MetalMan2004
Arachnodemon
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2016
- Messages
- 676
After my search for cheap materials to make nice looking enclosures was a bit of a bust, I broke down and bought a Dalle Craft enclosure for a whopping $28. It is the 9.5"x9.5"x9.5" size. It was requested that I let people know what I think since there isn't too much out there on them.
I'll start by saying that the cheapest I was able to easily source materials for a single enclosure of similar size from scratch would have been $35-$40. It would have been cheaper if I wanted to make several enclosures at a time, but at this point I can only convince the wife I need one more T... so far anyways.
The acrylic is 1/8" which is thinner than I would have bought if I were to make an enclosure myself. The construction method Dalle Craft used seems to give it more strength though. Each of the six sides fits together in a peg and slot type manner, kind of like a 3D puzzle. Then several flat acrylic pins are inserted and the whole thing is held together with screws and nuts. There seems to be no need to worry about warpage because the pieces are inserted into each other instead of glued/ melted/ epoxied together.
It went together in an hour and 15 minutes. Maybe half of that was spent peeling the protective paper off of small parts. The only tool needed per the instructions was a screwdriver. I used a pair of needlenose pliers as well to hold the nuts. I'm thinking about hot glueing around the inside of the bottom edge because its far from water tight.
All in all it seems pretty sturdy for what it is. There is LOTS of ventilation.
There are two potential drwabacks. First, there is no hasp for a lock and key. I'm sure that for a couple of bucks I can find a hasp that I could glue on if needed. Second, the screws all point to the inside of the enclosure and stick out just a little bit. They don't seem sharp or anything but I may put a dab of hot clue on top of them just in case. Link to the item I bought is here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01H...craft+acrylic+reptile+terrarium&pi=SY200_QL40
I'll post pictures tomorrow and will let everyone know what I think once I've used it for a while. Now its time to buy a new T!
I'll start by saying that the cheapest I was able to easily source materials for a single enclosure of similar size from scratch would have been $35-$40. It would have been cheaper if I wanted to make several enclosures at a time, but at this point I can only convince the wife I need one more T... so far anyways.
The acrylic is 1/8" which is thinner than I would have bought if I were to make an enclosure myself. The construction method Dalle Craft used seems to give it more strength though. Each of the six sides fits together in a peg and slot type manner, kind of like a 3D puzzle. Then several flat acrylic pins are inserted and the whole thing is held together with screws and nuts. There seems to be no need to worry about warpage because the pieces are inserted into each other instead of glued/ melted/ epoxied together.
It went together in an hour and 15 minutes. Maybe half of that was spent peeling the protective paper off of small parts. The only tool needed per the instructions was a screwdriver. I used a pair of needlenose pliers as well to hold the nuts. I'm thinking about hot glueing around the inside of the bottom edge because its far from water tight.
All in all it seems pretty sturdy for what it is. There is LOTS of ventilation.
There are two potential drwabacks. First, there is no hasp for a lock and key. I'm sure that for a couple of bucks I can find a hasp that I could glue on if needed. Second, the screws all point to the inside of the enclosure and stick out just a little bit. They don't seem sharp or anything but I may put a dab of hot clue on top of them just in case. Link to the item I bought is here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01H...craft+acrylic+reptile+terrarium&pi=SY200_QL40
I'll post pictures tomorrow and will let everyone know what I think once I've used it for a while. Now its time to buy a new T!