How To: Natural Spider Enclosure

[Skullptor]

You may have seen my thread about my "Juvie Joint" or log enclosure.
http://www.atshq.org/forum/showthread.php?t=16331

Here is my "pokie Palace" (Hey, it sounds better to me than big ones/little ones)

The dimensions of the pokie palace are 8" diameter tube 20-24"" height.
I am going to show you how to make them for about $13@. I will do this in steps in order to get in pics. Here is the material list for the base.

1- quick tube building form by qucikrete (you will find this at Lowes in concrete section. They also come in 12" I have 12' ceilings in my house and I have a pokie tree made similarly that will house all the pokies as soon as I finish collecting them. Pics are coming.) cost $8.99.
1- sheet of acrylic 18 x 24 .08thickness. cost $5.97
1- bag of 10-24x1/2 screws Machine. Green bags hanging in the screw section (no. not the checkout) cost $.99
1- tube of clear silicone I. You could use black but it cost $1.00 more. Make sure it says 100% silicone. It doesn't matter what it says on the package(doors/windows) as long as it says 100% silicone. Don't use white (unless your tree is white. cost $3.98

cut the quicktube in half. You will be able to make two enclosures for the cost of the quicktube. Then draw out your opening with marker. You could cut out the opening with a saw or utility knife.

Now here is the tricky part. You will be putting a lot of stress on the Acrylic if you try to bend it around the tube and it could crack very easily. You could never get it around the smaller ones without breaking it. You can heat up acrylic sheets in the oven and form it. Now I need to say you have a very small window here. Don't turn your back!! It is also smart to use a cookie sheet you won't use for cookies anymore. Place the acrylic on the cookie sheet in a 350deg oven. Don't take your eyes off of it. Check it every 60 seconds by trying to bend the corner up. If it is pliable take it out and place it over the uncut half of the quickrete form and slowly bend and hold using oven mits. Hold until it cools (about 3-5 minutes). When you lift your hands if it snaps back slightly it's ok. You are not trying to form it perfectly to the shape; you just want to relieve most of the stress you would have bending it all the way over the form (without heating). Again, I cannot stress enough about overheating. If left too long it you could go from heated acrylic to acrylic brownies to toxic smoke in a matter of minutes. And if you live through the experience, you will have to replace your oven. Trust me on this. I have bought 3 ovens in my life...only one was for me. Next, dremel holes one at a time putting in a screw/ nut.

Now you are done with the base. It should look like this:

Here is my juvenile table and you can see the size difference in the juvie Joint & the pokie palace. Hope you like it. Feel free to ask questions about this part.

 

[Aurelia]

Those look really cool. Can they be used for other arboreals like Avicularia spp.? Is that cardboard sturdy against chewing and moisture? What kind of bark did you use to decorate the outsides? It looks really neat!

 

[Skullptor]

Yes, It can be used for arboreals. The final step is drilling holes in the tree part, and I drill more for Avics. You can see in the last picture only the left two house T's (Cambridei & Schoedti) the middle two are empty and you can see the holes in the tree part. There many holes in the top as well.

I make them for terrestrials; imagine this log on it's side. It has a differences, but look very cool!

You will see when I get to that part, but I can assure you they are 100% escape proof. I keep at least 40 different species inside these and have never had one die or escape. Transferring is a breeze! I use an empty tube for a tube to tube transfer. The watering and feeding methods reduce the chances of getting tagged too. The cardboard is sealed so no mold issues and ample ventilation holes will minimize this too.

the bark is bark, use whatever you have available.

thanks!

 

[billopelma]

I have found that the melting point for acrylic is around 280 degrees. 350 degrees will get you there quicker but is much more risky. If your oven will regulate accurately enough, you can find a point where it will soften the material with minimal risk of melting to the point of distortion. It is a fairly small temp window and seems to vary a bit with different types/brands of material but if you experiment with some small scrap pieces you may find a stable temp setting. You can also try regulating by setting to a higher temp and cracking the door open by various amounts.
My big oven can be somewhat inconsistent and has hot spots so I monitor with a temp gun and rotate the piece occasionally. Convection ovens seem to offer more consistency particularly when doing bigger pieces, unfortunately mine is small and can only handle 12".

