|
Post by iamplankton on Dec 30, 2022 13:51:30 GMT -8
I got mine cheap as chips on Amazon and it’s a Stanley. It has a ridiculously high output though and eats glue sticks but I pay about £3 for 50 so it’s still economical
|
|
|
Post by Markpd on Jan 1, 2023 6:50:42 GMT -8
Doing some more reading/watching re gluing acrylic, it seems the strongest way is to use solvent-glues (aka cements) which actually welds the plastic. Seeing as I'm going to be making an open box (no top or bottom) it'll need all the strength it can get. I will be gluing in corner reinforcements though. For future reference/notes, to smooth the edges of plastic, we can use an edge scrapper. Easily available in the US, but almost as rare as hens teeth here in the UK! (wth??). I've just ordered mine from one of just 2 places that sells them, and that's LAS Aerospace Ltd! £21.18 (the cheaper of the 2. Could use emery paper + block instead?). Who would've thought I'd be ordering a tool from an aerospace company for gerbils! Best value plastic weld, EMA 57 ml - will it be enough? £6.15 inc del.
3x10ml syringes with blunt 22G needles, £4.29 inc del. H clips, £9.48 Ally U channel, 4x1030 & 4x397mm, £38 inc del. 2x perspex sheets + 2 cut offs, all free! I'm going to do a full write up of this once done, just in case anyone else is crazy enough to want to attempt it! (to be fair, with a regular 8mm thick aquarium, it would have been much easier!).
|
|
|
Post by LilyandDaisy on Jan 1, 2023 13:20:18 GMT -8
Could you use aluminium internal corner trim to hold the panels together? And maybe a wooden frame to sit on top of the tank and the acrylic box on top of that? You could even make a groove in the wooden frame with a router for the acrylic to slot into.
|
|
|
Post by LilyandDaisy on Jan 1, 2023 13:24:19 GMT -8
On another topic, do you know if the solvent cements are any good for gluing glass? I was getting the pieces of my Marrakesh terrarium out of the cupboard the other day and broke a chunk off the front glass panel. I fixed it temporarily with superglue as I needed to use the enclosure but at least twice a week I lean on the front panel too hard, the chunk falls off and I have to reglue it. I'm hoping I won't have to have a new panel cut!
|
|
|
Post by Markpd on Jan 1, 2023 15:27:26 GMT -8
The solvent cements only work on a few types of plastics (acrylic being one. They temporarily dissolve the plastic to weld it, hence a very strong bond), the only glue I've seen suggested for glass is silicone sealant (like with aquariums), although I didn't specifically look for glass glues. If you can clean out the super glue, silicone should work? Could you use aluminium internal corner trim to hold the panels together? And maybe a wooden frame to sit on top of the tank and the acrylic box on top of that? You could even make a groove in the wooden frame with a router for the acrylic to slot into. Corner trims like this? Ah yes, that could work, although I would still need to glue them in place so that when I lift the extension box off (for cleaning the cage), it doesn't fall apart. Not quite as neat, but if my plan doesn't work out for some reason I could fall back on that idea. Yea grooving a wooden frame would indeed be another good way of holding the extension box on top of the tank, although I don't have a router (but my dad might) and I already have that part sorted with the U channels and H clips (which I've already got and have trimmed).
I was wondering about using a wooden frame for the top, so I could staple the mesh to that, rather than just have mesh lids (which at over 1m long would be rather flimsy!). But the trouble is I need the 2 boxes to sit near enough flush (end to end) to each other so that bedding can't get kicked out between them. I can't think of a good way around that, can you? (btw, I'll be able to fit the mesh lids on because their will be a small gap (maybe 2mm?) between the 2 perspex boxes due to the U channels they will be sitting in). I've literally just thought of a way to do it, although it's not the most elegant. For the 2 top wooden frames for the mesh lids, I could have the end part of the frames (where they meet in the middle) on top of the rest of the frame instead of at the end, so that those end frame bits sit on top of the perspex instead of around it. If you understand what I mean! . Unless you can think of a better way?
|
|
|
Post by LilyandDaisy on Jan 1, 2023 16:01:11 GMT -8
Yes, that's the kind of corner trim I meant.
