Tv unit conversion - JCP (Will be Heavy)

[scurrilous]

Hi everyone!
So a few weeks ago i started building an enclosure for an adult jungle carpet python, she is just a baby at the moment so i have plenty of time to work on it but in the process of moving with everything in storage i figured i would do what i could out there, i picked up this nifty little tv unit off ebay for $50 and paid my uncle $20 to pick it up for me. have done a fair bit of work already but i will try to separate posts to keep it interesting, any ideas or suggestions are welcome.

Shane.

 

[Gruni]

I suggest you slap up some pics! Show us the untouched cabinet and fill us in on the measurements.

 

[J-A-X]

You beat me to it Gruni !

Show us some pics and try and explain what you're thinking of doing and we will all chip in with our experiences and advise as you go.
Good luck

 

[scurrilous]

This is the TV unit minus one back panel (got a bit excited before i started taking pics)

 

[scurrilous]

and this is the house guest - Kezia

 

[scurrilous]

just going through the pics on my phone i have a lot less than i thought but oh well

 

[scurrilous]

some supplies (i assure you this is not everything i have spent money on

 

[scurrilous]

Front cabinets are off and plywood back panels are on, not sure if this pic was before or after the first layer of pond sealer :s

 

[scurrilous]

A quick sketch of where i was going with it - i have another (better) sketch but its in my car

 

[scurrilous]

This was a big problem to me. I knew i wanted to use more than just the mid-section of the cabinet and i knew i wanted a big fat door on the front, so i had a swinging door rather than sliding glass. but the shelf didnt reach all the way to the front. after arguing with the missus over what the hell to do i later realised the angle wasn't 30deg as i had thought but rather 45 deg so....

 

[scurrilous]

SOLUTION!!! problem solved and i can still have my big pat door

ill put up some more pics tomorrow, 6 am start means beddy byes for me.

 

[J-A-X]

I'm curious as to why you sealed with pondtite now instead of after the paintings done ?

An answer can wait till you've had a nap

 

[scurrilous]

I'm curious as to why you sealed with pondtite now instead of after the paintings done ?

An answer can wait till you've had a nap

I thought since I didn't buy marine ply and would be doing a full rock wall with no sides exposed I may as well do an undercoat or two. Call me overcautious but I've lived in a room with mould before and it's not pleasant. So ill do my best to prevent it for my new little friend

 

[justin91]

This is going to look really good. Looks like a decent size enclosure. What's the measurements

 

[scurrilous]

ok so the measurements are a bit messed up because of the shape of it, but the actual height of the enclosure space is around 1100mm the total width is 1160mm, the opening (where the door will be) is 730mm and the depth is 690mm

 

[scurrilous]

I havn't posted in a few days so i thought that might be a good idea. we made a fair bit of progress but my updates are still a bit behind. Sadly, because of work and other commitments i wont get anything done next week so ill keep slow feeding and we will catch up eventually. As seen in earlier pics i have a space for any electrical wiring, and as such needed a mesh cover. i used the fiberglass mesh after buying both it and the aluminium. I chose fibreglass because when i blasted it with a chef's torch it singed but not much else, and wasnt hot to touch, whereas the aluminium retained a lot of heat and basically burst into flames, it went out quickly enough but still more dangerous than i would have hoped for

 

[scurrilous]

When i cut the hole for the lamp i didn't actually know i had access to power at the storage shed so i bought a mini hacksaw and a size 11 drill bit and got to work. hole isn't perfect but it will do the job. plus it shouldnt be seen anyway. Crappy part was i didnt expect it to take three hours to cut the hole (this was over a week ago) and it was a hot sunny day. I'm still peeling from the 'lobster red' burns i received. And just to top it off, there is a free to use power plug just three sheds down from mine, the owner of the place even lent me his extension lead for the next job

 

[scurrilous]

picture of the ceramic fitting through my shotty hole with mesh attached

 

[scurrilous]

and a cute little hole i drilled at the back for cable management.

 

[Gruni]

I use the steel mesh on my old enclosure and so long as there was a 10mm gap the halogen lamp had no detrimental effect. You have to remember how much hotter a blowtorch flame is than any globe or heat emitter could possibly be. That said if the other mesh works for you that's great.