51 replies to this topic

[klawfran3]

I do need to know though if that spray I have is usable. Anyone have any opinions on it?

[prettycode]

 

 

 

Well to get the rough interior I mixed up some sand an hydro stone and painted that on the inside. It ended up turning out really well.

 

I think this is a great solution. I'm going to do some experiments this weekend. 

 

What I'm going to try is creating a formicarium using clay/hydrostone. The clay will be used to mold the chambers. The hydrostone will be poured over the clay. After the hydrostone dries, remove the clay.

 

Specifically what I'm going to try is mixing sand in with the molding clay. Or pouring sand over the clay chamber molds before I pour hydrostone over it.

 

Hmm... That sounds interesting. The only issue I see would be the difficulty in removing the clay since it would probably end up stuck in little bits on the cemented in sand. Try it and update us on how it worked out.

 

 

Yeah, if the clay doesn't work for that reason (too difficult to clean out of dried hydrostone cast), then I'm going to try a few other substitutes:

 

1. Moldable Plastic (http://www.amazon.co...duct/B003QKLJKQ)

2. Epoxy Clay (http://www.amazon.co...duct/B002QAKT94)

3. Silicone Putty (http://www.amazon.co...duct/B00JIRJBOW)

 

The good thing about these three is that they all harden permanently. Hopefully that means they don't bond permanently to the hydrostone though! Assuming they don't, I'd be able to reuse the molded tunnel/chamber forms--unlike the molding clay. We'll see!

 

 

So the clay worked okay (thanks @Crystals for the oil tip), but the sand-sprinkled-over-clay didn't work to create a rough texture. 

 

Anyone have any idea how to create that natural-looking rough interior texture of the Atom in the pictures I showed? For the life of me I can't figure out how to do it with hydrostone.

 

One option is to "paint" the interior with hydrostone/sand mix. But that seems unlikely if the chambers are very small/hard to get into with brush.

 

Instead of clay, maybe use steel wool coated with a lubricant or oil?

Edited by prettycode, September 3 2015 - 6:12 AM.

[Foogoo]

So the clay worked okay (thanks @Crystals for the oil tip), but the sand-sprinkled-over-clay didn't work to create a rough texture. 
 
Anyone have any idea how to create that natural-looking rough interior texture of the Atom in the pictures I showed? For the life of me I can't figure out how to do it with hydrostone.
 
One option is to "paint" the interior with hydrostone/sand mix. But that seems unlikely if the chambers are very small/hard to get into with brush.
 
Instead of clay, maybe use steel wool coated with a lubricant or oil?

Sorry for taking this thread off topic, I'm all for nest building and experimenting but I wanted to interject that it's a bit disrespectful to be openly discussing the means and methods for duplicating a vendor's product.

I only say this because of how ridiculously small and specialized our hobby is. In the US at least, there's literally only two active vendors, three if you include AntsCanada, dedicated to producing products for rearing long term colonies. Because of that, hobbyists get the benefit of 1:1 interaction and solicitation of feedback. But in the same fashion, I doubt Mack would be happy seeing folks discuss duplicating his products. I imagine Terry and Mikey would feel the same if we referenced duplicating Blue 100 in the food threads or fashioning homemade nests to match the Hybrid nests by name.

Just my thought, let's start a new thread if anyone wants to discuss further.

[Foogoo]

So the clay worked okay (thanks @Crystals for the oil tip), but the sand-sprinkled-over-clay didn't work to create a rough texture.

Good to know clay worked for you. Clay didn't work great for me (Rose Art brand), it did the job but was messy and permanently stained the hydrostone in some cases.

I had good luck with oobleck. I bought mine, but I believe you can make it yourself (basically starch + water). It held together better for me and breaks up in water which helps get it out of crevices.

Edited by Foogoo, September 3 2015 - 12:17 PM.

[klawfran3]

I do need to know though if that spray I have is usable because I won't spray until someone says yes. It's the last thing I need to do before it's finished so if someone would like to answer that would be great.

