Paintball Guitar Case
Mod an old guitar case into a custom paintball gear case.
Overview & Supplies
Hey everyone! This won't be a typical instructable; I had too much fun doing the project and completely forgot to document what I was doing along the way. Fortunately, there's really no special skills or knowledge needed to make your own custom paintball gear case.
Let's get started!
You'll need the following supplies:
- Guitar case
- One half yard of 4" high density foam
- All purpose spray adhesive
- 1 or 2 yards of fleece
- An electric knife
- An old newspaper
- A marker
- Scissors
The guitar case should be a hard shell case with a soft lining in it. The high density foam is custom fit and relies on friction to stay in place. If you don't already have a guitar case, check with a local Guitar Center and ask if they have an old case you can buy for cheap (or free if you or your buddy works there).
The high density foam can be purchased at a craft store like Michaels or Joanns. A half yard of 4" foam will run about $22.00 so make sure you grab the store flyer that comes out every Sunday (they almost always come with a 40% off coupon). This will put the price around $12.00.
Let's get started!
You'll need the following supplies:
- Guitar case
- One half yard of 4" high density foam
- All purpose spray adhesive
- 1 or 2 yards of fleece
- An electric knife
- An old newspaper
- A marker
- Scissors
The guitar case should be a hard shell case with a soft lining in it. The high density foam is custom fit and relies on friction to stay in place. If you don't already have a guitar case, check with a local Guitar Center and ask if they have an old case you can buy for cheap (or free if you or your buddy works there).
The high density foam can be purchased at a craft store like Michaels or Joanns. A half yard of 4" foam will run about $22.00 so make sure you grab the store flyer that comes out every Sunday (they almost always come with a 40% off coupon). This will put the price around $12.00.
Measuring & Cutting
Grab your case, newspaper, marker, scissors, and electric knife for this step.
Take one sheet of newspaper and lay it inside the body of the guitar case. Trace the edges of the case on the newspaper and cut it out. Lay your template on the high density foam and trace the shape to the foam.
Use your electric knife to cut the guitar shape out of the foam. Make sure that the shape you cut out will fit snugly in the case or you'll just be wasting foam.
Once you have the foam in the case, take some time and experiment with the layout of your gear. When you've decided where everything will go, trace out the shapes of your equipment and start cutting.
Take one sheet of newspaper and lay it inside the body of the guitar case. Trace the edges of the case on the newspaper and cut it out. Lay your template on the high density foam and trace the shape to the foam.
Use your electric knife to cut the guitar shape out of the foam. Make sure that the shape you cut out will fit snugly in the case or you'll just be wasting foam.
Once you have the foam in the case, take some time and experiment with the layout of your gear. When you've decided where everything will go, trace out the shapes of your equipment and start cutting.
Installing the Fleece
After everything is cut and all your gear is in place, it's time to apply the fleece.
Start by removing everything from the foam and removing the foam from the case. Lay the fleece across the foam and cut the fleece to the same shape as the foam making sure to leave about 2" of excess all the way around.
Take the spray adhesive and apply a liberal amount to the foam. Quickly put the fleece in place and adjust as necessary (pull taut and remove wrinkles).
Cut the fleece to allow access to the holes in the foam.
Install the foam in the case and push the excess fleece in down around the edges of the case.
Start by removing everything from the foam and removing the foam from the case. Lay the fleece across the foam and cut the fleece to the same shape as the foam making sure to leave about 2" of excess all the way around.
Take the spray adhesive and apply a liberal amount to the foam. Quickly put the fleece in place and adjust as necessary (pull taut and remove wrinkles).
Cut the fleece to allow access to the holes in the foam.
Install the foam in the case and push the excess fleece in down around the edges of the case.
All Done!
Once everything is dry, put your gear in place and admire your handiwork. Here are a few side notes that you may helpful:
-To keep my gun from shifting, I cut out a long rectangle piece from the leftover foam. The piece statically clings to the furry lining of the case.
- Use leftover foam to make the pieces that will hold your tank in place.
- The built-in compartment is a great place to put your small paintball tools and equipment.
- This is not the sturdiest of materials. After some hard use, you will start to notice some edges of fleece separating from the foam.
That's it! If anybody out there gives this a try, I would really like to see your results.
-To keep my gun from shifting, I cut out a long rectangle piece from the leftover foam. The piece statically clings to the furry lining of the case.
- Use leftover foam to make the pieces that will hold your tank in place.
- The built-in compartment is a great place to put your small paintball tools and equipment.
- This is not the sturdiest of materials. After some hard use, you will start to notice some edges of fleece separating from the foam.
That's it! If anybody out there gives this a try, I would really like to see your results.