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Flight-case grey foam


Andrew

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I have had a problem - the grey foam is degrading in a couple of flight-cases, expensive pro-cases too. It's become nasty. friable and corrosive, little pellets of sticky foam eating into the nitro-cellulose - but don't panic, I saved the guitars in time, just a couple of tiny marks. Another year and the finish would have been stained and pitted and ruined

I need the case. I don't want to use the grey foam again as the same will happen. My plan is to use fire-retardant furniture foam covered by fur fabric - like a standard case. So my question is: is this best, or do I still need a foam without fire-retardant as these might react with the nitro-finish, even through the fur fabric?

Have you had the same problem? Any advice on re-fitting the case.

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I discovered this in a case also and have not been able to spend the time to fully find a major solution. My case was a Jackson case with a thick plastic outershell not an Anvil style case. I too worry about the replacement foam and any finish interaction. I had put an '84 Vector in the case and stored it a couple years. Like you I was able to clear it from the finish without much harm.

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I've seen a few older gun cases do this too.  The foam does become some nasty substance that seems to eat finishes and glues itself to everything.  I'm glad your guitars weren't messed up.

You might call TKL and see what type/brand foam they use as a starting point so you aren't dealing with this problem again in ten years.  Their customer service has always been great for me.

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This is also why I tend to avoid Chinese-made guitar cases.  I haven't had or heard of anything bad happen yet with one of those, but I don't want to tempt fate...besides, why buy a case that isn't USA or Canadian made, when I can, provided that it doesn't cost a lot of money?  If a new case winds up being too expensive, then I'll wait until a good used one comes up for sale.

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I have always wondered what that grey foam crap is. It seems to have been used in a ton of high end cases, but eventually it degrades in the worst way. It gets all over everything like high end mixing boards, etc.  I still see flight cases with that same color foam. I hope they are using a different type of material these days.

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Chances are it's a polyurethane foam, and apparently they haven't figured out how to keep it from degrading over time. The U.S. Park Service recommends avoiding polyurethane all together and use polyethylene in its place. Zero Halliburton case company has this disclaimer on their website:

 

Foam Inserts (Camera Cases, Gun Cases, Cue Cases)

ZERO Halliburton uses the highest quality latex and petroleum-chemical based foam available, however, like any other foam product, the foam in ZERO Halliburton camera cases, gun cases, and pool cue cases is subject to degradation over time. If you notice any appearance of fine powder, loss of resiliency, noticeable color change or a consistency change such as a rubbery soft feel, it is time to obtain a replacement set of foam. As a maintenance procedure, we recommend that you replace the foam interior every five years. It is important to note that it is the sole responsibility of the case owner to regularly check for foam degradation and to replace the foam as necessary. ZERO Halliburton is not responsible for any damage sustained to the contents of the case due to foam degradation.

That's right, replace your foam every five years!

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I bought a Mesa MKIIB that came with a road case and the foam crumbled and stuck to the oak cabinet and wicker grill (still digging out that crap).  Reliable Hardware has replacement foam (polyethylene and polyurethane) and also videos on how to build/repair cases.  I don't know if it would work, but I was thinking of covering the amp-facing side of the foam with velvet to keep the foam off the amp.  Another one of those projects I haven't gotten to yet lol.

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I hate when that happens. Wrecked a nice 4-track that way. Noted to self, electronic stuff that's going into those cases for awhile, put it in a garbage bag first. Obviously not a great option with guitars. If it's necessary to use a case with foam in that state of decay for awhile, I would at least put a towel or something around the body, try to keep the small particles from getting into the pickups and controls. Ugh.

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NO Towel it will embed in Nitro if the case ,foam, or glue in the case is gassing. I speak from Experience. I have a CruiseBass that was in a Peavey Hardshell case when the foam degraded and a towel was around the body and it is still slightly fuzzy. That finish has never completely hardened up again since.

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Towel was a older light Blue towel. I was told it was the foam and the glue used to hold the foam and they were "gassing" off fumes that were interacting with the original finish of the CruiseBass.

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All the acoustic foam on the walls of my home studio turned to sticky crumbling blobs.  It was likely an interaction with the chemicals gassing off from the particle board used for the walls.  Hundreds of dollars of foam turned into a giant mess after about ten years. 

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23 hours ago, BTMN said:

Towel was a older light Blue towel. I was told it was the foam and the glue used to hold the foam and they were "gassing" off fumes that were interacting with the original finish of the CruiseBass.

How long was it in there for? I kinda meant to say something along the lines of 'temporarily' but I guess I didn't :huh: I could see that happening if the conditions were right now that I think about it. More than a couple days at a time, add some heat/humidity or any less than ideal conditions, and with excessive decay already happening with the foam, it's certainly something to be careful of.

 

I detest that gray foam stuff.

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Yeah, I've had case foam break down in both guitar and camera cases. The acoustic foam tile soundproofing on my studio walls decomposed waaaay before that.what a mess that was.

Last year, I had an even weirder one.....the PoleKat electronic drum trigger on my studio kit by K.A.T. MELTED!!

when I sat down at the kit, my left foot stepped in goo on the hihat pedal. When I looked down, the rubber pads on the PoleKat had turned into Silly Putty hanging off the thing and dripped into a pool on the floor pedal. When I looked online to replace it, there were none to be found. I guess 20 years was the shelf life. I checked the other K.A.T. products I have and those pads were still OK. But I guess they are going to melt soon as well.

Wonder what the. Shelf life of hard plastic road cases is?

....and plastic coffins?

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