What I'm actually thinking of is re-covering a foamcore 5x7 pinhole box camera (with a paper negative storage compartment) that I had initially covered in silvery plastic adhesive shelf liner film (with the intention of making the camera more water-resistant and to reflect the summer daytime heat), which has started to bubble and the edges & corners peeling.
I'll use a hair dryer/heat gun to soften the adhesive on the plastic film and (hopefully) peel it off the foamcore board without delaminating the outer paper layer. Then I'll re-cover the foamcore box in countertop laminate using the proper adhesive (which has a strong odor and should only be used away from a source of open flame - which means not in the garage where the gas-powered hot water heater resides). The trick to applying the laminate is to do one side at a time with plenty of glue and thoroughly clamp it tight while the adhesive cures. Afterwards, the edges can be filed off at a champfer to lend it a faux-wood grained appearance. It also considerably strengthens the box against dings and dents, while keeping it light in weight and water-resistant.
The trick to doing this without a router is to score and cut the laminate, using a metal straightedge clamped to the work surface on top of the laminate material, with a sharp utility knife, using multiple passes. Bend and snap the material once you've made enough passes with the knife. Once the sides of the camera are covered and the glue cured, a Dremel-type grinding stone of the right contour works pretty well for routering the edges, if care is taken to support and control the Dremel properly so it doesn't take off on its own and you gouge a big knick into your fresh work. Even better is to use a power sander and medium-grit sandpaper.
~Joe
