A CASE FOR DIY

 It’s only a matter of time before any serious amateur astronomer needs an(other) equipment case. The most popular configuration is an aluminum briefcase filled with dense foam. They come in various sizes with the largest being around 18” (45cm) long, 12” (30cm) wide, and 6” (15cm) high. The average online advertised price for such a case is $50 - $65, which isn’t too bad, but the problem is finding a vendor with stock.

I shopped around for one in the month of November, and you would think that the month before Christmas retailers would have stocked up on such a necessary item but my phone calls to local dealers only located one case of 12” x 12” x 6” (30cm x 30cm x 15cm) for a price of $68.40 (tax incl.). That was way too small for way too much.

So, I started checking the hardware stores and soon turned up just the thing at RONA. For $28.48 (tax incl.) I bought an aluminum “tool case” with inside dimensions of 17” x 12” x 5 ½”. After removing the dividers and trimming off a couple of plastic tabs with a hacksaw blade, I then took the case to The Foam Centre, a small local emporium..

 To get two layers of 2” (5cm) charcoal foam for the main body, and a piece of charcoal egg-crate foam for the lid, cut to size, only cost $9.32 (tax incl.). The next step was to cut one layer of the foam to accommodate my optics. To get the optimum layout, I arranged the items that were to go in the case on a piece of paper then made a template. The template was then placed on the foam piece to be cut and the cutouts traced with a fine point marker. If you take your template with you to the foam shop, they will make the cut-outs for you at a nominal fee.

The total cost of this project was less than $40. If you consider the additional saving of shipping charges, or not having to drive to your nearest city astro-shop, this project comes in at about half the cost of buying essentially the same thing ready-made from a vendor. And that makes it a good case for DIY!