Is plaster T safe?

AbraCadaver

Arachnoknight
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Feb 6, 2009
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Ye know, those wee rolls that ye dip in water and then shape.

Would be an awesome way to make stuff for T's, and inexpensive too!

(I'm sorry me irish is showing so much, just got of the phone with dad and it just happens =p)
 

AbraCadaver

Arachnoknight
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Feb 6, 2009
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Sweet! I'm buying plaster bandages then! Custommade T accesories! :D

One more question; It will obviously need to be covered in laquer to withstand moisture, what kind should I use? What should I look out for?
 
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possumburg

Arachnosquire
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Aug 8, 2010
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Keep us updated once you start. If it works out well I may have to hijack your method!
 

AbraCadaver

Arachnoknight
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Will do! I am currently starting to build my own enclosures too, so hopefully I will be able to share some goodies with you :D
 

possumburg

Arachnosquire
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Aug 8, 2010
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Can't wait! I love seeing what kinda stuff others create, then I can just copy em {D
 

belljar77

Arachnosquire
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Hey Abra- when we made my husband's dart frog enclosure, we used expanding foam for the background. When it dries, you can sculpt and paint it, then seal it it if need be. It looks pretty natural. Just throwing that out there for ya.
 

mcluskyisms

Arachnoangel
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I live in Northern Ireland right now and from time to time I start sounding like I was born here, it happens.....
 

AmbushArachnids

Arachnoculturist
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Hey Abra- when we made my husband's dart frog enclosure, we used expanding foam for the background. When it dries, you can sculpt and paint it, then seal it it if need be. It looks pretty natural. Just throwing that out there for ya.
I had a bad experience with the expanding foam. It keeps expanding for upto 3 weeks. :wall:
 

Skullptor

Arachnobaron
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Feb 25, 2008
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One thing to keep in mind about plaster, It must be sealed first because plaster is pourus, and will absorb moisture.
CLEAR COAT by Krylon, or the like, will work just fine. (I just did see the edit)

Expand foams are calibrated for an X amount of expansion, and an X amount of volume. The expand foam people here use, is for small gaps. If you use too much, it will skin over and will have a hard time curing what's underneath the skin. If you must use this stuff, get the "big gap" kind (I believe it's in a blue can instead of red), because most here use way too much product, just like you do silicone as well.. If you can't find the big gap stuff...do it in batches. If you run into that problem again, make a nice hole in the skin of the foam so it can cure. You will sometimes see it expand up and out of the hole you made, and finally cure.

Tips on expand foam. In a thread I'd soon forget, I mentioned the use of misting the foam to speed the cure, as this works with many expand foams. I was told in the thread it says on the can NOT to use mist of water. I later got a can for something I was working on, and it does, in fact, say this is ok right on the can.


It also says you can expect to get one use out of it. They just want you to buy more product. :embarrassed: All you have to do it remove the screw on applicator and the straw from the can and let it cure. The foam will expand, and you can easily pull the little foam plug from the can tip, and a ream with a clothes hanger will remove the foam in the straw, and you'll get a nice little impression of the inside of the straw. Is that too difficult to translate on a can? :cool:
 
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belljar77

Arachnosquire
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We did the foam in stages, to build dimension (and let it cure). Even carved out a waterfall, with tubes for the water. Of course, it all turned out to be way too complicated to maintain. But it still looks cool. Once you can kind of correctly anticipate the amount of expansion, the foam's good stuff.
 

AbraCadaver

Arachnoknight
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I was planning on making hides with the plaster, as its easier to get a long "tube". It will be used for my arboreals, and I will place it along the wall, with several holes in it. I'm gonna try and make it look like a tree trunk, and it would be alot easier to make the plaster hollow. I have contemplated using the foam stuff for backdrops, but I will see.

I found a food safe silicone paint, so I can paint it brown and seal it in one.

I'll get pictures up when I start making them :D
 

Skullptor

Arachnobaron
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I hope the silicone(?) paints aren't too expensive because it's unnecessary.
 

AmbushArachnids

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Why not use acrylic? Then seal it with modpodge :} My creation is going well. I am almost done with my Bearded dragons setup.
 
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