# glass



## tyson001 (Sep 8, 2012)

Im thinking of building an enclosure that will be two hold two beardies. My main thing that stumps me is what type of glass to use and what thickness? The enclosure will be 4x2x2 and i want two panes for sliding also what price should i expect for this?


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## Lockie_1 (Sep 8, 2012)

I think glass might be a bit cold depending on where you live?


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## dangles (Sep 8, 2012)

..


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## Daryl_H (Sep 8, 2012)

first you have to contact your local glass supplyer and ask them prices i think 5 mm float is going for about 25 30 a m2 also there is edge wor to go with it at a lineal meter rate the less square the glass the eazyer it will slide to as mentioned put some timber on top and bttom to make the glass wider than higher will help a lot in the long runCheers Daryl


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## damian83 (Sep 8, 2012)

Glass 4-5 mm with a cm overlap pretty cheap, try find a handy man that does glass( useually cheaper than glass pins) and channels from mitre 10 or a joiner is your best bet

Glass 4-5 mm with a cm overlap pretty cheap, try find a handy man that does glass( useually cheaper than glass pins) and channels from mitre 10 or a joiner is your best bet

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shop* not pins damn phone

Glass 4-5 mm with a cm overlap pretty cheap, try find a handy man that does glass( useually cheaper than glass pins) and channels from mitre 10 or a joiner is your best bet

Glass 4-5 mm with a cm overlap pretty cheap, try find a handy man that does glass( useually cheaper than glass pins) and channels from mitre 10 or a joiner is your best bet

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shop* not pins damn phone

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Even try getting them to cut the melamine to size you just have to screw the cabinet together I got out it for a 1000x560x600 with a mesh lid under a hundred bucks


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## tyson001 (Sep 8, 2012)

thanks for the quick reply will be contacting a few people around my area good to find out that i dont need such thick glass i was thinking 10-12mm lol would have been a fail on my part.


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## BigBrad (Sep 8, 2012)

U need 5mm glass , u can get a plastic sliding track system for around $20 from a mob called COWDROYS , this system is designed for 5mm glass u can also order the track from bunnings special orders counter they deal with Cowdroys it comes in white and brown, and sizes come in 1500mm or 1800mm, for a 4x2x2 get the 1800 then your 2 off cuts use them on the side walls to make the track 4 sided so the glass slips in and helps keep the heat in. I'm making a 4bank of 4x2x2 now and just ordered my glass with polished edges and handles $20 each. Hope this helps.


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## damian83 (Sep 8, 2012)

That's a great price brad....


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## eddie123 (Sep 8, 2012)

brad thats an awesome price. Where are you?please say sydney


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## Jacknifejimmy (Sep 8, 2012)

Just dont make the same mistake I did with my first build and buy 5mm laminate instead of 5mm clear float. The laminate is three times the price and entirely not needed.


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## thomasssss (Sep 8, 2012)

Jacknifejimmy said:


> Just dont make the same mistake I did with my first build and buy 5mm laminate instead of 5mm clear float. The laminate is three times the price and entirely not needed.


i majorly disagree , i was a glazier and personally if i ever make an enclosure with glass tracks ill be using laminate , this is because float glass is weak around its edges like most glass really 

with the design of glass track systems not covering these edges if anything where to fall from the outside and hit a piece of 5mm float with a bit of force it would very easily break and with float not having anything to hold it together the glass is going to end up all inside your enclosure possibly harming whatever inside if it starts moving around 

5mm laminate on the other hand is going to hold together under the same circumstances , will still shatter but it will hold together because of the laminate in between the glass 

so personally , if you can afford it id go with laminate , and dont think nothings ever going to break it ,when i made windows i broke 5mm float from pushing to hard on the rubber around it and it wasn't sitting on the blocks at the bottom properly , rookie mistake really but it happened so easily glass can be very weak at times but also very strong if its used right


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## dangles (Sep 8, 2012)

Just realized I stuffed the edit on my earlier post.

Id personally use laminated glass. A slight knock in the right spot could break float glass. Float glass when broken ends up as shards. Laminated will still break but will hold together by the laminate.

If the enclosure is in a high traffic area or kids are able to get to it, the chances of the glass getting a substantial knock is increased.


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## Rob (Sep 8, 2012)

Not knowing much about glass myself, is there any way to visually distinguish between the two (laminate/clear float) ?


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## dangles (Sep 8, 2012)

Rob_N_Son said:


> Not knowing much about glass myself, is there any way to visually distinguish between the two (laminate/clear float) ?


If edges haven't been polished etc normally u can see the laminate between the 2 sheets of glass.

If u go laminated glass it is normally 6.4mm so will need tacks to suit


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## Rob (Sep 8, 2012)

OK. I am just trying to determine what I have in my current tanks.


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## wokka (Sep 8, 2012)

Rob_N_Son said:


> Not knowing much about glass myself, is there any way to visually distinguish between the two (laminate/clear float) ?



laminate is 2 pieces of glass stuck together with plastic in the middle. If you look on the edge you can see the laminations.


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## Rob (Sep 8, 2012)

wokka said:


> laminate is 2 pieces of glass stuck together with plastic in the middle. If you look on the edge you can see the laminations.



Cheers. I just had a look and it is 5mm thick, has a slight green tinge to it, but appears to be solid.

The reason I ask is because these tanks are 12+ years old with no breakages, so if it is clear float then I'm happy to continue using it.


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## Variety (Sep 8, 2012)

Tracks generally come in 5mm thickness, so go with that as everyone has stated. 
For double the price you can get insulated glass which will be around $60 the size your after but keeps heat inside and the cold outside. 
If you're looking to have this thing for a while i suggest looking into insulated glass deffinatly.


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## dangles (Sep 8, 2012)

DrDittz said:


> Tracks generally come in 5mm thickness, so go with that as everyone has stated.
> For double the price you can get insulated glass which will be around $60 the size your after but keeps heat inside and the cold outside.
> If you're looking to have this thing for a while i suggest looking into insulated glass deffinatly.


The plastic cowdrey tracks come in 2 sizes that I regularly see. 5mm and 6mm 

As for insulated glass, to keep heat in all u need to do is close up vents. My garage hits 0* in winter and my largest globe is 60w in a 4x4x2 enclosure. Basking spot can get to mid 30s and ambient sits around 15 on a cold winters day. By gliding up gap I sliding glass and blocking half vents I can get this to 20


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## BigBrad (Sep 10, 2012)

I'm in the Campbelltown area and make a lot of enclosures , and get all my glass off the same bloke hence my prices if anyones finding it hard to get what they are after at a decent price I'm happy to get a quote for you


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