Cheap & Easy Decksaver Alternative Protective Equipment Sleeve/liner

I'm a massive fan of real Decksavers, which are polycarbonate lids that not only protect studio and DJ gear from in-situ damage and spillages but can also be useful if, like me, you frequently need to stuff such equipment into bags and cases without damaging any of the knobs, faders, switches and screens that are so vulnerable in transit. Check them out at decksaver.com (the company is based in the UK but has many distributors worldwide).

However, while the Decksaver range is large and expanding it can't encompass every item of equipment on the market. Hard cases, soft bags or soft dust covers are alternatives, but hard cases add bulk which can be inconvenient, while soft bags and covers will guard against dust and spillages but may not protect against impact.

This situation prompted me to create a dirt cheap semi-rigid slip-on protective sleeve-type cover that can quickly and easily be made in any size to fit anything from a mixer to a guitar effects pedal. While this design isn't as robust as a Decksaver in that it won't necessarily afford protection against heavy impact from, say, the corner of a speaker cabinet, it will certainly protect against routine bumps as well as dust and spillages and will greatly reduce the possibility of damage to panel mounted controls (sideswipes to knobs and switches are always accidents waiting to happen) meaning you can stack several sleeved devices in a case or cupboard with relative impunity.

There can also be budgetary considerations. The deal-breaker in this instance was the Roland Boutique synth range. Needing to protect several examples in transit, I considered buying a Roland Boutique dock (essentially a slot-in base with a fold-down tilt stand) plus a Decksaver for each unit. I discovered that the combined cost of a dock and a Decksaver would exceed £100 (just over $130) per unit. I have six such units. Ouch. Time for plan B...

In terms of materials, you're really only going to need two: some flexible 4mm thick twinwall corrugated plastic board and a roll of double-sided adhesive tape. That's it!

The plastic board is like corrugated packaging cardboard, except it's made from polypropylene. It's sold under various brand names (Correx is one) and is easy to find: eBay has many suppliers, or you may find it locally at outlets selling craft supplies. It's used for all sorts of things, including floor lining, signage, crafting and packaging. It's very cheap and is available in several thicknesses. I've found that the thinner gauges (2mm or 3mm, typically used in the construction industry) are too flimsy and aren't recommended, but may be worth a go if you happen to have some to hand. While the construction variety tends to come in black or translucent/white, crafting sheets come in a range of colors, which is useful for identification.

[Two more things to note about this stuff: it's often used for temporary signage by (real) estate agents, events organisers and so on, so if you have any contacts in such an area or know the right waste containers to rummage through you could easily use upcycled board (just have the clean reverse side on show, or enjoy displaying the cryptic text fragments alongside your environmental cred!). Alternatively, a local signwriting business may be able to provide scrap pieces or offcuts. Another upcycling option is to reuse board from old or damaged art folders or any other item made from the material...

...which brings me to the second point: this is twinwall polypropylene, not twinwall polycarbonate, which is a rigid material used for light structural work. They can look similar at first glance, but the latter won't suit our purposes as it can't be folded. Make sure you get the former.]

Your roll of double-sided adhesive tape should ideally be around 2"/50mm wide. It needs to be the variety that's about the same thickness as duct tape; thicker foam tape won't be suitable as it's too bulky and may pull apart, while Gorilla-type mounting tape that's essentially a strip of gel adhesive is also too bulky (and messy to work with at the best of times). For the best results look for a brand described as 'high adhesion' and/or has a crossweave construction for extra strength. This is typically used for holding down carpet tiles and similar.

If you're a perfectionist you'll also find a can of lighter fluid (as in the fuel used in Zippos) useful for cleaning the surfaces to which you'll be applying the tape.

If you have several similarly-shaped devices you may also want to add labels of some sort to your sleeves as an aid to identification.

