# Critique /Comment needed please



## delo (Apr 22, 2014)

Hello T lovers,  Well I'm at it again and I need your comments, critiques and suggestions please.  Since I live in a small town custom material like vents may be hard to come buy even through the mail so I took it upon myself to make my own since I have every tool known to man except a laser cutter...lol

Anyways here's my prototype I made with spare acrylic...keep in mind I'll be polishing the edges and having the cleanest look possible so ignore minor flaws such as chips and scratches.

Cheers and thanks for your comments.

Vents is 2.5 inches by 1/4 inch




side view on vice




and just to show you the work cut out for me here's 2 sheets of acrylic cut for my enclosures...lol Oh Boy so much fun!!!!!  That's an 8 foot work table in my garage

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## viper69 (Apr 22, 2014)

It's difficult for you to get the mail, that's interesting. I lived out in the forest once and we still received mail regularly. Is your mail delivered by plane perhaps? I'm just curious.

As for the craftmanship, to me it looks very good from what I can tell. I drill holes in acrylic instead of using vents. So I may be missing something. However, I think it looks quite good.

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## delo (Apr 22, 2014)

I've got a box number and most places don't ship to those.  There's nothing on ebay and most things from the USA that I found don't ship to Canada unfortunately.  Shipping across the pond is too expensive but on the upside I love projects.


----------



## just1moreT (Apr 22, 2014)

Looks nice good job I to have a work shop helps a bunch when making enclosures


----------



## MrCrackerpants (Apr 22, 2014)

Very nice! I love the attention-to-detail. Thanks for sharing.


----------



## josh090 (Apr 22, 2014)

They look well crafted, and I myself may try something similar... The price of them, while seeming small, makes it almost cheaper for me to find a method of crafting them myself. Might end up borrowing your idea, or making one similar myself soon. I like that they're clear as well, and acrylic, instead of aluminum.


----------



## Kinkyskink (Apr 23, 2014)

They look great. Way better than the ones I try to make... Lol.


----------



## Wildenthusiast (Apr 23, 2014)

Agreed... well crafted, my friend. Definitely jealous of your upcoming projects. I'm a carpenter by trade, but all my tools live in my truck. Requires a ton of motivation to haul them all out after a day on the job. Lol


----------



## delo (Apr 23, 2014)

Thanks for all the comments it's appreciated.  Should you want to create your own by all means and should you want a tutorial on how I created mine just let me know and I'll post one to follow.  The most important point I can't stress out enough is the largest "O" ring must be drilled from a seperate acrylic sheet and not the intended enclosure side.  As my build is going I'll keep you posted till the final result.

Cheers


----------



## Buggidy (Apr 23, 2014)

I would LOVE to see a tutorial on this!


----------



## delo (Apr 23, 2014)

Buggidy said:


> I would LOVE to see a tutorial on this!


I will definitely post a tutorial for those interested this weekend, I however do not have a video camera so it will be a step by step instruction with still images.  It should be very easy to follow and hopefully all can enjoy making their own.


----------



## Beary Strange (Apr 24, 2014)

Just a suggestion, but if you've got the tools to cut cleanly through acrylic, why not instead make holes in the acrylic itself instead of screen? Like the lovely acrylic enclosures you see about.


----------



## kevp (Apr 24, 2014)

They look lile quality shop bought items.. Good job.. No critisism needed!


----------



## delo (Apr 24, 2014)

Belle Fury said:


> Just a suggestion, but if you've got the tools to cut cleanly through acrylic, why not instead make holes in the acrylic itself instead of screen? Like the lovely acrylic enclosures you see about.


Would you be reffering to drilling as an example 20 1/4inch hole on each side and 50 on top?  If so I'm not particulary fond of that style as it may make it difficult to take photos with all the holes while taking a picture through a screen is still viable with less distortion.  Tha'ts just my opinion however.  The ultimate ventilation look I would like to have are the lazer cut grates as you may have seen on the spider room enclosures but I dont have a contact for that style of work nor can I make a DIY for it.


----------



## Beary Strange (Apr 24, 2014)

delo said:


> Would you be reffering to drilling as an example 20 1/4inch hole on each side and 50 on top?  If so I'm not particulary fond of that style as it may make it difficult to take photos with all the holes while taking a picture through a screen is still viable with less distortion.  Tha'ts just my opinion however.  The ultimate ventilation look I would like to have are the lazer cut grates as you may have seen on the spider room enclosures but I dont have a contact for that style of work nor can I make a DIY for it.


Yep, that's what I meant. To me, it's more aesthetically pleasing, but to each their own.


----------



## Smokehound714 (Apr 25, 2014)

I personally dislike screen vents, because they can injure their fangs trying to open it.  Well, at least aphonos and brachys will


----------



## delo (Apr 26, 2014)

Tutorial as promised.....

*disclaimer* "I'm no professional I just have the knowledge of the tool dangers and proper operation and take no responsibility for damage or injury to yourselves, tools or product"

Hopefully this helps some of you or gives you ideas to modify your own version.

Step 1

secure with clamps onto a backing or open space your acrylic and drill a pilot hole using i smaller diameter drill bit than the hole saw's to avoid damaging the acrylic (cracking, scoring..ect)



Step 2

with the hole saw proceed to "cut out" your initial ring.  Do not apply lots of pressure or max speed on the drill or even drill in reverse as I've seen in some videos as you don't want to melt the acrylic you want to cut it.



