# My Custom Enclosures "DIY"



## EightLeggedFreaks (Jul 11, 2013)

8x8x16 inches, 3/16 acrylic plexiglass







3x3x7 inches, 1/8 acrylic plexiglass








My finished products with the exception of one missing hasp!

Reactions: Like 2


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## TaylorC (Jul 12, 2013)

Wow very impressive. Nice work. Do you cut your own plexi or have a hardware store cut it for you? And what binding agent do you use?


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## EightLeggedFreaks (Jul 12, 2013)

TaylorC said:


> Wow very impressive. Nice work. Do you cut your own plexi or have a hardware store cut it for you? And what binding agent do you use?


Cut it myself on a table saw, and I used weldon #3.  However I'm going to try some Methylene Chloride here soon and see if it makes a difference.  The weldon kind of bubbles some times and I heard that the Methylene does not.


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## Ivan M (Jul 12, 2013)

Looks great, i will be trying my hand at the same thing. Have you tried applying the weldon with a thin but strong brush to join them? Just curious if that may help with the bubbling.


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## EightLeggedFreaks (Jul 13, 2013)

Ivan M said:


> Looks great, i will be trying my hand at the same thing. Have you tried applying the weldon with a thin but strong brush to join them? Just curious if that may help with the bubbling.


It evaporates so quickly and you only want to get it in your seem, anywhere else and you'll muck up your plexiglass.  Then you got to sand it out and buff out the scratches.  Not fun.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Ivan M (Jul 13, 2013)

EightLeggedFreaks said:


> It evaporates so quickly and you only want to get it in your seem, anywhere else and you'll muck up your plexiglass.  Then you got to sand it out and buff out the scratches.  Not fun.


Understood, but how exactly are you applying the weldon? Thanks in advance.


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## Akai (Jul 13, 2013)

Man you can start a business making those. Those look sharp.

Reactions: Like 1


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## EightLeggedFreaks (Jul 13, 2013)

Ivan M said:


> Understood, but how exactly are you applying the weldon? Thanks in advance.


It's a special aplicator bottle.  It has a 22 gauge needle at the end.



Akai said:


> Man you can start a business making those. Those look sharp.


I plan to start sales here in Canada soon.  I'll probably keep these ones and start making more once I test out the new glue.  It would be more of a hobby and I'd keep my day job.  For now.


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## Introvertebrate (Jul 13, 2013)

You might consider making them available as kits.  You supply the parts, we 'weld' them together.  It would save us some shipping costs.  They would take up much less space in the mail.


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## EightLeggedFreaks (Jul 13, 2013)

Introvertebrate said:


> You might consider making them available as kits.  You supply the parts, we 'weld' them together.  It would save us some shipping costs.  They would take up much less space in the mail.


They wouldn't come flame polished then.  Only hand polished.  Doesn't look bad but it's not the same.  I don't flame polish until its put together.  

The welding isn't that tough but if you mess up you will have an ugly mark.  Would I supply the aplicators and the Weldon as well?  It would be cheaper all around for both parties however I don't see how practical it would be.  But shipping to the states means I'd have a bigger market.


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## Introvertebrate (Jul 13, 2013)

EightLeggedFreaks said:


> They wouldn't come flame polished then.  Only hand polished.  Doesn't look bad but it's not the same.  I don't flame polish until its put together.
> 
> The welding isn't that tough but if you mess up you will have an ugly mark.  Would I supply the applicators and the Weldon as well?  It would be cheaper all around for both parties however I don't see how practical it would be.  But shipping to the states means I'd have a bigger market.


I don't have a problem with assembling things, but maybe most people would want them ready made.  Kits typically don't include glue or applicators.  The customer buys them separately.  The flame polishing might present a problem for me.  I don't own a blow torch.

Ken the Bug Guy offers enclosure kits.  That's where I got the idea.


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## EightLeggedFreaks (Jul 14, 2013)

Introvertebrate said:


> I don't have a problem with assembling things, but maybe most people would want them ready made.  Kits typically don't include glue or applicators.  The customer buys them separately.  The flame polishing might present a problem for me.  I don't own a blow torch.
> 
> Ken the Bug Guy offers enclosure kits.  That's where I got the idea.


See you have to take off the plastic or paper that protects the plexi in order to flame polish.  So it's that much more likely to be damaged or scratched when shipping.  So I highly doubt that kens are flame polished.  His cages are definitely neat and look really easy to put together.  I don't agree with his idea on vents, and I personally don't like the orientation of the ventilation holes, but each to their own.  I don't have the tools to cut out a tongue and groove like concept yet, however if I do design it, it will not be with a wider base and top, I don't particularly like the look of that.  But then again these cages aren't for me are they.


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## EightLeggedFreaks (Jul 19, 2013)

7 more on the go!  Maybe I'll take some pictures as I put them together on Sunday to show you how I go abouts doing it and how easy it is!

Reactions: Like 1


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## ZergFront (Jul 19, 2013)

Great work! These will be nice and roomy for those very big, leggy arboreals.


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