I think I might need a diagram to visualise the bit about the lids.
|
|
|
Post by Markpd on Jan 2, 2023 6:19:18 GMT -8
Here you go, hopefully that's clearer! Lol. Oh, I forgot to label the bottom drawing, that's the top view. I've drawn the U channels just as flat green lines for clarity of the drawing, obviously they go up and cover a little bit of the perspex boxes. [edit] Hmm, I see the black lines in the bottom drawing are very hard to see! It helps to zoom in.
|
|
|
Post by Markpd on Jan 2, 2023 12:00:16 GMT -8
Thought a 3D image might help, this is really testing my school CDT! Lol, and maybe I shouldn't have bothered with the hatching....
|
|
|
Post by LilyandDaisy on Jan 4, 2023 13:50:26 GMT -8
I understand the problem with the lids now.
If the acrylic boxes had ledges, you could have lids that sit inside them, and it might also make the boxes more sturdy as well?
|
|
|
Post by Markpd on Jan 5, 2023 13:35:16 GMT -8
Well, funny you mention that, but I am going to be adding corner reinforcements in the box extensions (not shown above), I was going to have them flush with the top. But there's nothing stopping me putting them an inch or so down, then I could fit a frame inside and they'd sit on it, that would be neater too. Although they wouldn't be so easy to take off then.... of course, I could fit handles to the wooden frame! Yea I think I'll do that, thanks L&D
|
|
|
Post by Markpd on Feb 28, 2023 13:09:32 GMT -8
Slowly making headway on this, I've finally got the sheets cut by a local company, and they'll be picked up this week. I hope they've done it right! (they should have, I gave them diagrams as well as dimensions).
|
|
|
Post by tanzanyte on Apr 25, 2023 13:53:03 GMT -8
Have you got any further with this Mark?
|
|
|
Post by Markpd on May 10, 2023 12:58:29 GMT -8
Other than picking up the cut panels (and yes they're cut right , which is just as well as the firm sold their business the next day! ), no I haven't, at least not directly. I bought some acrylic 'welding' solvent and bits to use it back then, along with watching a few videos on how to weld acrylic (aka perspex). I have and am selling off stuff that's (partly) taking the space where the 'new' cage will go, but what with starting a new job in January (where I finished 1/2hr later), which then didn't work out well! Meaning I moved to another branch further away in March, adding about 20 minutes driving, so I have even less spare time during the week. Plus having to sell other stuff off which I had stored at my old job with Suzuki, the new cage project has been somewhat been put on the back burner again. And I need to have a 3rd go at cleaning the tank, I tried some other cleaner a little while ago (just before I got Gan and Vila), which got the tank cleaner, but it took a lot of effort with only moderate success. I think I just need to try vinegar next time, which IIRC was suggested by some people here. So not much progress, but it's not totally forgotten! lol
|
|
|
Post by tanzanyte on May 19, 2023 14:19:19 GMT -8
I wish I'd re-looked at this properly when I asked how you were getting along as I forgot that I hadn't previously said that we just used hinges and pop rivets on our perspex sheet to make our outside area. Although that might not be as neat as you want it but it works really well and at least it's not dangerous for the gerbils. It took 2 hinges on each edge. I know you've got solvent now so might not be interested but shout if you want me to take a picture.
|
|
|
Post by Markpd on May 19, 2023 16:22:02 GMT -8
Welding acrylic won't be dangerous for the gerbils as long as it's left to dry long before they use it (and I will ). I'll stick to the welding idea, but thank you, and it's certainly a valid idea if someone else wants to try a height extension etc without welding .
|
|