# Make dividers for electronic equipment cases. Is cloth covered foam board my best option? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 17, 2017, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-dividers-for-electronic-equipment-cases-is-cloth-covered-foam-board-my-best-option/804734 "2017-12-17T22:08:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2017, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-dividers-for-electronic-equipment-cases-is-cloth-covered-foam-board-my-best-option/804734/1 "2017-12-17T22:08:22Z")
Most electronic cases are one big space with a zipper. I bought This 12x12 by 5.5 in deep, Gator bag. [https://express.google.com/u/0/product/5982970812119068937\_18264010549845815688\_1327510?mall=Arizona&directCheckout=1&utm\_source=google\_shopping&utm\_medium=product\_ads&utm\_campaign=gsx&dclid](https://express.google.com/u/0/product/5982970812119068937_18264010549845815688_1327510?mall=Arizona&directCheckout=1&utm_source=google_shopping&utm_medium=product_ads&utm_campaign=gsx&dclid) I have a small audio mixer, digital recorder, cables and accessories to put in it. I’d like to organize the 12x12 space into compartments. I’ve seen references to using the pink foam board from Home Depot and covering it with fabric. Ideally, make a 4.5 in high, square box with dividers to create compartments inside the case. With something this small. Would the dividers stay in place after the case is zippered closed? Do I need to glue the foam board’s corners and the other joints together and make a more secure box? The foam board is 1 inch thick. Easy to cut. I want to cover it in fabric. What Glue should I use? Titebond, Carpenters Wood glue, a hot glue gun? > **[Project Panels Formular 1 in. x 2 ft. x 2 ft. Rigid Foam Board Insulation...](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Project-Panels-Formular-1-in-x-2-ft-x-2-ft-Rigid-Foam-Board-Insulation-Sheathing-PP1/203553730)** > > FORMULAR insulation Project Panels has a variety of uses. You can add thermal insulation to attic and crawl space access panels and pet houses. or protect items that you are transporting. They can also Is foam board really a good option? Gator sells this cube foam. I’ve bought cases that came with this stuff. Requires chipping out squares to make a cavity that fits your gear. It’s crazy expensive. [https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/GRWDRWFOAM2?gclid=Cj0KCQiAyNjRBRCpARIsAPDBnn3KiLEAZMd6hLAvkbZICJfDes1rHBRbXMTViSWDTQmyz4jDWPQqvtsaAoCzEALw\_wcB](https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/GRWDRWFOAM2?gclid=Cj0KCQiAyNjRBRCpARIsAPDBnn3KiLEAZMd6hLAvkbZICJfDes1rHBRbXMTViSWDTQmyz4jDWPQqvtsaAoCzEALw_wcB) There are Cosplay people that make props from foam board. This lady uses titebond. She paints her props. No fabric. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/jyKjS1StUrE/maxresdefault.jpg "Foam Insulation Board Prop Tutorial") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyKjS1StUrE) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2017, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-dividers-for-electronic-equipment-cases-is-cloth-covered-foam-board-my-best-option/804734/2 "2017-12-18T00:23:38Z")
I guess no one else puts dividers in their gear bags? I’ll go by Home Depot tommorow. Foam board is cheap. I want to see how securely I can glue the corners. Whether the joint will be strong enough. I can use straight pins to hold it together until the glue dries. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2017, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-dividers-for-electronic-equipment-cases-is-cloth-covered-foam-board-my-best-option/804734/3 "2017-12-18T01:35:50Z")
Your best glue will be the spray adhesive in a can. It won’t soak through the fabric covering. [WalMart](https://www.walmart.com/ip/3M-General-Purpose-Spray-Adhesive-10-25-oz/19412027) ETA: Lay the fabric out on a table and smooth it out. Then spray the board and press it down on the fabric for a wrinkle free finished product. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2017, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-dividers-for-electronic-equipment-cases-is-cloth-covered-foam-board-my-best-option/804734/4 "2017-12-18T01:48:10Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > Your best glue will be the spray adhesive in a can. It won’t soak through the fabric covering. > > [WalMart](https://www.walmart.com/ip/3M-General-Purpose-Spray-Adhesive-10-25-oz/19412027) > > ETA: Lay the fabric out on a table and smooth it out. Then spray the board and press it down on the fabric for a wrinkle free finished product. That’s a very good idea. Thank You! I planned to get the fabric at Walmart. I’ll get the spray glue at the same time. I should have the gear bag soon. It shipped Sat. I need to measure the gear bag and then I can cut my pieces. I’ll post a photo of the divider when it’s done. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2017, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-dividers-for-electronic-equipment-cases-is-cloth-covered-foam-board-my-best-option/804734/5 "2017-12-18T02:26:57Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Gator sells this cube foam. I’ve bought cases that came with this stuff. Requires chipping out squares to make a cavity that fits your gear. If you shop around, you can find that cube foam cheaper elsewhere, like at [Uline](https://www.uline.com/BL_873/Pick-and-Pack-Foam). ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2017, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-dividers-for-electronic-equipment-cases-is-cloth-covered-foam-board-my-best-option/804734/6 "2017-12-18T02:47:22Z")
When you’re at Home Depot, look at something like [Reflectix insulation](https://www.menards.com/main/building-materials/insulation/multipurpose-insulation/reflectix-16-x-25-reflective-insulation/p-1444452049026-c-5778.htm?tid=-6232660609091007010&ipos=1), or rolls of the soft foam insulation. You might consider using those on the harder foamboard instead of cloth. That will provide a bit more cushioning for your equipment. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2017, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-dividers-for-electronic-equipment-cases-is-cloth-covered-foam-board-my-best-option/804734/7 "2017-12-18T18:44:13Z")
I’ve used pick and pluck foam from [this company](http://www.thefoamfactory.com/packagingfoam/picknpluckcr.html) for custom inserts for camera equipment as well as my wife’s sewing equipment. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2017, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-dividers-for-electronic-equipment-cases-is-cloth-covered-foam-board-my-best-option/804734/8 "2017-12-18T19:25:54Z")
