Making a yoyo case

I bought poker cases and i need foam, how much does it cost and where do i get it?

Hobby lobby is you prefer store, foambymail.com if you like online and better quality.

Then you cut it to the right size and get a Tomato Paste can and cut the top off and screw it into the foam back and forth until it hits the bottom, then take the foam out.

I get all my stuff from joann’s fabric. Any craft store should work though. Get green high density foam. It’ll probably run you ~$10+ depending on how big you need it.

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The tomato paste does work, but if you need to put things from off strings to mini yo-yo’s i would go with the 6 pointed star shape. That makes it to where you can hold everything from an H5 to a popstar

If you want to take the time to do it like I do you’ll need a few things. I custom cut each spot for each yoyo. Lay out your yoyo’s in the order you want them in the case. Leave enough space between the yoyo’s so the foam has enough spine and won’t rip. Once layed out to your liking and spaced properly just find a common center line for each row. Measure each yoyo for it’s width and begin your cuts. A tomato can is for soup. I use a dremel, coping saw blade(fine tooth) and a razor blade that can be found at Home Depot. The razor knife blade is in the carpet section and is used in a “scraper” tool. They are rather long and very very sharp so be EXTREMELY careful. They are cheap and in a multi pack. I like to lay down a thin ruler along the marks of the yoyo outline and slowly pass the blade through. You can also push the coping saw blade through to the desired depth and trim out the block or circle. The dremel works the best overall with a small fine wire wheel. It removes the foam perfectly but you need a steady hand. As with all tools wear some safety glasses especially the dremel.

As for foam I order mine online in a large sheet to the desired thickness. Some companies are capable of cutting out anything you want. Its pricey and you need to give them exact dimensions but it will be flawless. There is also foam that comes in a sheet and has small individual blocks that can be removed however you see fit. “Pluck and pull” or something like that is what they call it. Excuse my uncertainty of the name as it has been a while.

You should turn it in one direction until it hits the bottom. Turning it back and forth may cause jagged walls in the foam. Also, to cut the top of the can, you must turn the can opener side ways in order for the sharp edge to be exposed.

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Tuxedodave’s got it. Made the same two points I was going to make. Bob sounds like he has a great technique for him, but I don’t have the patience for all that dremeling and razor-cutting.

The paste can cuts a near-perfect hole (especially if you exercise some patience and don’t rush it) for 52-58mm yoyos. Anything smaller and it’s not quite snug enough. Anything larger and you’re pushing your luck with the foam’s integrity.

I’d be tempted to try the star method as well, but I don’t think I have a good template for the cutting right now.

When cutting the foam to size (for the case), cut it a little bit bigger than it needs to be, and in a smaller case it’ll stay mostly snug. The larger your case, I would imagine more you might need some adhesive holding it in place; I’ve only done 3 small jobs, though, so I’ve never needed adhesive.

How would i get the star though?

You’d probably have to draw the stars onto the foam with a marker and then cut using a hobby knife.

Yuki

No way man, green is disgusting. Get black, if you can’t get black get white.

Since using household items seem to be popular, how about a star shaped cookie cutter sharpened. If you can find one large enough you could sharpen the edges, CAREFULLY, and see how that works.

If you’re going to go through the process of making something, make it nice imo. Good tools for the job seem like a wise idea. Then again monkey’s can do some impressive stuff with sticks and rocks.

Good engineers will tell you that the best tool for the job is the right tool for the job. :wink:

Just because you can use precision cutters and a dremel tool doesn’t mean that a simple can isn’t the best tool for giving you a clean circle. I mean, you can also use a forstner bit if you have stiff enough foam and a lot of patience, but it’s safer and cleaner to use the can.

I just never liked the idea of a “generic” size hole for everything. Hence the various items I use to obtain a more custom fit.

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Absolutely a single tool will not work for all sizes. On the other hand, I don’t know for sure that I’ll always want my “Yoyo X” in a particular hole. I may sell Yoyo X, or if my case gets full, Yoyo X might get relegated to the “unplayed” pile.

I have one cigar box with 6 holes. It originally contained my “most commonly used throws” because it was easier to access than the yoyo area in the bottom of my tackle box. But then I happened to get 6 SPYYs, and I decided I wanted it to be my SPYY box. :wink:

Mind you, nothing stopping you from just making another foam insert other than supply of foam and time to cut.

I’d like to have 3 different sizes of cutters (likely all made with cans) – undersized, mid-to-full sized, and oversized. The flexibility of foam is such that you don’t need to make holes to millimetre-level tolerances. “Kinda snug” vs. “perfectly snug” vs. “pretty darned snug” are all fine for me, as long as the hole doesn’t cross over into “not very snug” or “way too tight, the foam’s going to rip” territory.

You can dye foam. Just pick up a bottle of RIT dye, it should be ~$1.50 or so. Right now the foam in my case is kind of a midnight blue, and I think it looks stellar.
White foam typically yellows, which I really hate. And I’ve never been able to find black or grey high density foam for as cheap as the green stuff. It takes a day or two for the foam to fully dry, but I think the end result looks great.

A hole saw in a drill motor works well too. Run it backwards to avoid tear out.