am
I used the green fabric store foam but bought some black dye and it came out great
August 26th, 2012 at 10:59 am
Thank you very much for the tip. I think you just saved me $300 for a custom case
October 18th, 2012 at 7:19 pm
First off thanks so much for the idea! I can’t wait to do it. Secondly, do you think wrapping gear tightly in aluminum foil will work in place of the cine foil? I don’t see why it wouldn’t, figured it wouldn’t hurt to check. Thanks again for the idea!