Making a grow chamber

[nahasapeemapetilon]

I am going to be making a really cool growchamber in woodshop this year. Its probably going to be about 3' high and about 2' wide blah blah ya know. I am probably going to use plexiglass on the top and all of the sides. Hoe much does plexiglass cost appoximately. And what sizes of sheets does it come in.

Thanks

 

[Tony Paroubek]

Have a look in your yellow pages under plastic. You will probably find some local places that deal with plexiglass and other types. It comes in many thicknesses and sizes. And will probably be cheaper with greater selection than the local home depot. They can also cut to size as plexiglass is a pain to cut. Also keep in mind when designing: Plexiglass does not make the best material for spanning a wide area horizontally without support, as it tends to sag.

Other options.. plate glass: cheaper and more scratch resistant but heavy and risk of breaking and getting cut.
thin plastic sheeting: cheap, light, easy to work with.. not very fun to look at..

There are other materials also but most are expensive.. polycarbonate, clear pvc, clear vinyl, acrylic
Tony

 

[nahasapeemapetilon]

Thanks, I have considered most of those, I will probably not go with the thin plastic sheeting, seen it, and I want my project to look really nice. I have used plexiglass before although it was pretty thin so it warped and sagged. And I am not good with glass I have broke 3 aquariums already by dropping or stepping on them but luckily all the times my plants weren't in them it was just when I was cleaning them. So I am probably going with some really thick plexiglass.

Later.

 

[borg]

What glue do you use to stick plexi with?

 

[Flip_Side_the_Pint]

when you are bonding plexiglass or acrylic you have to use an acrylic specific cement. You can use WELDON. There are several different weldon cements. If this is going to be your first time working with plexi I would use Weldone #16 as it is thick and won't run. But for stronger joints this is what I do; I clamp the two pieces of acrylic togther and use weldon #3 (weldon #4 has the viscosity of water) the apply it using the Capillary technique. Then let that cur for about 12 hours, overnight. Then when that is cured apply weldon #16 (much more viscus then weldon #3) to the joint to further strengthen the joint.

You can't buy weldon at home depot or lowes, you have to buy it at your local plastics dealer, just look under you yellow pages like Tony suggested.
hth

 

[Flip_Side_the_Pint]

oh yea you're going to need to buy a syringe to apply the weldon, I'm sure they sell those at the plastic store... luckily I have a friend who is a nurse so....

 

[jaje61]

Also, I have heard of the glue fumes affecting Nepenthes inside... Is it difficult to drill some holes and screw the plexiglass on?