Re: [Harp-L] Foam inserts for harp cases? "Pick 'N' Pluck"



Ryan Matzen advises:
In the past I've messed around with some "Pick 'N' Pluck" foam, but found
it not to be very durable. You really have to be gentle with it.  It seems
to work best if you play Golden Melodys as they have rounded edges!  The
main problem I've had with "Pick 'N' Pluck" is the "out gases" it creates.
It gets in your harps and then you end up breathing it in.  I might have
come up with a way to permanently connect the top and bottom of the foam
after you pick 'n' pluck out the sections for your harps, making the foam
more durable (it will take some time for me to perfect this, if I even get
back around to it), but I can do nothing about the "out gases".  I've had
foam inserts sitting out in the open for months now, and they still smell
just as they did when new!  So I guess I wouldn't recomend "Pick 'N' Pluck"
for harmonicas.  I've only really tried two different brands of foam tho....
maybe someone has had better luck?

Not me Ryan. Several years ago I made a harp case out of an old laptop case and Pick 'N' Pluck foam. It was a great case. Held everything I needed for a gig, lightweight, etc. It all went great until one day when I accidentally dropped the bag. The inertia of the heavy harps as they hit the ground ripped the flimsy foam to pieces inside the bag. Noting git hurt, which I suppose is one of the purposes of such a harp case, but pretty much all that was left inside the case were a pile of harps mixed with a bunch of those little squares of foam. I never noticed any problem with outgassing, perhaps because the laptop case I used was made of ballistic nylon, which I would guess is porous.


So, my advice echoes Ryan's: steer clear of the Pick 'N' Pluck. I have no probem with the idea of solid (non-perforated foam), though. At my age, it would undoubdtedly outlast my gigging out days... ;-)

Michelle





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