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Rocks: Make your own (005)


Peter_Gun_Riff

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hey PGR,

try a arts and crafts type store, they should have most of the stuff you need or know where to get it

thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

Josh and Evelyn

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Try a builder's supply. That material is often used in insulation in roofs or inside walls (gyprock or some kinds of temperature controlled areas).

You can cut it with a hot knife or a hot wire. We used to have hot wires in a wooden handle, plugged into the wall when we did styro sculpture at school (geez - that was a looooooooong time ago) but you need a lot of ventilation and a little practice as it's easy to stuff up badly. Hot cutting might make it too smooth for this job.

That article looks like he just used knives which is what aided in giving it a very nice, coarse texture which makes it more natural looking, especially after smoothing with a hot air gun.

Cheers - OziOscar.

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Hi All

Contact a Styro manufacturer(you could try concreter or house builder) for block Styro (better than sticking strips together)

Check the opening into the tank so you know how big each module has to be

Shape with Hot knife, Electric carving knife, gas torcher, hot gun, soldering iron or other more messy means (knife, jigsaw etc)

Coat with a bitumus coating like Pabco hydroseal that is marked safe for potable water (human consumption) and then adhere a coating of sand and/or gravel to it

Leave it cure for a few days then rinse/hose it down thoroughly and leave for a couple more days

Place in a test tank with a test fish

If all is good for a few days then your ready to silicone it to the display tank and fill with water

Nothing is ever certain which is why I recomend a test tank

Start small and practice wink.gif

cheers

L2H

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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest BigBwana

This probably will not help you out Pete, but for anyone else thinking of doing this in Sydney, check out ReverseGarbage at http://www.reversegarbage.org.au/ in Marrickville. They have a whole bunch of used materials including styro and I got enough to do three 3 foot tanks for 5 dollars!! They also have an assortment of "wierd" crap that is kinda fun to look through.

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