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

[Michelle LeFree <mlefree@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

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