# i thought i would have a go at a homemade viv



## we2kings (Oct 26, 2009)

i saw what people had dun on here so i thought i would have a go 
and this is what i came up with 
i would like to say thanx for all the info people have put on this site :2thumb:


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## haunted-havoc (Aug 6, 2009)

nice one, whats in there?


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## we2kings (Oct 26, 2009)




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## aliconda (Sep 6, 2009)

by the tail in the top right, and the face at the bottom in the middle - i'm guessing beardies??? looks like an awesome job anyway!! congrats:2thumb:


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## we2kings (Oct 26, 2009)




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## we2kings (Oct 26, 2009)




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## we2kings (Oct 26, 2009)

lizards or components


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## haunted-havoc (Aug 6, 2009)

lizards lol

your background puts mine to shame

(goes off to supe up his corn viv)


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## we2kings (Oct 26, 2009)

2 rougth scale plated lizards and <temp>2 red headed agramas which think they are plateds cos they strated to sleep next to the male plated well weird i know


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## we2kings (Oct 26, 2009)

i did over xmas hols this week i am theming nippers tank
they take some man hours dont they


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## we2kings (Oct 26, 2009)




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## Joshuar. (Dec 7, 2009)

Looks excellent mate. Fair play :2thumb:


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## haderz (Jul 20, 2009)

might be hard to clean with all the holes in it


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## we2kings (Oct 26, 2009)

yea it was till i came up with the idea of using a shot gun cleaning brushes they work a treat


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## we2kings (Oct 26, 2009)

and the holes have been great for feeding the the remainig crickets hide in there and the agarmas have worked this out and clean them up


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## Bakerton (Dec 26, 2009)

Hi. I want to have a go at making my own, but just wondered what paints are safe to use? is there any to avoid?


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## RedDragon619 (Jan 1, 2010)

WoW :gasp: :notworthy: Dude great job, i may have a go at that, my mrs wants a :snake: now as i have a Royal so i may make a viv 4 her and save about £100 odd pounds hehehe. ever thought of making some and selling them as i think u would do well of it :hmm:


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## fastflow (Jan 5, 2010)

hi i put these pics using the other halfs user name so i started my owen user name 
paints wise i use water base paint and airbrushed it on and used a low vdc matt varnish but u need to bake it for min 48hrs 
this can be dun by finshing and turning lights up full and a small heater but not let it get so hot u cant touch the inside.

cheers guys i feel quite proud :blush: now 
i would love to do this for a living as i had so much fun doing it and my work has just dryed up but not sure there would be much demand in it 

and normally design theamed paint ball sites and set props eg zombies.aliens.starwars.doctor who.and death u get the idea
but if u think there is a demand let me know and could do removable sceanary as well
and once again cheers


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## Superfreak (Mar 10, 2009)

looks great......very nice background


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## 4ftfreedom (Nov 25, 2009)

couple of questions, bear with me!

where do you get sheets of polystyrene from?
how do you use the grout?
and finally . . . . . . . . . . . will you make me one! :lol2:


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## fastflow (Jan 5, 2010)

u can get poly from bnq
the grout needs 3 cotes 2 rough and then a blending cote 
use your hands is the easyest way but 2nd and 3 wear gloves 

i have now got 4 tanks to build for people :mf_dribble:


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## hutch (Nov 10, 2009)

Fantastic viv mate, inspired me!! so its polystyrene, silicone as glue? 3 coats of grout then varnish? 

Once again... amazing job!!


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## haunted-havoc (Aug 6, 2009)

you an use no nails glue for glue. pva works too, but you have to wait for it to dry which is a pain. expanding foam also works especially well when you want it to seem out to get rid of them 90degree corners. 

having said that no nail and expanding foam are very high in VOC (technical speak for toxic fumes) so i would do it outdoors/in a garage and leave to air out for a while (few days to a week) just for the fumes to go before grouting, but thats just me, you can go straight ahead with the grout and it should stop the fumes

also when sealing it aeration is the key! let the blooming thing air out so it doesnt have any smell at all! for varnish PVA will work for a desert type animal, just be careful with liquids and yacht varnish works for low-mid humitidy and pond sealant/epoxy resin is the don and will seal anything up even if it is submerged in water 

hope that helps people who are asking questions


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## fastflow (Jan 5, 2010)

do not use silicone as nothing will stick to it the best stuff is called joiners mate


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