That is the most reasonable price I’ve seen for that foam. Thank you for posting the link. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2017, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-dividers-for-electronic-equipment-cases-is-cloth-covered-foam-board-my-best-option/804734/9 "2017-12-18T22:21:38Z")
I take a lot of test instrumentation into the field and I’ve always used either cube foam or camera cases with dividers that can be positioned in pre-cut slots. Both options do a good job for me, though I’m not above jamming some of the extra foam cubes in where the space is just a little too big. It seems like a lot of extra work to make dividers from scratch. But that’s just me… ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2017, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-dividers-for-electronic-equipment-cases-is-cloth-covered-foam-board-my-best-option/804734/10 "2017-12-19T06:29:02Z")
Why not just use some heavy corrugated cardboard, like they put in wine cases? Either cut down some dividers from an actual wine case, if that provides the spacing you need, or put similar slits in pieces you cut to fit. They will be thinner than the foam board you’re thinking of, and therefore waste less space. Assuming your gear is fairly tightly packed, they don’t need to be particularly strong, but if they don’t last, you can easily make new ones at little cost or trouble. They may not be as pretty as the ones you are proposing, but you could apply that fabric to cardboard just as easily as foam board. Again, cheaper and easier. If you want something more durable than either foam or cardboard, thin Masonite could also serve. It would also accept the fabric covering you have discussed. Not quite as simple to work as the other materials, but not exactly titanium, either. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-dividers-for-electronic-equipment-cases-is-cloth-covered-foam-board-my-best-option/804734/11 "2017-12-28T20:53:15Z")
I wouldn’t use the pink foam, as it is sure to break up into crumbs, and cardboard is sure to shed. The guy who builds my cases and bags uses [corrugated plastic sheets](https://www.homedepot.com/b/Building-Materials-Glass-Plastic-Sheets-Corrugated-Plastic-Sheets/N-5yc1vZcbtu) for rigid parts, and covers that with whatever fabric is needed. He uses one layer, but if you use two layers of Coroplas, one 90 degrees to the other, it should be incredibly rigid and very light. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-dividers-for-electronic-equipment-cases-is-cloth-covered-foam-board-my-best-option/804734/12 "2017-12-28T22:14:35Z")
Ran out of edit time. I would slice notches into the sheets of Coroplast, to fit them together like those old cardboard dividers. You could use cardboard or foamcore to mock the whole thing up, and use those pieces as templates for the Coroplast parts. Then you can cover it with fabric applied using a . It’s going to be much stronger than anything proposed so far, as well as lighter and won’t create any debris like anything made of foam or paper. [Here’s the case he made for my Canon XH-A1](https://image.ibb.co/mUXogb/Canon_XH_A1_bag_top_view.jpg). All the sides, bottom and top are made of Coroplast sandwiched inside of ballistic nylon. The interior is lined with pig suede - leather made from pigskin, but processed into suede. It wears like a football but is as soft as…suede. [Here’s an accessory bag he made](https://preview.ibb.co/k3Mygb/Accessory_bag.jpg). The top, bottom and divider is Coroplast, while the sides are soft. It holds a small Rolls mixer, a quad video processor, two GoPro Hero 3s, a zoom control, four power supplies and four microclamps. I’ve had this camera bag since 2007, and have used it to shoot more than 300 concerts. I can’t say enough good things about Coroplast as a material to build stuff out of. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-dividers-for-electronic-equipment-cases-is-cloth-covered-foam-board-my-best-option/804734/13 "2017-12-28T22:46:18Z")
I did a search for “Coroplast dividers” and was reminded that the USPS uses Coroplast boxes for handling mail. They have a method of “welding” the sheets together, and they are rugged as all get-out. I would get a sheet, cut rectangles out at the corners, crush the corrugation to make a seam that can be folded up…honestly, I can see how to do this in my mind’s eye, but it’s hard to tell you in text. [Here’s an image of an unfolded Coroplast box.](http://www.millsind.com/images/showcase/11/Box_A_fold_3.jpg) It has tabs and slots exactly the same as a cardboard box. If you can make it out of cardboard, you can (with a bit more struggle) make it out of Coroplast. You can put dividers inside of the box, cutting slots for the ends of the dividers in the sides of the box. Anyway, good luck! ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2017, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-dividers-for-electronic-equipment-cases-is-cloth-covered-foam-board-my-best-option/804734/14 "2017-12-29T01:02:36Z")
I had never heard of Coroplast. Thanks for the tip. I’ll check it out. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2017, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-dividers-for-electronic-equipment-cases-is-cloth-covered-foam-board-my-best-option/804734/15 "2017-12-29T03:17:51Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I had never heard of Coroplast. > > Thanks for the tip. I’ll check it out. You should be able to find it at Home Depot. Amazingly useful stuff. Glad to help! ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2017, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-dividers-for-electronic-equipment-cases-is-cloth-covered-foam-board-my-best-option/804734/16 "2017-12-29T07:12:03Z")
There are a bunch of videos about Coroplast on YouTube, including special tools to cut it, heater strips to bend it and nylon rivets to join it. I would up getting sucked into watching them. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2017, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-dividers-for-electronic-equipment-cases-is-cloth-covered-foam-board-my-best-option/804734/17 "2017-12-29T22:33:25Z")
I forgot about Coroplast. And I just bought a sheet at Lowe’s to fabricate some non-metallic ducting. You should find it on the aisle where the lawn signs are. Garage sale and other For Sale signs.