Reptile & Amphibian Forums

if you need to poke some holes in your snake tubs but dont have a soldering iron i figured out through trial and error that a candle and a cork screw work great. wet the inside of the tub, use the candle flame to heat up the corkscrew and then push it through the plastic from the inside and then pull straight out. with some practice you can make a nice 1/4" hole. and if you leave the bits of melted plastic on the tool it only takes a second in the flame to reheat it because the plastic catches fire. the now flaming corkscrew passes through the tub like a hot knife through butter.

the holes arent pretty and it makes tons of plastic hair but it works if your cornsnakes water bowl puts off so much condensation that the substrate is saturated (true story)

also, im sure other tools could be used intead of a cork screw.

disclaimer, dont use your wifes god corkscrew from the kitchen unless you dont mind it being black.

also
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Jake Barney

snakes
2.2. ball pythons
0.2 corns
1.0 bcc
0.0.1 garter
0.0.1 baby snapping turtle

I just use my power drill. As long as you don't press hard on the plastic, it works fine.
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0.1 Peruvian rainbow boa (Amaru)
2.0 Brazilian rainbow boas (Arco, Olho)
1.3.1 Honduran milksnakes (Chicchan, Chanir, Hari, TBA)
1.0 Thayeri kingsnake (Coatl)
0.0.1 Mexican black kingsnake (Mora)
2.7 corns (Cetto, Tolosa, Uce, TBA)
1,000,000.1,000,000 other critters

ditto. and the variable sized bits mean I can do large or small as needed.
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We wouldn't have 6 and a half billion people if you had to be beautiful to get laid.
6.6 African House snakes
3.2 reticulated pythons
.1 corn snake
4.2 Florida Kings
1.2 speckled kings
1.2 ball pythons
0.0.1 Argentine boa

Those stepped drill bits work the best. They are expensive but allow a perfect, burr-free hole in plastic.
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Mark

I guess it depends on how much you value your time. You can buy a usable soldering iron for less than $10. Mine makes nice round holes that are bordered by a ring of the displaced plastic (looks good and no weak spots). A cork screw and a candle might be half of that...and you can't solder with it...

A drill can work on some kinds of plastic, but make sure you do it when the tub is new and it will be less likely to crack.
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What goes up must come down...unless it exceeds escape velocity.

A power drill works very well, and as far as cracking risks on a tub, use a piece of board(soft grain hardwoods such as poplar) that fits the area you are drilling on as a backing to prevent pressure build up and flexing of the tub. I used this technique with great success. Was not using a step bit though. Standard bits work fine if you have the correct sizes on hand.
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1.0 red phase western hognose
1.0 100% het albino columbian
1.0 pastel columbian
0.1 hypo columbian
0.1 guyana
1.2 jcp
1.0 irian jaya
1.3 normal balls
2.2 100% het pied balls
1.0 ghost ball
0.1 100%het ghost ball
0.1 pastel ball
1.0 granite al burm
0.1 granite het al burm
0.1 albino burm
0.2 tiger retics
0.0.1 sulcata tortoise
1.0 potbelly pig (Oscar)
1.0 pug (Frank)
1.1 pit bull terriers (Marlboro & Coco)
1.0 house cat (Kitty)
0.1 wife who puts up with me

>>A power drill works very well, and as far as cracking risks on a tub, use a piece of board(soft grain hardwoods such as poplar) that fits the area you are drilling on as a backing to prevent pressure build up and flexing of the tub.

When I've had problems with drilling tubs, it was usually not that type of pressure issue. At some point the tip of the bit would bite into the plastic, pulling/flexing it TOWARDS the drill and splitting it. A backing won't prevent this as far as I can see. Of course, I may have been drilling larger holes than most people need...
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What goes up must come down...unless it exceeds escape velocity.

Yeah - a step bit doesn't pull like that, much better for the polypropylene plastic that most of those containers are made from. Also works on hard plastics. No backing needed.
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Mark

Yeah, a very inexpensive soldering gun from Radio Shack for example is the ONLY way to go in my opinion. It leaves nice smooth holes, and absolutely ZERO mess to clean up!

~Doug

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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

>>Yeah, a very inexpensive soldering gun from Radio Shack for example is the ONLY way to go in my opinion. It leaves nice smooth holes, and absolutely ZERO mess to clean up!
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>> ~Doug
>>
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>>"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"
>>
>>my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

I think I spent $8 for my solder gun.(it was on sale from $12) I just spent a bit over an hour melting several hundred holes into six different tubs.I have melted thousands of holes with the one solder gun. Yeah, I had to do it in the doorway to avoid setting off the smoke alarm. But I didn't have any noise or mess to deal with. What I found about using a drill was that it was messy, rough edges, and if you didn't use a really nice new bit you splintered the tub. Just my opinion.
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Sonya

I'm not mean. You're just a sissy.
Happy Bunny

I have had people tell me that they thought the holes in my tubs were factory made they looked so evenly spaced and smooth..LOL!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

>>I have had people tell me that they thought the holes in my tubs were factory made they looked so evenly spaced and smooth..LOL!
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>>
>> ~Doug
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>>"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"
>>
>>my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Hmmm. Not so evenly spaced. I get bored and start making shapes....random patterns. I have the 1 1=2 tub, the smiley faces tub, the Dangerous Creature tub......
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Sonya

I'm not mean. You're just a sissy.
Happy Bunny

.
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

OK, OK, I agree that for speed and cost, the soldering iron is the best approach, especially for those baby boxes. And smiley faces just can't be done easily any other way. You guys are hilarious.

I like the looks and function of fewer holes that are 1/4 inch dia vs a whole bunch of smaller holes where the box looks like it was in a shotgun blast zone. For the larger, thicker plastic boxes and 1/4 inch holes, the step bit does an amazing job.

I want you all to be like me and think like me and do what I do.. lol.
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Mark

These are carpentry Forstner bits and can be bought from eighth of an inch up to one inch. The ones I have in the photo are quarter, three-eighth, and one-half inch. With a power drill they will cut a perfectly clean hole in seconds. A small block of wood behind while cutting will help. The holes in the plastic container in the photo are three-eighths inch and I cut that row in about one minute. I have been using Forstner bits for over 20 years and think they are the best. The one thing to remember is never use your cage bits for anything but plastic and they will stay sharp forever.

Kelly