Medusa's new lair

[melluvssnakes]

Yeh I had a quick look on ebay but couldn't see much. Has anyone heard of Animal Attraction? They seem to have some good products on line, Just not sure if they're reputable or not? The boy was very excited when he saw that they had some silk plants that looked like Weed leaves (emoticon that showes disgusted girlfriend rolling eyes...)

---------- Post added 10-Jan-11 at 12:24 PM ----------

***ing rain!!!!!

 

[melluvssnakes]

Not a great photo, but the paint job is done and I'm nearly ready to do the pondtite. Then find some fake vines, print out the picture of the Medusa and we're pretty much done!

 

[melluvssnakes]

Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you all very much for your help. It's been greatly appreciated. This project has been ever so much fun and I'M NEVER DOING IT AGAIN!!!! Thank you for listening

 

[J-A-X]

Place the pic and then seal over it ! if you only have an inkjet printer then test the sealer over it, it may smudge, so then you may need to reprint and laminate it first, or find someone with a laser printer.

I cant believe you're stopping at one, think about how much you have learnt, and how much easier the next one will be, especially if you wait for the rains to disappear. :evil:

Oh ! and there has to at least be a picture of the finished enclosure, complete with resident LOL.

 

[melluvssnakes]

Hey Jax, I reckon we'll go to a professional printing place, see what they can do for us. I don't really want to laminate it if I can get away with it. That will just add to the shiny-ness. Pic of finished enclosure with Medusa in it will definitely be posted one day soon

 

[Virides]

Hey Jax, I reckon we'll go to a professional printing place, see what they can do for us. I don't really want to laminate it if I can get away with it. That will just add to the shiny-ness. Pic of finished enclosure with Medusa in it will definitely be posted one day soon

Placing a sealer over paper (of any grade/finish) will warp the paper and possibly destroy the ink/toner used. You can get prints done on sticky vinyl which you can get in matt finish and laminated with matt aswell. Ask for them to print to a material called 3M 180C-V2. It is a cast vinyl which last a lot longer. They also have to use the matching lamination (cast). In outdoor use the vinyl is rated at 8yrs (not printed), printing drops this to about 5yrs depending on the inks used. Being vinyl means it is waterproof and UV resistent.

The size you proposed for the image, would cost no more than $80 or so (supply only).

The only thing you have to know is, if the print smells pungent, don't lay it, you have to let it dry out and de-gas. Two things come from laying prints like this prematurely - they smell and can make u a bit high (especially for the snake in an enclosed space) and the print will shrink about 5mm overall (the print can lift off the surface). Generally the print should be left to stand for a few days without lamination then laminated. But since they will probably not do this, you should let it hang, open and with a fan blowing across it for about 3 days.

Signage shops have these printers and your local printing shop (paper) would not suffice for this application.

 

[J-A-X]

LOL. i dont know about you Mel, but i've learnt something about print processes. !

 

[melluvssnakes]

Haha damn straight. Ask him to tell you about UV printing... lol @ virides

---------- Post added 11-Jan-11 at 10:17 PM ----------

Ok, pondtite is on. Just got to screw in the piece of board to hold in the sand, screw in the brace to hold the walls together, move it into the house and get the medusa printed out. Oh and find some fake ivy leaves. Nearly finished

 

[Virides]

No point telling people about something without the detail required to be informed about it

 

[melluvssnakes]

Haha it's all good Virides. It's always nice to learn something new. Plus, I'll pretty much be printing out what you said about it all, taking it into the signage shop and saying, here, do this for me haha

 

[J-A-X]

No point telling people about something without the detail required to be informed about it

I'm with you ! Either give people ALL the information required for a successfull outcome or dont bother !
I get irritated by lack of detail given when someone is trying to be helpful, it can lead to confusion and problems - hence the reason most of my posts consist of more than 2 sentences !

Your post was definately informative, and i wasn't being sarcastic when i said i'd learnt something. !


Cant wait for pics Mel

 

[melluvssnakes]

God only knows why, but when I was in the shed this afternoon, I started measuring up to make another background for our stimsons python.... Why do I keep doing this to myself. Stupid persuasive boyfriend!

 

[J-A-X]

God only knows why, but when I was in the shed this afternoon, I started measuring up to make another background for our stimsons python.... Why do I keep doing this to myself. Stupid persuasive boyfriend!

:lol: dont blame the boyfriend, I'm betting that now you've done one, you have mentally challenged yourself to do another.... without the hiccups ... and improve on your last effort ! !

And for a stimmie everything will be in minature - you're gonna have soooo much fun :evil:

If the last one had annoyed you so much you would have told the BF to do it himself, and not got talked into it..... your birthday is only a few days before me so i'd say you're a stubborn, self criticising perfectionist.... I know I am ! !

So what theme are 'we' doing for this one ?

 

[melluvssnakes]

Um, well he's already got a skull wearing a helmet that looks kind of pirate/viking-ish, so going for a kind of castle theme. Just going to keep it simple, brick walls on the back wall and on one or both of the sides. Nice and easy. Already got one of the sides done.

And shush Jax! I'm just going to keep blaming him. Gives me something to do haha. Yeh I reckon this one will be a fair bit easier. Putting it together outside the tank, then just going to slide it in. As long as I get all my measurements right to compensate for all the existing vents and what not, it should be pretty easy. Will still post pics of Medusa's lair. But got to wait till pay day to get the pic printed cause I reckon it'll cost a bit to get it done properly, like Virides has suggested. Plus, got to find a place in town that will be able to do it for me.

 

[J-A-X]

. . . . . Putting it together outside the tank, then just going to slide it in. As long as I get all my measurements right to compensate for all the existing vents and what not, it should be pretty easy. . . .

Easy..... make sure you take pics *holding my sides laughing*

 

[russellman]

You could always get real creative and do something like this...
How to build a castle

 

[fairy09]

Great job I can't wait to see the finished project. It is a very inspiring thread! cheers

 

[melluvssnakes]

Woo hoo, over 100 posts on this thread. Yay! Think I've found a printing shop in town that will give me what I want, so I'll head into town on Monday and have a chat to them. Don't really need to blow it up that big. Can't be any wider then about 700mm at it's widest point. Hopefully they'll be able to figure that out. Still keeping my eye open for vines and leaves. Did I tell you that Mik (boyfriend) found a type of vine that looks like weed leaves... Not sure if I'll even bother trying to talk him out of that one. Won't be worth the struggle I don't think lol.
russellman - bugger that for a joke! No thanks, but cheers!

 

[russellman]

ive made an Aztec/Mayan themed enclosure recently, i honestly think buildings/hides are easier to make then backgrounds imo. Lookin forward to see'ïn medusas lair finished....

 

[melluvssnakes]

No I don't think I will give a hide a go just yet russellman. I'm having enough issues with just building the backgrounds. Found somewhere that will print out my medusa pic, so will do that on monday hopefully. Then just got to keep my eye out for some fake vines!