Hey Ted - stellar works! Ive been building enclosure decor since 2003 for zoos, museums and educational facilities. It's not my full time business, but it's fun and supplements my income during my free time. I generally use full styrene blocks to carve and i too use an electric carving knife! Also hot wire , a circular wire brush on an angel grinder, electric chainsaw, soldering iron, heat gun and other tools. I have my own 2 part styrene gun system and I learned quickly that small amounts and slow application works best. Expansion and uncured pockets are minimized. My coatings and finishes depend on the enclosure. I don't like using silicon caulk ( the favorite UA-camr material) as a finish as it looks artificial , is expensive and doesn't last long . Qwikwall acrylic cement with chopped fibre glass works extremely well as a base coat and adheres to polystyrene well (2 x 3mm coats) I then usually follow with tinted Secar cement or even tinted white Portland cement (10 mm) and use silicone texture stamps for the finish. This method works best for most enclosures , aquariums, terrariums etc. When using emersed plants i use a plant pocket made from shade cloth (or even fishnet panty hose! ) These keep the substate together and hold the root ball. Orchid mix with coir works well with most plant species if you have a drip system. I'm looking forward to seeing your vine work, I use epoxy soaked sisal rope with a tinted sand coating ( does not work with primates they chew it off! Birds and reptiles are good though ) Anyway that's how i do it most the time . I've also done fibre glass molds, gunnite, epoxy + silicone molds of insitu rock faces and logs ( tricky stuff!). I'd just like to commend you on your thorough and methodical approach. I seek out most UA-cam background builds, out of curiosity. I'm afraid most are pretty bad. Some even use toxic materials or materials that are not suitable for the purpose ( water based paint on a carved styrene background for a PLECO tank being the worst offender!). I am really enjoying your build and channel and I'd hire you in a second haha!
Thanks! Your level of ability for this kind of thing is way above me, but I would love too learn how to do some of the things you do, especially making molds of things to make fake rocks, logs, etc... If you have not seen The Rainforest Exhibit channel on UA-cam, check it out. MAG did some of the things you describe, like the carved foam: ua-cam.com/channels/tnSqKjNlHuClgb5HVUaAAQ.html
@@TedsFishroom Thanks Ted! Most the techniques i picked up from special effects people when I worked on film sets. I just tweaked it all to long lasting, safe materials for livestock (mainly for my own projects). The first attempts were terrible. Somehow later on I got a job doing exhibition work for museums and it truly started from there, working with mock rock makers, scenic painters and more. I'm still learning and new materials and techniques are being released every year. Casting molds can be tricky and expensive to make, especially big ones. But it's very rewarding! If you want to give it a try start out with latex or alginate before moving to resins and silicone. If you do decide to do more backgrounds and go the cement route i highly recommend getting a hopper style render gun, + compressor. Sprays cement like paint , you can coat a background in 10 seconds! Nothing worse than trowlling cement onto styrene and trying to make it uniform. I've got a heap of other tips and secrets but they're not for a UA-cam comment section lol. (Ok just one, to get an interesting rock texture press rock salt into the wet cement coating. After the cement cures use a pressure hose and wire brush to dissolve the salt and wash it away. The texture left is similar to lava rock and mosses love it.) Anyway thanks for the kind feedback and video link. I have thought of starting my own channel too but I don't want to put myself out of a job!
"Youth & Talent are no match for Age & Treachery"...my new favorite shirt! Awesome job, by the way!
Hey Ted - stellar works!
Ive been building enclosure decor since 2003 for zoos, museums and educational facilities.
It's not my full time business, but it's fun and supplements my income during my free time.
I generally use full styrene blocks to carve and i too use an electric carving knife! Also hot wire , a circular wire brush on an angel grinder, electric chainsaw, soldering iron, heat gun and other tools.
I have my own 2 part styrene gun system and I learned quickly that small amounts and slow application works best. Expansion and uncured pockets are minimized.
My coatings and finishes depend on the enclosure. I don't like using silicon caulk ( the favorite UA-camr material) as a finish as it looks artificial , is expensive and doesn't last long .
Qwikwall acrylic cement with chopped fibre glass works extremely well as a base coat and adheres to polystyrene well (2 x 3mm coats)
I then usually follow with tinted Secar cement or even tinted white Portland cement (10 mm) and use silicone texture stamps for the finish. This method works best for most enclosures , aquariums, terrariums etc.
When using emersed plants i use a plant pocket made from shade cloth (or even fishnet panty hose! )
These keep the substate together and hold the root ball.
Orchid mix with coir works well with most plant species if you have a drip system.
I'm looking forward to seeing your vine work, I use epoxy soaked sisal rope with a tinted sand coating ( does not work with primates they chew it off! Birds and reptiles are good though )
Anyway that's how i do it most the time . I've also done fibre glass molds, gunnite, epoxy + silicone molds of insitu rock faces and logs ( tricky stuff!).
I'd just like to commend you on your thorough and methodical approach.
I seek out most UA-cam background builds, out of curiosity.
I'm afraid most are pretty bad. Some even use toxic materials or materials that are not suitable for the purpose ( water based paint on a carved styrene background for a PLECO tank being the worst offender!).
I am really enjoying your build and channel and I'd hire you in a second haha!
Thanks! Your level of ability for this kind of thing is way above me, but I would love too learn how to do some of the things you do, especially making molds of things to make fake rocks, logs, etc... If you have not seen The Rainforest Exhibit channel on UA-cam, check it out. MAG did some of the things you describe, like the carved foam: ua-cam.com/channels/tnSqKjNlHuClgb5HVUaAAQ.html
@@TedsFishroom
Thanks Ted!
Most the techniques i picked up from special effects people when I worked on film sets.
I just tweaked it all to long lasting, safe materials for livestock (mainly for my own projects). The first attempts were terrible.
Somehow later on I got a job doing exhibition work for museums and it truly started from there, working with mock rock makers, scenic painters and more.
I'm still learning and new materials and techniques are being released every year.
Casting molds can be tricky and expensive to make, especially big ones.
But it's very rewarding!
If you want to give it a try start out with latex or alginate before moving to resins and silicone.
If you do decide to do more backgrounds and go the cement route i highly recommend getting
a hopper style render gun, + compressor.
Sprays cement like paint , you can coat a background in 10 seconds! Nothing worse than trowlling cement onto styrene and trying to make it uniform.
I've got a heap of other tips and secrets but they're not for a UA-cam comment section lol.
(Ok just one, to get an interesting rock texture press rock salt into the wet cement coating. After the cement cures use a pressure hose and wire brush to dissolve the salt and wash it away.
The texture left is similar to lava rock and mosses love it.)
Anyway thanks for the kind feedback and video link. I have thought of starting my own channel too but I don't want to put myself out of a job!
you may want to put rubber washers under the outer metal washers just incase you get a wicking effect
Good call... I will pick some up on the next hardware run.
Hurry up!!!