The biggest challenge then is to get it out and work it before it cools too much, which happens very quickly with thin material. It helps a lot if you use a form to bend the sheet around that can also be heated to the target temp.


Bill

 

[Aurelia]

Can you take some pictures of how you open it to water and feed? Are they just fitted lids that you drill holes in?

 

[Skullptor]

I have found that the melting point for acrylic is around 280 degrees. 350 degrees will get you there quicker but is much more risky. If your oven will regulate accurately enough, you can find a point where it will soften the material with minimal risk of melting to the point of distortion. It is a fairly small temp window and seems to vary a bit with different types/brands of material but if you experiment with some small scrap pieces you may find a stable temp setting. You can also try regulating by setting to a higher temp and cracking the door open by various amounts.
My big oven can be somewhat inconsistent and has hot spots so I monitor with a temp gun and rotate the piece occasionally. Convection ovens seem to offer more consistency particularly when doing bigger pieces, unfortunately mine is small and can only handle 12".

The biggest challenge then is to get it out and work it before it cools too much, which happens very quickly with thin material. It helps a lot if you use a form to bend the sheet around that can also be heated to the target temp.


Bill

Good points Bill. Heres the thing. I use a large industrial Blue M oven. I know most people don't have that so I translate to homeowner ovens. I choose the higher temperature for the reason that if a lower temp is used the person may get frustrated with how long it is taking and walk away from it. I am trying to make it a easily as possible for someone that doesn't have the experience I and obviously you have also. With the constant opening of the oven door, it will be hard to maintain a target temp anyhow, which another reason for bumping up the temps a bit. If I were to make them in high numbers I would certainly build a form for it to go into the oven and just put the piece on it, but I am using the uncut half of the tube as a form for simplicity. If you don't walk away and leave there is not chance there would be any problems, but I need to stress this to the young and inexperienced. BTW the ovens I had to purchase was due to casting foam latex and NOT heating acrylic.
Aurelia: click on the link at the top of the page and see the lid on the smaller ones to get a look at the lid for the big ones.

 

[Skullptor]

Step 2.

silicone the crack all the way around the acrylic. this makes the tube very sturdy.

The tube has been painted black behind the scenes, but the next pics will show it yellow even though it is not. sorry for the confusion.

I decided on a pine for this demo. This process is completely different for oak and others. Next get a butter knife and a bucket. Go outside and find your nearest pine tree. Stick the knife in about the thickness you see in the next photo, then twist like you would opening a blue crab. Pine trees shed and you will find this on the ground around the tree, try to avoid this. It is usually darker in color and more likely to be bug infested. You can imagine what the three pines trees on my property look like. lol

This is about how thick you want it.

After you fill the bucket put it in the microwave for a few minutes to kill any inhabitants. Just so you know if you leave it in long enough it will start to smolder. You guessed it! I have ruined a microwave or two in my life too. Well, it isn't ruined, it just smells like a campfire every time I used it.
Apply the silicone to back of the bark piece and place the pieces.

Again, the tube is black instead of yellow when doing this. I do this in stages for the large ones and do the small ones all at once and secure with rubber bands. I will lay it on it's face and complete the back. Let it set. Do each side letting it set (setting usually takes 30 minutes. Not to be confused with curing). You will want to resist the natural habit of making a pattern. Look at the tree before you start placing the pieces. Don't be so concerned with making the piece butt right up to the next one. Look at the link and see the little one I did in pine. I will show pictures of the process of placing the pieces on the next step. I have limited photos to upload and I am doing this thing as I go. It is good to leave a small gap in between each piece so the black will show through the gaps. this is also where you will be drilling the holes so you don't have to drill through the bark and risk breaking it. Next set of pics will show the bark progression. Any questions?

