Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to show off one of the custom zoological exhibits that I have constructed. This particular one is still in the makings...I have about a day left to finish up carving, and to seal the rock with water sealer. I designed this enclsoure for a person's bearded dragons.. 1.3 I believe.. Everything is synthetic, and was erected by using various materials, but mostly portland cement and high strength mortar, and stains of course.. This particular enclosure is rear accessed, where the door to the enclosure is in a closet behind the wall it is built into. Let me know what you think, sorry for the crappy pics.. they don't show the reddish coloration mimicing the inland australian rock formations...

bob mendyk

what do you think?

n/p

What method did you employ for that texture? Kind of looks like aluminium foil.

hi there,

For texturing the rock, all I use are two different types of trowels; a triangular one and a rectangular one. The rest comes from imagination.. just thinking how it would occur in nature. I am currently studying different rock formations; how they are formed and how they exist in nature, to better educate me in my exhibits and enclosures.

bob

It looks great. I haven't done much of this myself, but I've seen the proccess and the finished product. If you are looing for other techniques, you might try laying sheets of aluminium foil or cellophane on the curing "rocks"; this gives it a look similar to what you did. Also, try sprinkling/spraying with water to give a lava rock texture or throw sand/soil for a sandstone look (rinse after curing). Diluted latex paint can be applied with a sprayer to cured/curing "rocks" for an inert color finish. Have you tried using resins? Resin would be much lighter for these small scale enclosures, but I guess it all depends on what you're trying to acheive. Do you have pix of other enclosures that you've done?

Isaac
1.1 Acrantophis dumerli
0.1 Python molurus bivittatus
0.0.1 Morelia veridis
1.1 Elaphe (panthertophis?) obsoleta lindheimeri
0.2 Bogertophis subocularis
1.0 Pogona henrylawsoni
0.1 Geochelone carbonaria
3.2.1 Phelsuma laticaudal laticauda
1.5.1 Eublepharus macularius
0.0.1 Lampropeltis gutulus hobrooki
2.1.12 Elaphe guttata guttata

>>hi there,
>>
>>For texturing the rock, all I use are two different types of trowels; a triangular one and a rectangular one. The rest comes from imagination.. just thinking how it would occur in nature. I am currently studying different rock formations; how they are formed and how they exist in nature, to better educate me in my exhibits and enclosures.
>>
>>bob

I am new, how did u or what base material did u use...

Thanks

For this one, I decided to use a wooden framework, as opposed to rebar, due to the smaller size of this enclosure. Atop that, industrial strenght metal wiring(kind of like chickenwire) was laid and shaped out to form a rough shape. Next, a concrete mixture; many different mixes can work depending on what you are trying to do, once the mix starts to harden, or cure, I then begin doing the more meticulous part... sculpting a natural looking rock formation out of basically, a big blob of concrete. I don't make any schematics, I build from my imagination.... It's kind of like making a painting, or a sculpture- that's actually what it is I guess- sculpture.. Maybe I'll put some of my works on exhibit at the Met in NYC...lol. Hope this helps.. I will be compiling pics of all of my previous works, along with this particular enclosure's final, completed pictures, within the next couple of days. Thanks for looking!!

bob mendyk