New Enclosure

windex

New Member
Hello
I'm building a new enclosure for my 8 month (I think) Red bar ambilobe.
I'm building it out of oak and glass.. The top is aluminum screen and the front and two sides are glass with melamine for the back and bottom. The question I have is would it be alright to use the melamine.. I'm sealing all the seams (glass and all) with 100% silicone. The dimensions are 22"X28"X48". I'm also putting lots of vents close to the bottom for ventilation (chimney effect). I would of used screen but here in Canada it would be near impossible to keep the heat and especially the humidity in with a full screen enclosure..
 
well if you still wantto use screen alot of people get plastic and cover 3sides of the screen to keep it more humid for the Cham and also a little more worm. I dont know if it will look as good but it probably would be a little cheaper i think?
 
I already have the front and two sides assembled.. The main question I have is if the melamine will hold up after sealing the seams with silicone or should I use something else or cover the melamine with something like a sheet of acrylic.. I'm planning on putting tree fern panels along the back.
 
I know its cheaper to use melamine, but it brakes down faster then oak. Also it will mold. I would use oak all the way around, Or find something else.
 
so even using just the melamine for the back and bottom would be a problem? I'm not worried about the cost savings, I just figured with the coating on the melamine it would hold up alright as long as the ends were sealed from the water.. also as of right now (can still change it) I have one front swinging door that sits on the outside of the frame the same way kitchen cupboards do. The only thing I can find that would latch this would be a cylinder cam lock, but I'd rather not have to use the key every time I open the door, and the loop latches that are found on something like a tool box (which may not work).. There are more types of latches if the door fits flush inside the frame.. Any opinions?
 
I would not do melamine, it swells up, and sealing that works the first month, mysteriously doesn't the next month.

Do plexiglass on the floor, it is awesome for cleaning.

Nick:D
 
I have the melamine already.. At this point it would be difficult to put glass or plexiglass on the floor/back since the sides are together and I wouldnt be able to saw the grooves into the wood to hold the sheet now.. what about using the melamine and then siliconing corrugated plastic over top of it? I guess I could even put the plexiglass over top of it as well.. I was leaning towards the corrugated plastic though as it would have great insulating properties (compared to plexiglass) and there would be less reflective surfaces to stress him
 
I found some sort of plastic sheet at the hardware store today, some sort of industrial plastic..they called it "corrlam" but I cannot find anything on google about the stuff.. I cut it to size and attached it to the melamine.. It's different looking stuff for sure, should be good for siliconing stuff to it since it has very small random bumps for texture.. The enclosure should be ready for the polyurethane by the weekend and hopefully have him moved in by Christmas..
just a few finishing touches that should be finished up tomorrow.

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It's laying on its back obviously. .. Haven't decided if I should stain it dark walnut or just clear poly.. leaning towards the clear though.. Still have to install the vents, fasten the top trim, get the glass for the door, attach the screen to the top, silicone the seams and the glass, and attach the hinges, latch and knob... I'm going to try using four self closing hinges (the door can remain open, they just have a spring that kicks in when the door is almost closed) and two magnetic latches.. with the weight of the door, spring hinges, and the two magnets he shouldn't be able to budge the door..
 
I found some sort of plastic sheet at the hardware store today, some sort of industrial plastic..they called it "corrlam" but I cannot find anything on google about the stuff.. I cut it to size and attached it to the melamine.. It's different looking stuff for sure, should be good for siliconing stuff to it since it has very small random bumps for texture.. The enclosure should be ready for the polyurethane by the weekend and hopefully have him moved in by Christmas..
just a few finishing touches that should be finished up tomorrow.

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It's laying on its back obviously. .. Haven't decided if I should stain it dark walnut or just clear poly.. leaning towards the clear though.. Still have to install the vents, fasten the top trim, get the glass for the door, attach the screen to the top, silicone the seams and the glass, and attach the hinges, latch and knob... I'm going to try using four self closing hinges (the door can remain open, they just have a spring that kicks in when the door is almost closed) and two magnetic latches.. with the weight of the door, spring hinges, and the two magnets he shouldn't be able to budge the door..
To me that plastic looms like the same stuff they use in like schools and building to shield the lights in the ceiling, should be fine. You can try and do it that way. I'm sure it will work.

Wow looks really nice. You'll have to post pics when its all set up. Great job.:D
 
Thanks, I will post pictures when its complete and when its all set up..
The plastic definitely is not stuff for covering lights since it is not transparent at all, completely opaque right through it.
 
One more question.. As far as venting goes I have a 3" round vent on each side and three 2 inch round vents in the front that will be mounted close to the bottom and a fully screened top.. would that be enough?
 
Just an update on how this enclosure is going.. I can't wait to finish this bloody thing. all the pieces assembled and first coat of varnish.

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need to find a 2" and 3" drill bit though, I do have the hole saws but they may be a little too aggressive
 
Love it so far! Sort of wish I went this route instead of transforming an entertainment center :confused:

Very good work
 
its coming along great. looks fantastic. for future reference or anyone else as well. Thin acrylic sheets might also be a good choice for different things, its see through not super expensive and 10 times stronger than glass.

I bought a sheet 24x48" for my base i cut it in half and doubled it up which was pretty strong. My bro in law did put braces for added support but really dont think they were needed. can take a look at my build if interested
 
HAHAHAHA! I Just finished siliconing the seams and was just wishing that I went with converting an entertainment unit! there has been A LOT of work done so far and I still have the door to varnish, silicone, mount, install the screen, and get stuff to fill it.. The current enclosure is roughly 1/4th the size of this one so I will need a lot more vines etc..
but soon it will be all done and it will be worth it
 
Silicone around the glass and seams is setting up nicely after a bit of a mess :S had to remove all the silicone from one side and start over since I wasn't happy with the results. All is good now.. Next thing is to set up a draining system.. Going to let everything set up for a day or two then I'll spray the inside of the enclosure and see where the water pools the most and place a drain in that spot.. just have to find something that will work.. I'd like to find a drain that has a 1/4" or 1/2" barbed fitting so I can run hoses from them to a bucket that is hidden..
http://www.discount-hydro.com/products/C.A.P.-Fill{47}Drain-&-Overflow-Fittings.html
something like that countersunk so its flush would work great I think
 
Your enclosure looks great but I would cut some plastic strips to cover the oak rails that go across the bottom. Then silicone heavily to avoid getting it wet. From the pic it looks like red oak and red oak is not very water tolerant. White oak on the other hand is. White oak is what whiskey barrels are made from. Protect it from moisture and it should be fine. Make sure to put on several coats of spar urethane. It's made for outdoor applications. Good luck and give it plenty of time off gas the solvents.
 
Thanks.. Its going to be in the man cave so I wanted it to look as close to a piece of furniture as possible.. For the background I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with Great Stuff foam coated in something for 1/2-2/3 of the back and tree fern panels for the remainder.. only question I have and can't seem to find an answer is how long does tree fern last? is it something I will have to change out after a couple years? 5? 10? Because it would be a total pain to have to change it out as well as expensive.. Also how long would prepared driftwood last in such a humid environment?
 
It is red Oak.. I have three coats of varathane professional on the entire thing, and siliconed all the seams on the inside... That should provide enough water protection for the limited amount of wood on the inside. It will be at least 2 weeks before he goes into the enclosure since I want to have the background completed and have the stuff to fill the enclosure before putting him in it
 
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