# fake rock builds



## 02thompson (Jun 1, 2009)

i am wantin 2 build some fake rocks and wall .has any body got any pics so i have an idea on wot im building cheers


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## kingy2184 (May 27, 2009)

just finished mine but im not happy with it. gonna start over i think: victory:


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## 02thompson (Jun 1, 2009)

*tank*

done a good job of that m8 hope mine looks somethink lyk that lol and do yano if the red heat light areany good for bearded dragons


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## mandi1234 (Mar 13, 2009)

ive done this one, but i cant use it yet because of the fumes, got to leave it a month....ish


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## 02thompson (Jun 1, 2009)

*viv*

good job .a cant wait 2 have a goat building 1 lol how do ya get the structure do you draw it out 1st ???


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## kingy2184 (May 27, 2009)

02thompson said:


> good job .a cant wait 2 have a goat building 1 lol how do ya get the structure do you draw it out 1st ???


must be a well trained goat, i thought they only ate grass???:lol2:


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## 02thompson (Jun 1, 2009)

*viv*

hahahaha a ment 2 say go its this key board lol


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## Mujician (Mar 7, 2007)

While we're at it, i'd like tsome of the finer details of building stuff like this!
I've just ordered 25 sheets of polystyrene!!! My leos are going to get one made for them.
Questions:1- Does it mater what kind of grout I use? (which would be best?)
2- How many layers of grout do i need to put on and why?
3- What kind of paint is best, and does it need to be mixed in the last layer of grout?
4- What do I seal the whole thing with eventually? (Or would there be any need for this if the paint was mixed in the grout?)
5- Do I need to grout all the way around the polystyrene? I.E the bottom, or is it enough to leave the bottom and sides bare? (as this will be touching the side of the viv) (I think I also could have asked - how much does grouting affect the measurements?!!! - How thick will all the layers be?!)
6-As part of the rock thingy I want to make, I want to incorporate a moist hide complete with a lid for some moss - is this okay to do, or will the constant moisture affect the structure in any way?

Sorry for hijacking the thread, but I'm sure you will also find the answers to these questions useful. Thanks in advance, Ben


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## 02thompson (Jun 1, 2009)

*Viv*

Amglad ya put that up lol it will give me an ideai on wot amdoin cheers m8 n wer do ya buy thepoly from n price cheers


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## tracy2009 (Jun 18, 2009)

hi does anyone make these on here and sell them as i want one for my vivarium but arnt very well with my hands. thankz


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## Mujician (Mar 7, 2007)

eBay is where i got mine from, tho it hasnt arrived yet, I'm hoping it'll be here tomorrow. Search eBay.co.uk for polystyrene sheets. There are lots of sheets 25mm thick, but i wanted mine to be thinner, so i found some that were 10mm thick. 25 sheets of 600mmx400mmx10mm cost me 12 quid including postage. 
I am going to fix the pieces together with cocktail sticks. That should keep it nice and steady for when i put the grout on it. I dont like the idea of using any glue really. I would only use aquarium sealant/dow corning but this would be a bit too messy for this job. 
I need answers to my questions!!!!!!!! :lol2: Anyone?


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## Mujician (Mar 7, 2007)

tracy2009 said:


> hi does anyone make these on here and sell them as i want one for my vivarium but arnt very well with my hands. thankz


 It doesnt reall work like that, as they are very much 'made to measure'. It might work if there was someone near you willing to come to your house everyday to check measurements. If you have ever done an airfix model you should be fine coz they're a lot bigger than airfix and polystyrene is cheap! If you make a mistake you can change it!!!


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## 02thompson (Jun 1, 2009)

*Viv*

Never thought about ebay lol al have a look now cheers


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## mandi1234 (Mar 13, 2009)

02thompson said:


> good job .a cant wait 2 have a goat building 1 lol how do ya get the structure do you draw it out 1st ???


 yeh i suppose you could draw it out first, but i just plonked a load of poystyrene on top of each other and glued it with no-nails. i just made it up as i went along...........................im lazy when it comes to drawing things out lol, i just do it and then see what it looks like, if i dont like it i do something else lol.


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## Andi Mack (May 30, 2009)

Mujician said:


> While we're at it, i'd like tsome of the finer details of building stuff like this!
> I've just ordered 25 sheets of polystyrene!!! My leos are going to get one made for them.
> Questions:1- Does it mater what kind of grout I use? (which would be best?)Any non toxic grout is fine, either plain white or coloured (white is cheapest).
> 2- How many layers of grout do i need to put on and why? At least 4, this strengthens the polystyrene and prevents it from warping under heat.
> ...


I'm by no means an expert, am building my first one now, but have answered your questions with info i found out during my own research.

Hope those answers are helpful.

Andi


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## cornman247 (Jun 1, 2009)

kingy2184 said:


> *just finished mine but im not happy with it. gonna start over i think*: victory:


can i have it then?: victory:


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## Mujician (Mar 7, 2007)

Andi Mack said:


> I'm by no means an expert, am building my first one now, but have answered your questions with info i found out during my own research.
> 
> Hope those answers are helpful.
> 
> Andi


Yep thats cool thanks! Its just going to be a bugger when it comes to measuring tho. Especially as i have 'fix-it blocks' in the viv to work around. I just nee to remember to make it 6mm shorter around the sides and where it will touch the blocks! Dammit!!!


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## Andi Mack (May 30, 2009)

Mujician said:


> Yep thats cool thanks! Its just going to be a bugger when it comes to measuring tho. Especially as i have 'fix-it blocks' in the viv to work around. I just nee to remember to make it 6mm shorter around the sides and where it will touch the blocks! Dammit!!!


Yeah, the first time i cut and grouted mine i forgot about the extra thickness the grout would add. 

Luckily i wasn't really happy with the way it looked, so i binned it and started again:lol2:.


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## TonyH1981 (Jul 10, 2008)

you can always file down some of the grout so it fits better


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## Mujician (Mar 7, 2007)

TonyH1981 said:


> you can always file down some of the grout so it fits better


 Yeah, i know! I'll be sanding down the polystyrene too, to make it smooth and stuff.


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## huwjun (Nov 12, 2008)

the materials and the time it takes they would be quite expensive to buy :/
although i am making one now and they are soo easy to make it is surreal lol


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