Part 5, Lowe's Tool Case Wristwatch Conversion

Cutting the Foam Padding

Link to Part 4: Padding the Dividers

Not a lot of s this time. Wasn't that much to photograph when it's replicating a few tasks numerous times.The test of "Plan A" to glue the foam padding to the divider didn't work. The adhesive works great on the foam. Doesn't adhere worth a tinker's dam to Plexiglas. Moved on to "Plan B" this evening with the same small divider, the same piece of foam (which was very salvagable) and tried some Duro spray contact adhesive. Spray a coating onto the foam and Plexiglas, wait about a minute or so, and then press them together. WOW! That works! Immediately!! Better have it positioned just right; there's only one shot at it and no sliding things around to reposition them. Won't have to wait overnight to know if this works or not. Doing the "Proof of Concept" test piece last night, which disproved the concept, paid off in not wasting a lot of time redoing ten larger dividers. This is the small divider with the foam attached to it using the spray contact adhesive:

Now that the method to attach the foam to the dividers is settled, the other pieces of foam have to be cut. A small square, larger combination square and long steel rule are used to mark the pieces of foam. A little planning with the dimensions required beforehand maximizes use of the width of the sheet of foam and minimizes scrap. Most of the scrap can be used later to make pieces to fit around the case sides and in the pocket bottoms. No foam has been pitched yet! Here's the layout marked for three 5 inch long dividers using a fine point Sharpie:
Ten pieces in three different lengths are needed to cover all the Plexiglas dividers (not counting the tiny one which is already covered). The line across the center marks where the foam will go across the top of the divider. Found this helped immensely when positioning the Plexiglas after applying the adhesive for the first side, and then pulling the foam across the top to attach it to the other side after the second application of adhesive. The short, tiny piece was easy. The longer ones may be a little trickier.
I had set up a small table outside in my covered porch on which to do the spray adhesive. Put sheets of packing paper down (essentially newsprint paper without any newsprint on it). It was so humid tonight that the paper had become quite damp. Too humid to work with the adhesive. Attaching the foam to the Plexiglas will have to wait until tomorrow night. After that, I'll use the small piece that's already done and do another "Proof of Concept" in covering it with Ultra-Suede.

Link to Part 6: Covering the Dividers with Padding