# Custom Tiki Viv



## geckochick (Aug 29, 2012)

Hey guys, figured it was about time I posted about what I'm working on.

For this project I'm going for a Polynesian tiki theme, including live plants, a light-up custom volcano sculpture, and various other tiki bits and bobs that I'm making. The viv is an Exo Terra 60x45x60 medium tall.

So far I've been carving and painting the volcano, using Celotex foam and acrylics. These aren't the complete photos, but it's a start!

Sculpting the structure:



















After (a lot of) grouting and sanding:










First coat of paint (combination of 3 colours):


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## Praying_Mantis24 (Sep 6, 2009)

geckochick said:


> Hey guys, figured it was about time I posted about what I'm working on.
> 
> For this project I'm going for a Polynesian tiki theme, including live plants, a light-up custom volcano sculpture, and various other tiki bits and bobs that I'm making. The viv is an Exo Terra 60x45x60 medium tall.
> 
> ...


 
cant wait to see how you get on with it, looking good


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## geckochick (Aug 29, 2012)

Thanks, it's been a lot of fun so far.


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## tomcannon (Jan 2, 2008)

Looks interesting. I look forward to seeing this light up volcano! I saw a similar build online somewhere (lizard-landscapes perhaps), is this what you're working from?


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## Lermy (Sep 13, 2010)

please please please put a fogger inside that volcano too so it looks like its active


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## geckochick (Aug 29, 2012)

I have seen the one at lizard landscapes, mine is done differently in that it's probably going to be for an arboreal gecko so it doesn't have an open top. It is hollow purely so it doesn't weigh as much, but I'm probably going to have to seal the bottom to stop any critters getting inside.

Also I'm probably not going to paint the lava on. I've done some test runs with the LEDs and it looks better with just those.

Not sure about the fogger yet, I hear they can be a bit of a pain! If I did have one it would have to be near the bottom because the top is going to be a basking spot.


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## rexob (Sep 1, 2012)

very interesting build, i will be keeping an eye on this thread, well done so far


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## geckochick (Aug 29, 2012)

Thanks! I might actually end up making a new volcano as the current one takes up a bit too much room. :bash: Live and learn! (Probs going to make the first trial into a lamp - it's too cool to give up on). In a way this is good because I can now factor in space for a fogger, and better ways to disguise the LEDs. 

Back to the drawing board!


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## geckochick (Aug 29, 2012)

Right, so while the first try at a volcano wasn't really suitable, it did give me a chance to try out different paint effects. By using pearlescent black acrylic over a black base coat, then dry brushing a tiny bit if silver, I got a surprisingly effective result! Here it is with some red LEDs...










Not bad! And tbh it's a good thing I messed up the size of this one, because with the new one I can get the LEDs fitted properly and make room for a fogger inside (as requested 8)). I'm thinking of also carving in some subtle fossil designs into the rock face, and including a cave area with a light. Because I like a challenge!

I'm buying supplies because I'm off all week and want to make some good progress, so just wondering two things:

Best place to buy a fogger online?

How many litres of Hydroleca for a 60x45x60 viv? 5 or 10?


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## yuesaur (Aug 29, 2011)

i want this!! thats epic!!! it looks so real!!! please make me one , i'm so jealous right now!


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## Galactic Mushroom (Mar 8, 2013)

That is amazing  looks so real will look amazing when your done and have a fogger in there.

I had 10 litres of lecca for a 90x45x45 and still had some left over but I would get 10 cos you don't wanna get home and then have to make another trip out


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## geckochick (Aug 29, 2012)

Thanks guys! Good call too, I'll go for the 10 litre. :2thumb:


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## geckochick (Aug 29, 2012)

Oops, forgot to add...which do you guys recommend, an internal ultrasonic fogger, or an external one?


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

geckochick said:


> How many litres of Hydroleca for a 60x45x60 viv? 5 or 10?



Depending on when you need it, I might have enough spare you can have.


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## geckochick (Aug 29, 2012)

:gasp: dude, that would be awesome!


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

I got a big arsed sack of it ages ago. Used a lot of it in my cresties viv but downgrading them, so i'll need to use some of the remainder. I'll have the rest of the sack and all of what's in their current viv..


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## skilzo (Mar 16, 2013)

That looks great I think it looks so real :notworthy:


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## geckochick (Aug 29, 2012)

Thanks skilzo!

Meko that would be great, let me know when you want it shifted.


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

i'll give it a test run tonight in the new viv, so at least I'll have an idea of how much spare i've got in the bag... might be enough to get you going straight away.


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## Galactic Mushroom (Mar 8, 2013)

You should make a step by step guide when you make your new volcano


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## geckochick (Aug 29, 2012)

Ordered a fogger and started work on the new volcano. I'll get some photos for a step by step. I'm carving polystyrene with a hot wire for this one - much less dust!


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## Galactic Mushroom (Mar 8, 2013)

Nice one!! I wanna make a small one they look amazing


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## tomcannon (Jan 2, 2008)

I too would be interested in a step by step on this, especially the led placement! Great work. : victory:


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## geckochick (Aug 29, 2012)

Photos tomorrow then. :2thumb:

Also wow, thanks tomcannon, that's like praise from Caesar!


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## tomcannon (Jan 2, 2008)

geckochick said:


> Photos tomorrow then. :2thumb:
> 
> Also wow, thanks tomcannon, that's like praise from Caesar!


