Posted by:
Chris_Harper2
at Mon Oct 1 22:24:35 2007 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by Chris_Harper2 ]
Expanded PVC is readily available but the price seems to have skyrocketed in the past year or so. But it is still a great material as it is usually light, fairly easy to work with and still not horribly priced. I also really like the colors that expanded PVC comes in, especially the black. I'm not a fan of the color of high impact polystyrene but this alone would not prevent me from working with it or buying a product made from it.
Stackable boa cages are made by several companies from 6mm expanded PVC. Boaphile is probably the most common. If you need enough cages to justify 10 full sheets of material then I'd probably recommend 10mm material as it's a bit easier to work with than 6mm.
One further comment about PVC and other plastics for DIY applications. Since these are not items like plywood that are brought in by the truckload, there tends to be a high price and markup for DIY applications. This combined with the learning curve associated with working with these materials often means that the cost savings of DIY are not as great as when working with melamine or plywood.
I still encourage DIY cages made from these materials but warn not to expect major cost savings over commercial unless building several cages at once. And of course when building your own cages you can get the exact specifications, doors, etc. that you want. There is reason to do it even if you save little money.
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Currently keeping a small collection of various Gonyosoma. Both G. janseni and G. oxycephala.
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RE: Expanded PVC???? - Chris_Harper2, Mon Oct 1 22:24:35 2007