[spinyeti]

I do need to know though if that spray I have is usable because I won't spray until someone says yes. It's the last thing I need to do before it's finished so if someone would like to answer that would be great.

Yeah it looks fine. Make sure you give your finished work at least a day to off-gas.

[dspdrew]

 

So the clay worked okay (thanks @Crystals for the oil tip), but the sand-sprinkled-over-clay didn't work to create a rough texture. 
 
Anyone have any idea how to create that natural-looking rough interior texture of the Atom in the pictures I showed? For the life of me I can't figure out how to do it with hydrostone.
 
One option is to "paint" the interior with hydrostone/sand mix. But that seems unlikely if the chambers are very small/hard to get into with brush.
 
Instead of clay, maybe use steel wool coated with a lubricant or oil?

Sorry for taking this thread off topic, I'm all for nest building and experimenting but I wanted to interject that it's a bit disrespectful to be openly discussing the means and methods for duplicating a vendor's product.

I only say this because of how ridiculously small and specialized our hobby is. In the US at least, there's literally only two active vendors, three if you include AntsCanada, dedicated to producing products for rearing long term colonies. Because of that, hobbyists get the benefit of 1:1 interaction and solicitation of feedback. But in the same fashion, I doubt Mack would be happy seeing folks discuss duplicating his products. I imagine Terry and Mikey would feel the same if we referenced duplicating Blue 100 in the food threads or fashioning homemade nests to match the Hybrid nests by name.

Just my thought, let's start a new thread if anyone wants to discuss further.

 

 

I completely disagree. I'm all for free markets and open discussion. If a business wants to keep secrets, they are free to do so, but I have no obligation to keep secrets for them.

Edited by dspdrew, September 3 2015 - 6:23 PM.

[klawfran3]

 

I do need to know though if that spray I have is usable because I won't spray until someone says yes. It's the last thing I need to do before it's finished so if someone would like to answer that would be great.

Yeah it looks fine. Make sure you give your finished work at least a day to off-gas.

 

thanks mate. Will do!

[Foogoo]

I completely disagree. I'm all for free markets and open discussion.

I'm not advocating censorship, just respect for vendors. Seems like a double standard (not you drew, the community in general) when the other thread cautions a 3D printed nest too similar to the Hybrid Nest (which is not patented, nor patent pending) while here we're trying to duplicate a nest by name, made by a sole hobbyist, not some corporation.

[prettycode]

 

I completely disagree. I'm all for free markets and open discussion.

I'm not advocating censorship, just respect for vendors. Seems like a double standard (not you drew, the community in general) when the other thread cautions a 3D printed nest too similar to the Hybrid Nest (which is not patented, nor patent pending) while here we're trying to duplicate a nest by name, made by a sole hobbyist, not some corporation.

 

 

I don't want anyone's proprietary methods "outed." Sorry if it came across that way.

 

I have a tremendous amount of respect for Mack and have bought seven Inception Chambers, two Atoms, a Growth Chamber, and one Haven.

 

Everyone who can afford to buy a beautiful formicarium should definitely buy one from Mack instead of making one him or herself. They're very affordable and absolutely amazing. If you go the DIY route, you'll probably never make one as nice, and you'll probably end up spending more money on failed attempts.

 

As a newb to ant keeping, I'm trying to learn any well-established techniques. Would I like to make one for myself as good as THA? Of course! But I don't know what's common knowledge--what the open community already knows that I do not.

 

If someone has proprietary information that's unique and their intellectual property and gives them a competitive advantage in business--obviously don't share that without permission.

Edited by prettycode, September 3 2015 - 8:10 PM.

[klawfran3]

So the spray did not stay on and ended up peeling off easily, even after the curing time. Any other suggestions? This is beginning to become a wild goose chase to find something useful.

[klawfran3]

So just a quick update, I found that the "leak seal" stuff that covers leaks in your roof works marvelously, and is very cheap. It's rubbery and watertight, and has very good coverage, plus doesn't really smell after a day long curation so it seems safe. I'll be testing it out today and update on the results in a few weeks.