Haha, please... Stop! :blush: ok, carry on! :lol2: I'm intrigued as to how it glows so well through the poly? What paint is it? It seems almost opaque. Apologies if you've mentioned this already.


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## geckochick (Aug 29, 2012)

lol ah, well that's the trick, you see. The original design did have the lights shining through, but 3 layers of grout soon put a stop to that! Now I use waterproof LEDs on the outside, hiding them in grooves I put into the poly. The effect kicks in when you use pearlescent acrylic. The 1st try used a plain black base coat, then a layer of black pearlescent, then a quick dry brush of silver for highlights. I honestly didn't think it would work as well as it did!


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## rexob (Sep 1, 2012)

yes i agree with tomcannon awesome work well done it looks great, cant wait to see it all in working :2thumb:


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## geckochick (Aug 29, 2012)

Hey guys, sorry I’m mega-late with the photos! I had a week off work and spent much of it covered in grout and paint. I didn’t get many photos of the separate stages because it’s on quite a big scale, but I figured I’d show you the basics and then go into detail on bits like painting and LEDs later on (I haven’t added the lights yet, and I’m painting a separate water bowl in the same way, which will be easier to show you guys).

Anyway, moving on! Here’s some sculpting. This was done using polystyrene, foam glue, cocktail sticks and a hot wire (from the hot wire foam factory company). Took a few days and got the bare bones of it.




























Next up was to cover the whole thing in layers of grout. I didn’t take any pictures of this because, as I said, I end up covered in it and I didn’t much want a grouted iPhone! Essentially you keep adding layers of grout, whatever thickness works for you, and wait for it to dry between layers, sanding it between coats to take off any sharp bits. You don’t need to sand it too much, especially if you’re going for the rocky effect.

Part 2 later on!


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## geckochick (Aug 29, 2012)

Part 2: Painting! This is where the effect comes in. As I’ve said I will explain it more in detail with an additional piece, but it is fairly straightforward. Here’s the formula:
-	Layer of black acrylic.
-	Layer of black pearlescent acrylic, with a tiny bit of pearlescent purple too.
-	Dry brush with silver (this last stage is not optional if you want the most out of the LED effect).

The specialist paints can be found on eBay easily, and cost about £1-£2 each. I advise you get at least 2 pearlescent blacks, as you will run out on a project like this one. You don’t need much silver.

Doing this will achieve this effect, which I think looks pretty close to volcanic!










For this volcano I also added some non-toxic black glitter (also from eBay, also a tiny amount), which does look good but isn’t really needed. 










The main difference with Volcano 2, is I put a cave in it. If you decide to do this, I advise you make the structure in 2 parts and then put them together at the end. Grouting and painting a cave from the outside is a right pain in the bum. I know this now! Think I got a bit carried away. I saw The Goonies a while back (nostalgia!) so this one has a skull face, and some glass pebbles as fake coins siliconed in. 










It will have some more teeth put in, but not until I’ve put the LEDs on. The back of the cave is dry-brushed gold. It also has a side view part that I haven’t finished painting, but worked out fairly well. 










The cave can be accessed from 2 points. I kind of want to live in it.


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## tomcannon (Jan 2, 2008)

Looks wicked, very different but I like it. Can't wait for it to progress!


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## rsklReptiles (Jul 14, 2010)

Looks abit like the cookie monster? Lol

Looks great. Awesome work

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2


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## maarup (Jan 17, 2013)

any updates soon? I am dying here to see the finished viv! It look top notch! :2thumb: I really like your idea with the LED's as lava, it makes the volcano look superb!


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## geckochick (Aug 29, 2012)

Cheers for the kind words. :2thumb:

Before I continued I just wanted to check it in the viv. All looks good but I still felt it was a bit big on one side. Had to do a bit of a hack and slash job which means I've had to re-grout half the thing, and will mean I'll have to touch up all the paint. It's waiting for stuff to dry that takes the time!

Meanwhile, I've just been looking at what to seal it with. Do you think this would be any good?

Art & Craft Clear Varnish MATT 100ml & for Sculpey Fimo | eBay


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## geckochick (Aug 29, 2012)

Right, so neither volcano cut the mustard for me but they were great trial and error experiences. I've used what I've learned from those two builds and have started work on a third (which will hopefully be viv worthy!). Unfortunately I totally forgot to take a snap of the bare polystyrene carving (d'oh!), but here it is with the first layer of grout:










It still needs a lot of fine tuning and sanding, but you get the idea. At the moment it's in two halves because it's much easier to paint inside the cave that way.

Here's a view of the side, where the cave goes all the way through:










This time I've also been super-careful about including holes and crevices to disguise the LED fittings that will be going in. I'm feeling pretty good about this one!


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## GECKO MICK (Jun 6, 2012)

Looks great i'll follow this to see how it comes on.: victory:


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## maarup (Jan 17, 2013)

*Yaay*

YAAY UPDATES! i love your work, and if ya have nowhere to put those two mighty fine looking volcanoes :mf_dribble: , i will be more than happy to relive you of them ! :2thumb:


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## geckochick (Aug 29, 2012)

maarup said:


> YAAY UPDATES! i love your work, and if ya have nowhere to put those two mighty fine looking volcanoes :mf_dribble: , i will be more than happy to relive you of them ! :2thumb:


lol cheers. I'm hoping to make some in the future for rf members so you can get a good one! The trial attempts are probably going out as garden decorations...:lol2:


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## ticmike (Jun 2, 2013)

This looks amazing, i'm waiting in excitement for the outcome!!


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