Hey guys, long time no see! Anyways...
During the latest cleaning of our train room (because everybody has those), we came across a couple of road cases that we used to use for different train shows. We don't really do those anymore, so my dad gave them to me to do what I will to them. I have decided that I want to use one for my equipment. I've been using some sort of pack-a-seat for quite a while, but since I never sit while playing, it's just extra bulk and weight that I have to lug around. Now for the problem...
The inside of the case is incredibly nasty from leftover foam and glue. This leaves me with a few questions: first off, how clean does it need to be on the inside before I section it off and put the interior material in? What are recommended ways of cleaning it off? Secondly, how do y'all recommend sectioning it off? I'm somewhat tempted to almost french fit it, so to speak, for my pedal, mic, bar, etc. but I'd hate to limit myself later because I wanted it to look nice now. And lastly, what does everybody recommend for interior material? As far as I can tell, I basically have a choice between carpet and foam. Depending on what I do, I might do a combination of both.
Thoughts and wisdom appreciated.
Repurposing a Road Case
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Matthew Walton
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- Location: Fort Worth, Texas
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Repurposing a Road Case
If something I wrote can be interpreted two ways, and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, I meant the other one.
1981 MSA "The Universal" 9/5 | 2009 MSA S-12 SuperSlide | Peavey Nashville 112
1981 MSA "The Universal" 9/5 | 2009 MSA S-12 SuperSlide | Peavey Nashville 112
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Matthew Walton
- Posts: 399
- Joined: 30 May 2008 4:35 pm
- Location: Fort Worth, Texas
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Pictures
For those who might find pictures helpful for visualizing what I'm talking about:
A particularly nasty and difficult corner:
This glue is only at two places, but it's a serious pain to get off. I also really don't want to nick the strap, since it might start to unravel:
More nasty foam, still pretty hard to get off:
A general idea of the scale of foam that needs removing. All of the thick stuff I have peeled off, but there is still a lot of residue:
And lastly, here we have the big dent that I will have to put a backer board on.
The front:
The back:
A particularly nasty and difficult corner:
This glue is only at two places, but it's a serious pain to get off. I also really don't want to nick the strap, since it might start to unravel:
More nasty foam, still pretty hard to get off:
A general idea of the scale of foam that needs removing. All of the thick stuff I have peeled off, but there is still a lot of residue:
And lastly, here we have the big dent that I will have to put a backer board on.
The front:
The back:
If something I wrote can be interpreted two ways, and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, I meant the other one.
1981 MSA "The Universal" 9/5 | 2009 MSA S-12 SuperSlide | Peavey Nashville 112
1981 MSA "The Universal" 9/5 | 2009 MSA S-12 SuperSlide | Peavey Nashville 112
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Donny Hinson
- Posts: 21192
- Joined: 16 Feb 1999 1:01 am
- Location: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
First off, let me say I'm a "practical" kind of guy. If it's to be a utility case, I wouldn't spend a lot of time on it. I'd clean off the foam as best as I could, and then just paint the inside, or cover it with thin indoor-outdoor carpet (like that used on some speaker cabinet. Trying to get it looking "pretty" like a piece of furniture, is wasted time and effort, IMHO.
Most steel seats are just painted black on the inside. A divider shaped like an H works pretty well for pedals, strings, cords, and such.
Most steel seats are just painted black on the inside. A divider shaped like an H works pretty well for pedals, strings, cords, and such.
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Joe Naylor
- Posts: 2711
- Joined: 19 Jan 2004 1:01 am
- Location: Avondale, Arizona, USA
my 2 cents
Donny I hate to disagree but all my steelseats are covered inside since I have found that my customers do not like to have their equipment scratched up.
I have seen seats that are painted black and not covered but my customers appreciate the protection.
Joe Naylor
www.steelseat.com
I have seen seats that are painted black and not covered but my customers appreciate the protection.
Joe Naylor
www.steelseat.com
Joe Naylor, Avondale, AZ (Phoenix) Announcer/Emcee owner www.steelseat.com *** OFFERING SEATS AND Effects cases with or without legs and other stuff ****** -Desert Rose Guitar S-10, Life Member of the Arizona Carport Pickers Assoc., Southwest Steel Guitar Assoc., Texas Steel Guitar Assoc., GA Steel Guitar Assoc., KS Steel Guitar Assoc. (Asleep at the Steel) tag line willed to me by a close late friend RIP
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Bill L. Wilson
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- Location: Oklahoma, USA
Cleaning a road case
Lacquer thinner will eat that glue right up. But be sure you're outside, with no fire close by, as it is highly flammable. In other words, don't blow yourself up and by all means work fast and don't breathe it in.
