Because I am absolutely insane according to my wife, I am in the process of making foam liners for my Craftsman roll around tool chests. I am cutting out all of the various tools in the foam so each individual tool has it’s own spot. It is proving to be a tremendous amount if work, but does it look great.
To do this project I found a foam manufacturer online and purchased sheets of foam, 1/2" and 1/4"thick. (it is surprisingly affordable, enough foam to do all 40 drawers was under $60. Sears sells a kit to do this. It cost $20 and has enough foam for two drawers! A hell of a profit margin there.) I have cut out the shapes in the 1/2" foam, the 1"4" foam is being used as the drawer liner and bottom for the 1/2" foam. So in order to give additional strength to the 1/2" foam and to keep things from sliding I want to glue together the two pieces, but not sure what type if glue would work best. I had first considered Elmers glue, but I don’t think it will work well. My wife had suggested using her hot glue gun. While I know this will work I am concerned it will melt the foam. Also, there is a large area to coat with glue, not really a hot glue gun’s strongest point. A glue that I could spread with my finger would be preferable. Any suggestions?
A big tube of Silicone cement is probably the cheapest and mostly widely available. Almost any construction adhesive will work - test first to make sure it doesn’t dissolve the foam.
If this is polystyrene foam like Styra-foam then lots of glues will dissolve it. White glue will work very well. Epoxy will also work. If it’s a high density foam you might get away with a light spray of Super 77. But white glue should do the job. The joint will be stronger than the material.
Pluck and Pull foam would have made the job easier. I have that stuff in my Pelican case for my radio gear. The foam comes in a block with perforated foam squares you can pull and pluck out to match the shape of the item you want to store and protect. It’s fairly cheap. Double sided velcro strips should work to bond pieces together fairly well without glue. They make velcro foam too.
Stick with the 3m 77 spray adhesive. Use a light coat on the bottom side of your cutout piece, then slap the backer foam onto it and press down.
I know the 77 holds up well, I’ve used it in very flexible applications, like corner tacking on sails, and it never lets go, but is initially very workable.
Yes, 3M Super 77 spray. Great for large areas (since it’s a spray), but be very careful of overspray, since that too can cover a large area and make clean-up a pain in the ass. Properly applied, it’ll stick your foam pieces together very permanently.
Learned that the hard way. I was the happy person shown on that page, spraying sheets to decoupage a box. Then I became a sad person removing the overspray, and the finish on my craft table. I vote do it outside.
You’re not a mechanic, right? Or you REALLY clean your tools after each use? Make sure your foam choice is grease-resistant or it’ll be gone in a year.
+1 3M spray. It’s what the upholstery guys use to build up the foam under your seat covers.
No, not a professional mechanic. But I do have a serious hobby restoring and selling cars. I am somewhat OCD when it comes to organization, so the foam organizers are right up my alley. I am also somewhat OCD about my tools as well. Every tool used is put on the workbench and at the end of the day or the end of that work session I wipe each tool down with WD40 to remove any grease or oil and to provide protection from rust. After the WD40 the tools are wiped down so there is no greasy residue left on them. It has served me well as I have ratchets, screwdrivers, etc. that are over 30 years old and still look and perform as brand new. I even have some tools handed down to me from my father and grandfather, some pushing 70 years old that still look near new. My father taught me early to always take care of your tools. He always purchased high quality tools and made a impression on me that if you look after them they will last several lifetimes.
And to top it of my wife and I purchased a new home in five acres and for once I have my own dedicated workshop, a 30’x14’man cave complete with two large roll up doors. I have just finished putting on new siding, a new metal roof and new interior. My wife was okay with the purchase of brand new Craftsman storage cabinets and workbenches. In short, the dream garage I have always wanted. No more sharing my workspace with last years Christmas decorations. I might be going a little overboard with details like the foam liners, but that’s what a dream is all about, right?
Update for anyone curious. I ended up trying good old Elmer’s glue and it worked perfectly. The nice thing about it was I could easily spread it with my fingers and if I got overage on parts I could easily wipe it off. So far so good, so at this point I recommend the old school method, plus you get to peel it off your fingers when finished. Ah the memories that brought back!