 

[tinacouch]

Wow!!! Nice looking enclosures. I have lots of pine trees in my back yard, will have to try this.

Thank you for the wonderful idea

 

[Skullptor]

Step 3.

Take your bucket of bark and your silicone and got at it. I start with the edge pieces like a jigsaw puzzle. Fill in the middle. You will have the tenancy to work in a pattern. Force yourself to make it look random.

Here is a close-up of the bark. Notice you can see the black through the bark. The black give the perception of depth. This is where you will be drilling ventilation holes without cracking or breaking the bark. Some black areas will be filled in later too.

I stop at this point and let it dry for a few hours. It will be much easier to lay it down to finish the front. It will take a little more time to make the cut edge where to bark ends and looks like it has been cut or rotted.

 

[Skullptor]

So here is the front finished with bark. I usually get way more bark than I need to have lots of bark sizes. It rained here and I didn't want to go out and get more bark so I used more smaller pieces on the bottom.

 

[Skullptor]

Sorry people. I constantly move pictures around due to the large volume I manage. I moved the pictures of my enclosure thread and I cannot put them where the belong. I will post them all now along with the next steps.

 

[Skullptor]

 

[Skullptor]

 

[Skullptor]

 

[Skullptor]

OK. Now I'm are back on track. Did I mention I ate paint chips as a kid (Tommy boy). To prove this point further, the cost I mentioned in the beginning is for the smaller log enclosures. Did you know that you can hook up on some of this acrylic for free? Look in the phone book under plastics. Some companies use all kinds of this and throw out pieces that are too small for their use, but could be just what you're looking for. I use a thicker piece for the base. It adds weight and strengthens it. I am using 3/8 acrylic.

Mark with a sharpie the circle using the other piece you used for the form. Cut, mark again around the cap of a 3 liter soda. Mark it wide so it will slide in and out without getting hung up. Should look like this:

Next adhere the two bolts with silicone. You will not use the nut. It is just to set the depth of the bolt, when it dries remove.

 

[Skullptor]

Next get out your Gesso... It's a household name (Forrest Gump). Gesso is painted onto canvas to make those store bought canvases stretched over wood frames artist paint on. It's non toxic, dries fast, water resistant when dry and flexible...perfect! It can also be tinted. Add your color. paint the inside taking care to fill in the spiral seam.

Add the false bottom

Draw out and cut the top. cut out your feeding hole.

Next get one 12 x 12 floor tile. I have used wood for bases. But this one is going to sit on a black table and this would blend in. Glue the 3 liter cap to the tile.

 

[Skullptor]

Next you want to get some water-based polyurethane and give it a couple of coats. This is very important! It seals it and give a thin hard coating. Otherwise, you will have small pieces of bark dropping like canaries in a coal mine. On the next and last step I will drill holes and have it decorated and in place.

 

[BurrowDweller]

What type of tubes do you use for the smaller "
juvie joint"? Would the tubes that carpet come on work for them?

 

[Skullptor]

I'm not going to be able to get the rest in one step. Take Elmers glue (I'm an elmers and duct tape McGuyver). Skillfully pour onto the floor of the base.

Spread it, and cover with peat, let dry.

Meanwhile (but what I really mean is Before) Drill hole in between the bark.

The camera catches the detail. But you will see that when displayed, you can't see the holes or even the black paint for that matter. The black paint will just become an illusion of depth.

Here is the holes and covered base on the inside. I will add some additional holes as needed when the contents of the inside get added.

 

[Skullptor]

What type of tubes do you use for the smaller "
juvie joint"? Would the tubes that carpet come on work for them?

I use carpet tubes for the juvie joints. before you go...Lowes and Homedepot will not give you these tubes. You should go to a carpet store. I went and bought 1 $7.99 yr of green indoor/outdoor cartpet and the guy gave me two which made about 16 juvie joints.