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Ransom Beers
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Matthew Walton
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Bill, I already tried lacquer thinner on it, but the texture of the glue just kind of chewed the paper towel I was using up. How would you recommend keeping the thinner on it long enough to soften the glue? Should I soak a paper towel and just lay it on the glue? after it's softened, what do you recommend to get it up?
I think what I'll do is cover the inside with a carpet material, and section it off to some extent. I'll probably have a section that is a good width for pedals, a square for cables, and another section that I will put foam in with holes for my bars. I'll do the rest as I see fit for the other misc. accessories including a place for my mic and stand (finally). What is the best way to mount the dividers? Is a glue joint substantial enough, or should I find some L brackets?
I think what I'll do is cover the inside with a carpet material, and section it off to some extent. I'll probably have a section that is a good width for pedals, a square for cables, and another section that I will put foam in with holes for my bars. I'll do the rest as I see fit for the other misc. accessories including a place for my mic and stand (finally). What is the best way to mount the dividers? Is a glue joint substantial enough, or should I find some L brackets?
If something I wrote can be interpreted two ways, and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, I meant the other one.
1981 MSA "The Universal" 9/5 | 2009 MSA S-12 SuperSlide | Peavey Nashville 112
1981 MSA "The Universal" 9/5 | 2009 MSA S-12 SuperSlide | Peavey Nashville 112
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Bill L. Wilson
- Posts: 935
- Joined: 14 Aug 2012 12:31 pm
- Location: Oklahoma, USA
Cleaning a road case
Matthew, I usually soak cotton rags(old t-shirts) and wet that glue really good. On the other hand, you can frame up a box inside the case, out of thin plywood, and make your pockets any size to fit what you want to put in it, and skip the cleaning and cover up the glue with the plywood. It will add a little weight, depending on the thickness of the wood. And BE CAREFUL, cutting the wood, those saws are unforgiving!
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Bill L. Wilson
- Posts: 935
- Joined: 14 Aug 2012 12:31 pm
- Location: Oklahoma, USA
Cleaning a road case
Matthew, I usually soak cotton rags(old t-shirts) and wet that glue really good. On the other hand, you can frame up a box inside the case, out of thin plywood, and make your pockets any size to fit what you want to put in it, and skip the cleaning and cover up the glue with the plywood. It will add a little weight, depending on the thickness of the wood. And BE CAREFUL, cutting the wood, those saws are unforgiving!
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Bill Hatcher
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- Location: Atlanta Ga. USA
a job like that is not worth that amount of time or effort. just scrape off what will come off easy...spread out new adhesive just a tad thicker than usual and lay on a new covering inside whether it be form or ozite or carpet. the adhesive will soften up the old enough to adhere and you wont ever see whats under the covering.
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Matthew Walton
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Quick update/questions for anybody interested. I think this is going to happen pretty soon, so I'm figuring out how I want to divide it off etc.
I did a quick mockup in Google SketchUp of a sort of inner shell that I'm going to put inside the case. I like it, but I've started thinking that maybe I should use 1/2" plywood for the interior walls. I also plan on putting grey carpet inside.
This whole thing would go inside the actual road case.
Since the top part has a good bit of depth to it, I think I might just put about 1/2" of foam up there, with a plywood (?) "door" that swings downwards. I figure I can put some 1/2" on the plywood, then some more foam to make up the thickness with slots cut in them for the bars (because why not?).
Now for the questions:
Is 4" a good width for a pedal slot? I'm at college without my steel, so I'm not sure how wide my Goodrich pedal is. I'd also like it to fit other brands (Telonics) of pedals should I ever get the chance and means to upgrade.
Would it be a good idea to upgrade to 1/2" for the interior walls, and maybe even use Baltic Birch plywood for extra stability?
I'm thinking about using liquid nails for gluing the spacer pieces to the side of the actual road case as well as the few dadoes there are. Is that a good idea, or should I just use regular PVA glue instead? I'm leaning against PVA because of the metal brackets at the corners, so I think I need something that will be a little more space-filling.
How do I glue the carpet to the wood? Should I just use a standard spray-adhesive, or is there a special carpet glue?
What is the best order in which to affix the carpet/build the interior. If I wasn't worried about the glue getting on the carpet, I would probably attach the carpet to the plywood before gluing it in. But with the danger of messing up the carpet, I don't really like that approach.
Lastly I guess, what do you think of the design/layout?
I did a quick mockup in Google SketchUp of a sort of inner shell that I'm going to put inside the case. I like it, but I've started thinking that maybe I should use 1/2" plywood for the interior walls. I also plan on putting grey carpet inside.
