custon rock backing

[jay76]

Does anyone here do custom rock walls. To fit into this. Cheers

 

[user 16446]

I'm about to give it a try myself with some polystyrene. I bought some molding silicone and rubber to make multiple copies, but it may not be cost effective on the small scale. Probably a lot cheaper and easier at the end of the day just to buy pre made stuff.

I'm just procrastinating over the thought of actually being able to make something that looks real, and the work, time and money that goes into it.

 

[Lockie]

Jay grab yourself some expanding foam, and some fibreglass. Bunnings sells both, but you're better off getting the fibreglass from a boat builder or another source (Bunnings fibreglass is $$$$$).

Put the foam down, give it 20 mins to expand, then it gets a skin, so you can push, mould, and create ledges and crevices. Once it dries (keep an eye on it - it keeps expanding), you can give it 3 coats of fibreglass and it'll be rock-hard. And safe. Put a couple of coats of stone-effect paint over it (dark first, then sponge a few lighter shades over the top) and you're all done.

Takes 2 days tops - i've put a pic of one of my jobs below. Sorry the pic isn't very good - i'll chase up a better one later on tonight to give you a better idea.

regards,
Lockie.

 

[MatE]

Here is one i prepared earlier lol.

 

[MatE]

Hey Lockie where do you get the stone effect paint from sounds easy?

 

[webcol]

Jay grab yourself some expanding foam, and some fibreglass. Bunnings sells both, but you're better off getting the fibreglass from a boat builder or another source (Bunnings fibreglass is $$$$$).

Put the foam down, give it 20 mins to expand, then it gets a skin, so you can push, mould, and create ledges and crevices. Once it dries (keep an eye on it - it keeps expanding), you can give it 3 coats of fibreglass and it'll be rock-hard. And safe. Put a couple of coats of stone-effect paint over it (dark first, then sponge a few lighter shades over the top) and you're all done.

Takes 2 days tops - i've put a pic of one of my jobs below. Sorry the pic isn't very good - i'll chase up a better one later on tonight to give you a better idea.

regards,
Lockie.

Did you actually use fibreglass, or did you just use the resin thats used for fibreglass.

 

[Stranger]

I built my own using Cement and polystyrene It turned out great Im very happy with it.

 

[bongie555]

styrofoam, nail glue, paint and mod podge as sealer....you can create anything. check out you tube

 

[Stranger]

I sealed my with pond sealer. Its waterproof and is glossy,

 

[Lockie]

Great job on your enclosure Mat - it looks fantastic!

Wattyl paints make Stone effect paint - there are a couple of other brands out there as well. Check out their website for colours - I used 'minotaur' for the main dark colour, and 'cement pot' for the lighter shading that I sponged on, with a little green for moss. The more colours you use, the more realistic it looks. You can mix a little white with the stone paint, and make a lot of different colours - put the darker colours on first, then gradually add lighter colours over the top.

You can use just the resin, but you'll need lots of coats to make it strong enough. If you grab some thin fibreglass sheeting, its really easy to push into the crevices - but I only used it on the flat surfaces that would get a little more use.

regards,
Lockie

 

[MatE]

Great job on your enclosure Mat - it looks fantastic!

Wattyl paints make Stone effect paint - there are a couple of other brands out there as well. Check out their website for colours - I used 'minotaur' for the main dark colour, and 'cement pot' for the lighter shading that I sponged on, with a little green for moss. The more colours you use, the more realistic it looks. You can mix a little white with the stone paint, and make a lot of different colours - put the darker colours on first, then gradually add lighter colours over the top.

You can use just the resin, but you'll need lots of coats to make it strong enough. If you grab some thin fibreglass sheeting, its really easy to push into the crevices - but I only used it on the flat surfaces that would get a little more use.

regards,
Lockie

Hey thanks for the info and just a word about using fibreglass cloth, make sure you wear a good quality mask as it is GLASS you are breathing in and will cause all sorts of problems,but you probably new that

 

[ADZz_93]

read this.. http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/general-herps/how-to-build-fake-reptile-background-cheap-74214

 

[James_Scott]

for those in melbourne. I'm clearing out the garage and giving away plenty of polystyrene sheets I've collected over time. Drop me a line if you're interested.