# Any suggestions for puncturing holes in plastic shoe boxes?



## Anonymity82 (Jan 6, 2012)

I don't have a drill. I was wondering if possibly melting holes with a screw driver would work? If anyone has any suggestions please reply. Thanks!


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## jbm150 (Jan 6, 2012)

I use a soldering iron.  I think it cost like $15 or so, works great.  If you can stand the finger burning, you can pluck the rings of melted plastic away and get a cleaner look.  Drilling does look better but it's so slow and risky compared to melting


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## SamuraiSid (Jan 6, 2012)

jbm150 said:


> If you can stand the finger burning, you can pluck the rings of melted plastic away and get a cleaner look.  Drilling does look better but it's so slow and risky compared to melting


After I poke the soldering iron through the plastic, I hold it there for about a ful second and pull away. This way the small ring of melted plastic actually sticks to the iron, and each additional ring of plastic will stick to the previous one. I have to keep unplugging, re-plugging in the iron to make sure it maintians proper temp, but I figured this out with my first enclosure.

cheers.


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## jbm150 (Jan 6, 2012)

Do you mean you push it all the way up to where the iron is screwed in?  Otherwise it doesn't stick to the heated element.  I don't leave the plastic touching the metal any longer than I have to due to fume and smoke production.  I do my burning inside in my apartment and ventilation is less than ideal.  I'm looking into getting a mask to cut down on inhaled fumes


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## stingray (Jan 6, 2012)

I use a soldering pen to. It makes a nice clean hole in plastic.


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## SamuraiSid (Jan 6, 2012)

jbm150 said:


> Do you mean you push it all the way up to where the iron is screwed in?  Otherwise it doesn't stick to the heated element.  I don't leave the plastic touching the metal any longer than I have to due to fume and smoke production.  I do my burning inside in my apartment and ventilation is less than ideal.  I'm looking into getting a mask to cut down on inhaled fumes


No. I suppose you could push it through as far as ytou want. The important part is making sure you leave the iron in the hole long enough for the melted plasti to adhere to the iron... if that makes sence. Then, each additional hole you want to get to the exact same depth, and the melted plastic rings will start stickig to each other on the soldering iron.

 And I do it outside, so no problem with fumes.


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## Stan Schultz (Jan 6, 2012)

njnolan1 said:


> I don't have a drill. I was wondering if possibly melting holes with a screw driver would work? If anyone has any suggestions please reply. Thanks!


Use a smallish nail. Hold it with a pair of pliers in the flame or against the heating element of your kitchen range until it begins to glow slightly. Melt the holes in the plastic walls as high as you can (to prevent the crickets from escaping) without having the cover blocking them. A bunch of smaller holes are always better than a few larger ones. It's best if you do this with the window open, outside (perhaps a bit difficult in winter), or someplace with good ventilation. We suspect that the vaporized plastic (there's always a little produced) may be carcinogenic. It can't be very good to breathe.

Here's an example of how we did it. Click the thumbnails to see a larger version.






(Uploaded with ImageShack.us)

They're the bright spots along the tops of the sides. (Male _Brachypelma vagans_.)

Best of luck. May you enjoy your holey experience my son!


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## SamuraiSid (Jan 7, 2012)

Where'd you get the shoebox, Pikaia?

Its amazingly clear. The only ones I found at Wal-Mart and Crappy Tire arent nearly as transparent.

Beautiful B. vagans BTW.


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## Anonymity82 (Jan 7, 2012)

Hey thanks everyone!


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## Stan Schultz (Jan 7, 2012)

SamuraiSid said:


> Where'd you get the shoebox, Pikaia?
> 
> Its amazingly clear. The only ones I found at Wal-Mart and Crappy Tire arent nearly as transparent.
> 
> Beautiful B. vagans BTW.


That one was made about 20 years ago, back before they started using polyethylene instead of acrylic or polycarbonate. They're no longer available. The company went out of business. Couldn't compete with off-shore sources. (Where have we heard that one before?)


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## patrick86 (Jan 7, 2012)

I use a wood burning tool. Same price as a soldering iron but comes with different heads so you can make different sized holes. A quick in and out and the hole is clean with little evidence of burning. You can add thermostats to them and control your temps so there is very little smoke too.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Trogdora (Jan 7, 2012)

You can still find crystal-clear shoeboxes at places like the Container Store. They cost a bit more than a Sterilite bin or similar, but they're worth it imo.


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## Ultum4Spiderz (Jan 11, 2012)

or you could just "buy a Drill" lol.... I think a drill comes in handy when owning over 100 Ts


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## Tarac (Jan 11, 2012)

patrick86 said:


> I use a wood burning tool. Same price as a soldering iron but comes with different heads so you can make different sized holes. A quick in and out and the hole is clean with little evidence of burning. You can add thermostats to them and control your temps so there is very little smoke too.


Same, I got mine from Home Depot for about $9.00 not too long ago and it has a variety of interchangeable tips for different applications.  There is a nice blade-like tip that is great for heat-cutting bigger opening if you need.  I use the other tips for soldering.


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## evilebe (Apr 23, 2012)

i used a rotary tool on my last boxes and i have started to notice some small webbing around the sides of the vent in a continer store shoe box. i am getting some more boxes next week so i bought a hole saw and a small butane torch that i will use to melt the rim of the hole to prevent this from happening in the future.


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