| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| n/a |
Posted - 11/06/2010 : 13:28:51
Thinking of building my own stack viv to house both our snakes was wondering to build it out of to bite the bullet and buy a ready made one
So would like some advice on what sort of materials I could use I have thought about using mdf then painting and sealing it with varnish afterwards as this pretty easy to work with.
Ive looked at contra board aswell which I can have cut and comes in various colours and sizes but not to sure on the chip board and how strong it would be.
Our local diy store can supply and cut pine boards in various sizes but I know pine is toxic would this be ok if it was sealed with varnish
If I build my own it means I can custom make to fit in the alcove in our kitchen which is exactly 43" wide and 42" high 20" deep(this is where they are currently housed at the moment on shelves)and the 2 vivs will be made as one unit it also means I can save on all the wiring aswell.
Also I have a question on glass do I need to use toughened glass as the sharp cut edges on standard glass.
Thinking of maybe using smoked glass or covering the glass with a one way mirrored tint (same as that used on cars) but not sure if this would spook the snakes out.
Any advice will be greatly recieved
thanx
Nick |
| 6 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| n/a |
Posted - 13/06/2010 : 14:00:23
Cheers for that ill keep you posted on my progress |
| spor |
Posted - 13/06/2010 : 02:02:00
i used plywood for one of my stacks and laminated chipboard for the other. all joints sealed with aquarium sealant and wood all varnished inside and out with several coats to seal it. as for glass it does not need to be toughened glass. I got panes of 4mm glass cut to the sizes i required then you can use sand paper to smooth of the cut edges. good luck |
| boze |
Posted - 11/06/2010 : 17:04:24
You can use contiboard, plywood (Id go for 12mm or thicker) or MDF. Im sure there are a lot more woods that are OK but these are the ones I know. Mind you will need to either varnish or laminate the inside of the tank aswell to make sure its waterproof so you can clean it properly. A few folks Ive spoke to use Fablon instead:
http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9255639&fh_view_size=150&fh_start_index=0&fh_sort_order=-1&fh_sort_by=_price_rrp_min&fh_location=%2f%2fcatalog01%2fen_GB&fh_search=fablon&fh_eds=%C3%9F&fh_refview=search&ts=1274121060930&isSearch=true
Theres a fair few different types of fablon too so you could easily find one you like :-) Also mind after youve varnished the tank (if thats what youre doing) to leave the heat source on inside it for at least 36 hours before putting the snake in to dissipate the fumes etc and use a varnish with a low VOC.
Most of the toxic woods seem to be conifers etc like pine, redwood, cedar and anything "sappy". Im pretty sure all fruit woods are ok to use and theres a good selection of them though they might be a bit pricey...
Hope this helps
D |
| Blackecho |
Posted - 11/06/2010 : 15:28:27
The ones I have built have been out of Contiboard like the one in the link. |
| n/a |
Posted - 11/06/2010 : 14:31:15
Sorry I didnt make myself very clear in my original post I have no issues in the actual construction of the viv its just the materials and toxicity to snakey.
I did look at the diy section on the forum first and found it very usefull and it gave me a few ideas of my own but I could'nt find any information on the materials people were using so just little worried on using the wrong materials.
Any information in regards to glass and type of material to use will be great |
| Blackecho |
Posted - 11/06/2010 : 13:57:39
There are lots of threads like this one: http://www.theroyalpython.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=712 in the DIY section, hope that helps. |