This whole thing would go inside the actual road case.
Since the top part has a good bit of depth to it, I think I might just put about 1/2" of foam up there, with a plywood (?) "door" that swings downwards. I figure I can put some 1/2" on the plywood, then some more foam to make up the thickness with slots cut in them for the bars (because why not?).
Now for the questions:
Is 4" a good width for a pedal slot? I'm at college without my steel, so I'm not sure how wide my Goodrich pedal is. I'd also like it to fit other brands (Telonics) of pedals should I ever get the chance and means to upgrade.
Would it be a good idea to upgrade to 1/2" for the interior walls, and maybe even use Baltic Birch plywood for extra stability?
I'm thinking about using liquid nails for gluing the spacer pieces to the side of the actual road case as well as the few dadoes there are. Is that a good idea, or should I just use regular PVA glue instead? I'm leaning against PVA because of the metal brackets at the corners, so I think I need something that will be a little more space-filling.
How do I glue the carpet to the wood? Should I just use a standard spray-adhesive, or is there a special carpet glue?
What is the best order in which to affix the carpet/build the interior. If I wasn't worried about the glue getting on the carpet, I would probably attach the carpet to the plywood before gluing it in. But with the danger of messing up the carpet, I don't really like that approach.
Lastly I guess, what do you think of the design/layout?
If something I wrote can be interpreted two ways, and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, I meant the other one.
1981 MSA "The Universal" 9/5 | 2009 MSA S-12 SuperSlide | Peavey Nashville 112
1981 MSA "The Universal" 9/5 | 2009 MSA S-12 SuperSlide | Peavey Nashville 112
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Matthew Walton
- Posts: 399
- Joined: 30 May 2008 4:35 pm
- Location: Fort Worth, Texas
- Contact:
Hey all, just a quick update:
I went with carpet, and I used carpet adhesive (revolutionary!) to glue the carpet to the wood. I used Liquid Nails to glue the wood panels to the inside of the road case.
Here's what it looks like as of this afternoon:
Now I have some more questions for y'all, mainly what to do with the space in the lid. I'm not sure what to do with it; my current plan is to cut slots for basically French-fitting for my bars. I've already ordered a 24" x 54" x 1" sheet of ELE foam, but it's backordered right now so I can probably cancel it if anybody has a better idea. The space in the top is 21" x 18.25" x 3.25", and I'd love to hear everyone's ideas.
I went with carpet, and I used carpet adhesive (revolutionary!) to glue the carpet to the wood. I used Liquid Nails to glue the wood panels to the inside of the road case.
Here's what it looks like as of this afternoon:
Now I have some more questions for y'all, mainly what to do with the space in the lid. I'm not sure what to do with it; my current plan is to cut slots for basically French-fitting for my bars. I've already ordered a 24" x 54" x 1" sheet of ELE foam, but it's backordered right now so I can probably cancel it if anybody has a better idea. The space in the top is 21" x 18.25" x 3.25", and I'd love to hear everyone's ideas.
If something I wrote can be interpreted two ways, and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, I meant the other one.
1981 MSA "The Universal" 9/5 | 2009 MSA S-12 SuperSlide | Peavey Nashville 112
1981 MSA "The Universal" 9/5 | 2009 MSA S-12 SuperSlide | Peavey Nashville 112
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Matthew Walton
- Posts: 399
- Joined: 30 May 2008 4:35 pm
- Location: Fort Worth, Texas
- Contact:
Hmm, interesting thought Lane. I had actually planned on using the space at the top of the "H" for that; it's about 8" x 8".
If something I wrote can be interpreted two ways, and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, I meant the other one.
1981 MSA "The Universal" 9/5 | 2009 MSA S-12 SuperSlide | Peavey Nashville 112
1981 MSA "The Universal" 9/5 | 2009 MSA S-12 SuperSlide | Peavey Nashville 112
If your not against buying something, I'd think about putting one of these up there:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/4 ... nizer.html
or:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/2 ... nizer.html
The above two should fit, but here are several other options here, check out the specs to see what size each of them is and take your pick:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Hard- ... 4268641648
Nice way to keep track of and organize all the "little stuff" like picks, bars, batteries, flashlights, tools, spare parts, altoids etc...
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/4 ... nizer.html
or:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/2 ... nizer.html
The above two should fit, but here are several other options here, check out the specs to see what size each of them is and take your pick:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Hard- ... 4268641648
Nice way to keep track of and organize all the "little stuff" like picks, bars, batteries, flashlights, tools, spare parts, altoids etc...