What makes the presentation case unique is its versatile design and professional look at a reasonable price point. But if you don’t have the confidence that you can cut the foam to look right, the design and price point don’t matter! So take it from a hyper detail-oriented, find the crooked picture hanging in the room kind of person – you can do this! This step by step tutorial, combined with our video, will give you the confidence to make a presentation case that you’ll be proud of.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- A piece, or pieces of paper taped together, that will cover the large surface of foam
- Scissors
- Phillips screw driver
- Tape
- Ruler
- Felt tipped pen
- Assortment of sharp knives
- The object to be displayed
- Tooth picks
Here’s how to do it:
Remove the foam: With your display case in hand, remove the saw tooth hangers using a Philips screw driver then bend back the flexible retainer tabs to remove the back panel. Remove the foam 1” thick panels from the exposed interior of the box. Two are provided; they are stacked with one side of each panel flock lined to give them a velvety finished look.
Trace your object: Cut your paper to the perimeter dimension of the foam panel. Place the paper on the flocked side of the foam and tape securely. The paper serves two purposes – protect the flocking, and to trace the outline of the object to be displayed. Place the object on the paper, center for best visual, then trace the outline using the felt tipped marker.
Cut the foam: Measure the thickness of the object to be displayed. If both layers of foam are required for the depth necessary, stack the two layers with the tracing on top. The flocked side of the second layer should be facing the back of the top layer. Secure the two layers with tape. Additional anchoring of the two layers can be achieved by pushing tooth picks into the area to be cut out. Using a sharp knife, hold it perpendicular to the foam and push through completely on the inside of your tracing line. Continue to cut the foam in a sawing type motion. Use the ruler as a straight edge guide for the knife if necessary. Wide profile knives are better for straight edges, narrow for contours. Don’t try and cut all the detail out in the first cut. After the bulk of the foam is removed, you can go back and trim up for fine detail if necessary. Try and remove the cut-out area in one piece; you may want to trim the cut-out area to a thinner dimension, reinsert, and use it as backing for the object to be displayed. This prevents the object from being pushed in too far.
Final Steps: Remove the paper with the tracing, all tape, and reinsert the foam into the box. Reinstall the back panel oriented so the holes for the hangers line up with the holes in the box. Reattach saw tooth hangers.
Thing not to do:
- Rush
- Use a dull knife
- Cut the traced profile too large
- Make angled, not perpendicular cuts
Keep in mind that if your object only requires one layer of foam, and you’re not satisfied with the cut out, you have a second layer available.
So now that you know how, think of the possibilities! Still have questions? Give us a call – we’re here to help!
alzheimer's box dementia box how to cut foam how to cut gun case foam how to prepare a gun display how to prepare a knife display keepsake box keepsake boxes memory box memory boxes presentation box presentation display shadow boxes shadow box frame what is a shadow box