Hi folks,

Found another neat vintage case, this one an American Tourister Tiara. It’s a great size, and this one is in the scarce dark green.




It has some neat German travel stickers on it, not sure if those are staying.









Let’s have a look inside...ooh ! That’s....uh, red.




After leaving case in the sun for a couple of hours, the glue is a bit softer, and out comes the pimp pleather.





Well, most of it; there’s still some behind the hinges.





What to do...what to do....get the drill !







Better. Look at the neat hinges.




I’m going to polish up the interior brightwork, and that’s it for today.


Stay tuned !

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Following with interest!
Please do keep us posted!
John

Will do !

Thinking about this layout






.44....45...whatever it takes !

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I'd keep those vintage stickers

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Old paratrooper in NC

I think I have one of those in gray. I need to try and remember where it is in my house. I used it when I first graduated from Clemson trying to look "grown up".
Larry

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Miss My Buddy crsides!!

I had one very similar that I carried to work when I had to do paperwork,(ugh!). My boss called it my leather lunch box. Thanks for the memory.

I hope I didn’t trigger anyone’s bad memories !


I was a Samsonite guy in school, but always envied the better —feeling handles on the American Tourister cases.

My first “grownup” case was a Zero, still around, buried in the pile.

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I think boykinlp willed me a gray case...it just “appeared” at the house.


The best part is that it’s a slightly more recent case with combination lock...and the combo is......





That’s gotta be a sign.

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I just went and looked for mine and it is gone . I guess I left it in the transporter. It must have known that you would put it to better use than I would have.
Larry

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Miss My Buddy crsides!!

Made a bit more progress.

Drilled out the hinges for the new sex screws. [heh heh]





Then, a bunch of glue. Some would say, too much.






Both sides done, let’s let that dry until morning.

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Trimmed one side.

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You might consider keeping the guns IN the case.

Haven’t you guys ever heard of magnets ?

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Now there's an attractive idea.

*hides*

Trimming and edging is done, as well as a sun bath to cure glue. The velvet really shows any lint, good thing it’ll be under the foam.





The new hardware looks decent next to the vintage stuff.

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The key is cheery, if a bit piggish...

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Getting closer.

A template helps, especially when the case is an odd shape.




The 57mm foam sits proud. No worries, a sharp knife solves many problems.




Looks much better. Time to use the template again with the 30mm foam.



There we go.

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Layout. Hmmm.

Any opinions as to which looks better ?

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I'm kind of partial to this one:

Ok, so shall it be done.

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Looks great!

What glue are you using for the velvet and foam? What is your source for that great foam? THANKS!

Thanks! It’s been a steep learning curve, but half the fun is in the discovery.


I use Super77 glue for the fabric, and was using Super90 to laminate the foam. This foam is already laminated, and you simply cut to desired depth and pull out layers. It’s called Kaizen foam, and is available in 20mm, 30mm, and 57mm thicknesses.


I haven’t decided how to permanently affix the top layers of velvet yet, they’re being held on with Gaffer’s tape presently. I may need to source a stretchier material, or live with the ‘blousing’ around the cutouts.

There’s another solution, but it requires a LOT more work, and I still need to make relief cuts for the hinges.

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THANKS for the foam and glue recommendations. You do great work, and I enjoy seeing it. I also like that you repurpose otherwise discarded cases, boxes and such, each one unique.

I’m waiting on some blue stretchy velvet, wasn’t happy with the black or the way it was laying.

Stay tuned, if you’re interested.

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Looks better with some blue

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I think she’s done, for now. I may add some nylon retention straps, covered in velvet, but it doesn’t seem to require it.


Masking off the gun area, don’t want glue there.


Glue. I found out that it’s important to brush the glue once sprayed on, as this helps the propellant evaporate fully. If not, bleed-through will occur.


You can see the two small spots of bleed-through in the right panel.


After drying, time to flip over and do the back. Staples will aid in temporary retention until glue dries. These will be removed.

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Final result.

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Beautiful work. Looks like it was originally built that way.

How do you make the depth cut into the foam so evenly? My razor at an angle technique is clearly lacking.

Thank you, sir ! OEM look is always a goal, rarely a result.



This foam makes it easier than most, as it’s laminated in layers that peel away -fairly well- from each other. I made a tool to use on the next build to smooth the bottom and cut finger-grooves.


With standard foam, there are several options:

1) One can laminate the foam, using a base layer, the middle layer, and a top layer of foam or velvet. The middle layer is cut to shape, and the bottom provides the cushion underneath. All cuts with this method are vertical, so no depth issues.

2) Cut-to-depth. This requires sharp blades, and quite a few, to achieve well. I use a hobby knife that one can adjust to desired depth. I slide blade out to the thickness of the object being protected, then lock. A perimeter cut is made to desired depth, snapping and renewing the blade as needed. Then I cut from the center toward the perimeter, in a 45-degree down angle, to reveal the edge. Pull this foam out, and you now have enough room to make cuts along the plane of max depth.

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THANK YOU for sharing your secrets of building your cases.