Did I buy the right display case?

[grayzone]

My juvenile G. pulchripes is in need of a rehouse, so I picked up this 5x6x8 display case from Hobby Lobby.
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A lot of keepers use these. But the lid is hard to open. REALLY hard to open. And the plastic feels extremely brittle. If I tried to drill a hole in it, it would probably just shatter. What gives?

Try using masking tape on the acrylic. Mark your intended holes on the tape and drill it just enough to get it started, like a pilot hole, then finish your holes in reverse.

Always works for me when drilling through thin acrylic. Also, play with your drills clutch and speed controls if you have a quality drill

 

[aphono]

I got them after seeing @CyclingSam youtube video. They do feel light and brittle but they were extremely easy to drill holes in. I have zero handy-abilities and it was not a problem for me. It seemed the holes came out neater if you don't apply pressure on the drill. I tested and practiced first on a sacrificial box, drilled a bunch of holes all over it to get the hang of it.. none of them cracked using either a dremel or drill. I also tried soldering but hated the holes they made.. little donuts- white rings around the holes- perhaps I was doing it wrong...?

as for the lid, I opened up several boxes at the store and picked out those that opened the easiest lol... They are same as AMAC boxes, brand new ones are usually super tight and do not open easily. they open easier after some use- and it is true not totally closing them down makes them much easier to open again. I did wonder if sanding might make them open easier, might try that sometime.

 

[Rittdk01]

^^^^I tried a soldering iron when I first started making enclosures. They didn't look good when I did them either, and inhaling burning plastic fumes has to be harmful. Guess u could wear a paint respirator while doing it.

 

[Trenor]

If you're sanding make sure you go with a very fine grit sandpaper. Using a rougher grit will likely make it harder for these to open by making the connecting surfaces rougher so they grip each other more.

With my plastic boxes I work the lids before housing Ts in them and a lot of them have a higher ridge that locks tight if the lid is closed all the way. If you close them to just before this point they are secure without being so hard to open.

Most display cases are made to put something in and snap it closed to leave it. They were not designed to be opened daily or weekly.

 

[Kendricks]

My juvenile G. pulchripes is in need of a rehouse, so I picked up this 5x6x8 display case from Hobby Lobby.
View attachment 240438 View attachment 240439
A lot of keepers use these. But the lid is hard to open. REALLY hard to open. And the plastic feels extremely brittle. If I tried to drill a hole in it, it would probably just shatter. What gives?

I use small enclosures from the same company for small slings, and prepared some the other day.
Drill slowly, with as less pressure as possible, then nothing will crack.
For the lid, you could try to work on it with fine grained sand paper or similar, I do not see why this shouldn't work.

 

[viper69]

You can always file down, or sand down the sides a bit for a looser fit, fine grit only.