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update time,

so far i have done nothing. i fell pretty bad as i was about to go buy some pondtite, but saw an add for a breeding coastal pair and enclosure. one phone call later i had 2 snakes on hold, and i am desperately trying to raise funds. (come on tax return). this is even more of an incentive tho to finish this cage, as i want to build one for these new additions
 
ROFL, I'm beginning to realise that doing these enclosures is just as addictive as the reptiles themselves :)
 
update time..........YAY

so, i have been pretty busy working on my enclosure. so far i have 3 layers of pondtite on it. pondtite is pretty weird stuff, it gets foamy as you brush it on. the third layer is still drying.
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so i also started work on a heat radiator. i flogged a 200x200 mm tile from my brother in law who has just renovated his house. i then got an offcut from a kitchen benchtop, and cut it to the tile size. i then did a series of cuts for some heat cord. i used a 4m length. i decided to use the thick benchtop as it would make a good heat block to retain some of the heat.
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so i bought some aluminum angle to run around the edge of the tile/board to make it look neat. i also brought a thermostat. the radiator is doing some trial runs to see what temps it reaches, and is looking promising.

still waiting on a glass company to get back to me, but it is all starting to come together
 
Great Stuff, its always nice to commandeering peoples things for a better use :) I do it all the time at work.
Your details nice on the paint. Made me step my game up.
 
cheers,
commandeering other peoples crap has got to be one of the most rewarding things to do

ok, update on the radiator, i have run it for 6 hours, and it is pretty constant at around 60 degrees Celsius. that is in an open space, not in an enclosure. i am pretty happy with it, so i will glue the tile on and secure the aluminum edging.
 
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60c ! In an open space ! Are you going to be using it strictly as an overhead radiator or as a basking shelf ? If it going to be a shelf I'd be downsizing the cord. If your thermostat fails your snake could be in trouble
 
yep, 60c, i was quite impressed, i didn't think it would work that good. it peaked at 60, but was generally about 55. it's going to be an overhead radiator with a shield, so thats why it needs a bit of juice, plus, if the thermostat fails, the bottom shouldn't heat up that much anyway, it is only a 20 cm radiator in a bigish cage. i will obviously run some simulated tests before my baby goes i there, just to see what will happen if the thermostat fails. if it is a big problem then, i may downsize
 
Phew, sorry for being so quick to think you were doing the wrong thing, I get so worried when I see people setting up with massive heat spots and rely on 'stats to control the temperature. For me an area in the tank that stays "below critical" is essential, a 43c day and a failed 'stat with a heat source that's too powerful is a recipe for heartache.
 
In regards to glass i just had some tuffened glass made to size for my enclosure and between 2 companies there was $100 difference. I got tuffened glass due to having young kids and this is our first enclosure.
Treg i am very impressed with your background looks awesome
 
quick update time.

i am currently wiring up the cage with all the odds and ends (still waiting for the old man). i have ordered the glass. here is a tip when you go to buy glass. i started of by calling a popular glass company, which quoted me $175!!! a little more than i expected. i then happened to be driving home and took a backstreet, and saw a sign for a small glazing company tucked in an old warehouse. he quoted me for a slightly thicker glass, and quoted me $80 for the job (now that's more like it)

so hopefully up and running next week, i have already started the next project (i know, it's petty bad)
 
quick update time.

i am currently wiring up the cage with all the odds and ends (still waiting for the old man). i have ordered the glass. here is a tip when you go to buy glass. i started of by calling a popular glass company, which quoted me $175!!! a little more than i expected. i then happened to be driving home and took a backstreet, and saw a sign for a small glazing company tucked in an old warehouse. he quoted me for a slightly thicker glass, and quoted me $80 for the job (now that's more like it)

so hopefully up and running next week, i have already started the next project (i know, it's petty bad)

I agree Treg, i got quoted about the same to do mine.... then on gumtree found a guy who made aquariums at home... he reckons he can do it for $80 and thats sliding doors to cover 1m squared, so im happy with that price. i cannmt wait to see it up and running
 
so have you managed to get your phone fixed yet ! ?
I cant wait to see the finished product, its amazing how different they can look once the vines etc go in.
 
Subscribed, can't wate to see more :)Thanks for sharing too, has given me some inspiration to finish mine.
 
I'll make the popcorn as soon as I've finished in the shed,
I'm dying to see the progress
 
ok, the much awaited update, IT IS ALMOST FINISHED!!!!

sorry for the delay in updates, i have been busy working on the next project (i know, it's pretty bad)

so, as last post said, i got glass. i spent a few hours messing about with some pine and a router and managed to produce some sliding tracks, which slide surprisingly smoothly.
to hide the particle board front edge, i have ripped down some pine, and screwed it to the edge, so now i have a nice solid timber edge. all the holes have been filled with filler, and are now drying. once dried, the whole front will be sanded, the edges flushtrimed and painted

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as you can see, it is all wired. even thou the heat panel looks a bit fugly, it is pretty well hidden when viewing from a distance. the cables runing from the thermostat are in side the cage in a pvc tube thing. i have just painted it with texture, and will drybrush to make it fit in tomorrow. also tomorrow will be sanding and painting day. then i just have to decorate. i am going to make some vines. i found a popular thread by Trench, on making vines. cheers Trench. i have a few different sizes of hosing, so i will weave and twist a few together for some cool effects.

currently i am running the heat panel to see how warm the enclosure gets. then after a few days testing and a bit of decoration, Steve will be moving in!!!!!!! YAY.

so hopefully in a weeks time i will be showing picks of steve in his new home.
 
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It's about time........... I've been stalking this thread since 8pm, and I'd almost run out of popcorn :)
Great job with routing the timber, I'm still perfecting my routing skills but I do like the look of it but how will it cope when steve lifts his tail on it ? I don't know if it could be sealed enough to stop pee soakage. I know how sticky my darwins make their plastic track
It's going to look great with the plants etc in it.
 
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