In terms of tools, all you'll need is a flexible measuring tape, a reliable, robust and long straight edge such as a metal builder's rule, a very sharp craft knife or scalpel and a suitable cutting surface to work on, such as a sheet of plywood.

You need two measurements. The first is the wrap-around measurement of the unit, from front to back. Wrap your measuring tape around the unit at the highest point, which will generally be dictated by whichever control (or other element - it could be an elevated screen or similar) protrudes the most (but see the caveat in the last step). Make a note of this measurement and add about 2 1/2"/65mm to allow for the taped overlap (see below) and an allowance for adjustment, then make a note of the final figure.

The second measurement you need is the width of the unit. I recommend adding some extra width on both sides to protect against lateral impact, proportional to the unit's size. In this case about 1/2"/12mm at each end should do it, so I'll add a total of 1"/24mm to the width measurement.

You can now mark out a rectangle with these measurements on your plastic board. The corrugations will need to run laterally rather than vertically on the piece you measure out, as you'll be folding it as shown in the photos and this material really doesn't fold very well in the other direction!

Cut your board to size and apply a length of double-sided tape at one end in the position shown. Allow a margin of maybe 1/2"/12mm on three edge sides, which will make for easier handling. Resist the temptation to add one or more extra lengths of tape alongside the first, as a single length will provide more than enough adhesion and more tape will just interfere with the next step.

Place your device at one end of the sheet with the tape at the front on the underside, then wrap the board around the unit, folding it neatly across any angles presented. While the board will have an inherent tendency to fold in a straight line along the corrugations, the 4mm version is surprisingly resilient and requires some effort to fold precisely, but once it's done it's done. Then adust the overlap carefully: you need a snug fit that will prevent the unit from sliding out accidentally, but not so snug as to make it impossible to extract it. When you're satisfied with the final position, peel the backing off the tape and stick the overlap in place. Do this with the unit inside the sleeve to ensure accuracy. NB The trekking pole is just there to hold the board in place for illustration!

That's it! Well, mostly...

This isn't really another step as your sleeve is now complete. However, there are a few hints and tips that can usefully be appended:

1. It's not a bad idea to start with a dummy/template made from paper or card, at least until you've made a couple of these. While their construction is very easy, the tolerances involved are surprisingly precise and trying to unstick the overlap if it ends up in the wrong place is messy and tedious.
2. While the cut edges of the board are unlikely to cause actual injury, they can feel uncomfortably sharp. Solve this by dragging a pen or similar object (I use the handle of my knife) along the edge at a slight angle, with just enough pressure to scrunch the edge down a little, thus rounding it off.
3. Occasionally (see the photo for this step) you'll find yourself working with a device that tries to frustrate you. In this case, the controls on the unit are mostly buttons that are nearly flush with the panel, with the single exception of a joystick control that clearly shouldn't take all the pressure created by the sleeve and which would in any event greatly reduce the sleeve's grip if it was the only projection pressing against it (compare it with the uniformly knobby synth in the intro photo). I solved this by double-sided-taping a pair of foam bumpers onto the inside of the sleeve, which both protect the joystick and provide plenty of grip. Be prepared to add similar modifications should they be required.
4. I've parked this Instructable in the music section because of the purpose they serve in my particular case, but this idea could of course be useful in various other fields, such as video, computing or any situation where items would benefit from impact protection in transit.

Stop press, as it were. Having been rude about the thinner gauges of this material - 2mm and 3mm - I should add that it does have its uses, as it works perfectly as a means of transforming soft cases and bags into more useful semi-rigid versions. The photo here shows a typical case (sorry...), being a vintage synth in its original soft bag. It's just a matter of creating a three-sided folded insert with a U-shaped profile, cut to the appropriate size. This then slides into the bag with the open end of the U at the top, with the device then sliding into the insert. As there's already one layer of protection in place the use of a thinner gauge is not only fine but actually advantageous, as it has very little effect on the thickness of the case, ensuring that fastenings etc. continue to function as they should.