Step 3

should you choose you may skip this step for later or entirely as it's not necessary.  using a router table and up-lift bit run your edge along side to get a nice clean cut.



Step 4

taking your initial vent hole size (the hole you'll drill into the enclosure) use that hole saw size and clamp your piece to drill and create a ring.  Always use the same "pilot hole" for each cut to ensure a perfect ring.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## delo (Apr 26, 2014)

Step 5

the end result should look as such



Step 6

if your hole saw is dull or you've added to much pressure melting the acrylic no worries it can always be fixed using a router table or 320/400 grit sandpaper.



Step 7

here's a picture if you use a sharp hole saw blade and the proper technique....no sanding or router required



Step 8

repeat step 4 with a smaller hole saw size to create 2 rings

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## delo (Apr 26, 2014)

Step 9

Time for flame polishing.....I use MAP Gas and have heard not to use propane but since I don'thave a propane torch i can't test the theory that propane doesn't burn hot enough...sorry.  



Step 10 

keep the flame approximately 2 inches from the acrylic and run it along the edge till you see a shimmer.  DO NOT leave the flame on the acrylic for too long as it WILL catch fire!





Step 11

repeat step 10 for both rings


----------



## delo (Apr 26, 2014)

Step 12

Cut screen piece able to surpass largest ring as you'll need a little extra mesh and place on top of largest ring.  Place inner ring on top of the screen and press down.



Step 13

Maintain pressure on the screen take hot glue gun with clear glue stick and run along inner edge to fill the gap and glues the screen in place.



Step 14/15

once glue has cooled "30sec ish" using scissors trim the screen along the edge and fold in whats left into the glue to avoid sharp edges.  Run glue gun once again around the screen to create a barrier and ensure the screen is fully covered.....be precise!!!  If not you may run the risk of having a poor little T injure themselves on a sharp edge you DIDN'T cover.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## delo (Apr 26, 2014)

COMPLETE yeay!!! now you have beautiful acrylic vents.  I hope this may inspire others to the fun of finding solutions to small problems.

Cheers

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## viper69 (Apr 26, 2014)

*Excellent!!! Thank You*

This is an excellent tutorial, nicely detailed!! Great pictures and even mentioning the grit sand paper one could use instead. Details are important, very good indeed!!!


Are you able to change the title of your threat to Making Acrylic Vents perhaps, that way it would be easier for someone else to find??


----------



## delo (Apr 26, 2014)

viper69 said:


> This is an excellent tutorial, nicely detailed!! Great pictures and even mentioning the grit sand paper one could use instead. Details are important, very good indeed!!!
> 
> 
> Are you able to change the title of your threat to Making Acrylic Vents perhaps, that way it would be easier for someone else to find??


I looked for editing options but maybe I'm blind......ADMIN could you please change the title as requested

Cheers


----------



## iamthegame06 (Apr 26, 2014)

looks really good! i wish i had time and the space so i can make my own too lol


----------



## delo (Apr 27, 2014)

well here's the enclosure 90% complete just waiting on hinges and hasp to arrive in the mail.  Overall looks good and I've learned a few things when bonding acrylic so my next ones should be a breeze....lol or next 20 i should say.  I must say everything acrylic and polished will look awesome can't wait to start transfers.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## viper69 (Apr 28, 2014)

Looks great! Where's the door? What dimensions do you have for that one?

What did you use to make sure the sides formed perfect right angles?


----------



## delo (Apr 28, 2014)

viper69 said:


> Looks great! Where's the door? What dimensions do you have for that one?
> 
> What did you use to make sure the sides formed perfect right angles?


there is no door ATM as I'm waiting on hinges but if you look closely you'll see an opening forming the top 2/3rds where the door will be and that's a 10"x10"x16"  To ensure everything was square I made half an open box (so 3 sides only) out of pressed wood/fiberboard and used a carpenters square to ensure it had perfect angles.  Once it was all welded I flame plosihed all edges.


----------



## viper69 (Apr 28, 2014)

delo said:


> there is no door ATM as I'm waiting on hinges but if you look closely you'll see an opening forming the top 2/3rds where the door will be and that's a 10"x10"x16"  To ensure everything was square I made half an open box (so 3 sides only) out of pressed wood/fiberboard and used a carpenters square to ensure it had perfect angles.  Once it was all welded I flame plosihed all edges.


OK, just making sure there wasn't a door and my eyes weren't going crazy! Nice size container. I had a feeling you used either a box, or maybe framer's clamps that they use for picture frames, or some variant of it. The flame polishing looks pretty good, makes a big difference.


----------



## delo (May 5, 2014)

New terrestrial enclosure with X.Immanis enjoying new home



Arboreal with custom hide still waiting on hinges should be here on the 20th...yeay! L. Vioalaceopes is waiting

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## delo (May 20, 2014)

Just inquiring if anyone else has made any of these vents yet.....if so post some pics and any improvements.  On a side note a quick lessons learned.  You will have a much smoother cut if you drill half way in the acrylic with the hole saw and flip it to the other side to finish the cut.


----------

