moosenoose
Legendary
Hi Folks
I've probably gone a little over the top with the size on this one (1220 high x 800 wide x 610 deep). Considering the snake rarely leaves the confines of her terracotta pot most of the time, I'm hoping the size of this new one will spark some more roaming around - during the night at least :lol:
The shell so far, has been made from 2 full sheets of 16mm MDF. It has been put together using a fixing gun with 35mm staples and PVA wood glue. The edges have been routed, sanded and then primed with a solvent based MDF sealer (I'll be airing it for awhile :lol. You can brush or roll these types of sealant generally, but luckily I had the use of a spray booth handy :wink: I will more than likely use a low sheen enamal finish as a top coat, which you can get from some of the specialty paint stores like Haynes etc.
The top of the enclosure has two inner levels (photo2). On the very top I have allowed approximately 60mm to run wiring into the light fittings which will be mounted to the underside of the platform under the lid. This should make it easy to remove & alter lighting when and if required. I thought it would also help with flexibilty in what types of lighting I'd wish to use as I have also left about a 180mm gap for spots/ heat globes and fluorescent batten. Should I ever wish to change what heating and lighting I am using it's as simple as lifting out & replacing the mounting board. Here's a quick diagram anyway - I hope this helps someone contemplating the same thing :roll: :wink: I'll keep posting updates till it's complete.
Cheers,
Luke.
I've probably gone a little over the top with the size on this one (1220 high x 800 wide x 610 deep). Considering the snake rarely leaves the confines of her terracotta pot most of the time, I'm hoping the size of this new one will spark some more roaming around - during the night at least :lol:
The shell so far, has been made from 2 full sheets of 16mm MDF. It has been put together using a fixing gun with 35mm staples and PVA wood glue. The edges have been routed, sanded and then primed with a solvent based MDF sealer (I'll be airing it for awhile :lol. You can brush or roll these types of sealant generally, but luckily I had the use of a spray booth handy :wink: I will more than likely use a low sheen enamal finish as a top coat, which you can get from some of the specialty paint stores like Haynes etc.
The top of the enclosure has two inner levels (photo2). On the very top I have allowed approximately 60mm to run wiring into the light fittings which will be mounted to the underside of the platform under the lid. This should make it easy to remove & alter lighting when and if required. I thought it would also help with flexibilty in what types of lighting I'd wish to use as I have also left about a 180mm gap for spots/ heat globes and fluorescent batten. Should I ever wish to change what heating and lighting I am using it's as simple as lifting out & replacing the mounting board. Here's a quick diagram anyway - I hope this helps someone contemplating the same thing :roll: :wink: I'll keep posting updates till it's complete.
Cheers,
Luke.