DIY Fake Wood...the cheap way!

[SludgeMunkey]

Interesting how boredom, necessity, and a die grinder can result in fabulous things.

Here is the truth. I only use real wood in terrestrial enclosures.
However, living where I live, suitable wood that meets my needs is hard to get.

I needed tree branch like wood with many holes and hides in it. I am also a cheapskate, so I try not to buy the fancy stuff at the pet shops if I can help it.

Anyway, here is what you get with a few scraps of Schedule 80 PVC pipe, a bit of work with a die grinder (or a Dremel tool works too) and a torch (or heat gun). USe carbide steel tips on the grinder.

Cut the pipe to the length you want with a saw. Use the saw to make any large holes or jagged ends.

Texture the pipe with the grinder. If you use a 1/4 inch carbide steel ball tip, you can also make holes and such. Do not use grinding stones- they just clog up and do not work. (you can texture before or after bending, it is up to you)

Heat the pipe at the points you want to bend until it is soft, then bend it into position. Cool it it quickly at the bend with compressed air or a bucket of water.

Once sculpted, this wood is waterproof, rot proof, easy to clean, paintable, and it does not float. It is suitable for both aquatic and terrestrial use.

I know of some Gray Tree Frogs that moved into this stuff about an hour after it was added to their enclosure.

Here is what you get. this is 2 inch diameter sched 80 PVC. It is not painted yet, as I have not settled on a color scheme.

[John]

Johnny, if you make this stuff and put it up here I am sure a bunch of us would buy it. I definitely would. I'd be particularly interested in shorter but wider pieces.

[SludgeMunkey]

That's is easy to do. Schedule 80 PVC comes in diameters from 3/8 of an inch all the way up to 12 inches and lengths of up to 20 feet. One note though, the larger the diameter the harder it is to get good bends.

However, I think I have come up with a way to solve this problem. I have to test my theory tonight on my lunch break.

[John]

Looks like you have a viable side business in the making.

[SludgeMunkey]

The wheels in my head are turning...

Even crazier, I just discovered I can get the pipe in diameters all the way up to 24 inches!

With that range of sizes , heck, one could make a whole dead tree!

I am going to have to crunch some numbers here. Time is the hard part at the moment. However, the long boring winter will be here soon...

[into]

That was an awesome Idea! I never would have guessed those to be PVC pipes. I use PVC pipes for my WTF but with no modification... it looks like he has plumbing in his home I'm floored.

[into]

what kind of paints would be safe to use?

[John]

Johnny, in the mean time would you take commissions?

[Kurt]

Thats simply incredible! You could make a living building enclosures for zoos. I was thinking if you didn't put holes in the pipe, that you make pipe work for filters that would be hiding in plain sight.

[SludgeMunkey]

what kind of paints would be safe to use?

After quite a bit of research on this a while back, I have found that the Liquitex BASICS brand of water based acrylics is safest. For terrestrial use the paint must be sealed with a water based clear urethane sealer, matte or gloss finish. For aquatic use, an epoxy based sealer approved for aquaculture use should be used.
Colors are also important. Green, Blue, red and many yellows should not be used due to the use of amphibian toxic metals as pigmentation.

Johnny, in the mean time would you take commissions?

Yes, I will take commissions. For all members of Frogforum and the Caudata sites these are available at cost +shipping.

I will be honest though, I need a week to get more sizes of PVC. I made these with leftovers from a home remodel project I did last year. Anything over 3 inches in diameter I have to order in, so there is a lead time of a couple of weeks.

I have a horrid work schedule for about the next nine days so I will post up on here when I can start crafting and shipping.

If anyone is interested, please pm me with the sizes you would like.That will make it easier to get the pipe I need. (Length and diameter) I can get all standard sizes of Schedule 80 PVC up to 24 inches in diameter. Anything over 4 inches in diameter has a length limit of five feet. Also the big diameter pipe can get expensive (124USD for 5 feet of 8 inch dia!!!!). I have some contacts in the construction industry I will contact, I bet I can get their scraps for cheap.

Thats simply incredible! You could make a living building enclosures for zoos. I was thinking if you didn't put holes in the pipe, that you make pipe work for filters that would be hiding in plain sight.

Thank you! I agree, sans actual holes that penetrate the pipe, you can do that and more, like hiding wires and such. I can make actual holes or "fake" holes too, so it will look like a rotten log, but the pipe integrity is intact.


If you know any zoos that need an enclosure guy, please let me know...our local zoo is not hiring.

[Kurt]

Our local zoo is in finacial trouble at the moment, but I do have connections over there. So who knows, when things get better they may end up contacting you. Also I did send some of the pictures you posted to my former boss, the curator of live animals at the Museum of Science in Boston and to the director of the New England Wildlife Center. Both men are on vaction at the moment. Come to think of it the only intitution that I have connections to that I did not e-mail was the Museum of Natural History at Harvard University. Their animals are all dead and stuffed. I don't have any connections at the New England Aquarium, but the guys at zoo and the MoS do.

[John]

I have a number of zoo connections throughout the US and I can honestly say I know of none of them that employs someone just to do terraria - that is usually part of a larger job description. In any case, in the present economic climate you'll be hard pressed to find any zoo job. Quite a few zoos have let people go. Dallas Zoo (which is publicly owned - unlike Fort Worth Zoo), for example, is restructuring and turning over management to a private body (i.e. going commercially run) and they're having everyone presently employed re-apply for their own jobs, even the director, in an effort to cut a lot of staff.

[SludgeMunkey]

Yeah...it is fun to dream though...thanks for the information!

I am going to sleep for about 30 hours now...

[frogandtoad]

Goodness Gracious Johnny! How did you work that magic?

[SludgeMunkey]

I admit, I did these over the last week during downtime at work (gotta do something when there is nothing to fix at the shop- think Maytag man!). I had made one last year as an experiment from a piece of scrap. It was not very good. Last week, we had a small electrical fire that warped a piece of PVC pipe for a industrial gluing system. The pipe sagged and bent. It hit me like a ton of bricks...Use a torch to bend the pipe, then carve it up!

My Hyla chysoscelis were suffering a bit due to a lack of hides a suitable branches to roost on, so I went and bought a piece of PVC and took it to work. These were the end result.

Hopefully tonight I can try my hand at painting one up. A double split shift on short notice really screwed up my Vivaria hobby plans the last few days.

[SludgeMunkey]

Here are some more pieces to examine:

These are made from 6 inch PVC. Only thing different on these is a coating of epoxy based texture. These peices are on commission, so this is a an excellent surface prep for painting. (I haven't painted the original branches yet as they are currently inhabited by some very happy Hyla chrysoscelis...and the little buggers do not want to come out of them when the lights are on!)

And here they are again with the first few coats of paint:

[John]

Fantastic as usual, but it's hard to get a sense of scale from those - what size are they? Can you put something like a ruler in the photos? If I were keeping warm-loving toads in with those, I would be concerned that the dark colour would absorb a lot of heat so they wouldn't be inviting hiding places. Are they short enough to fit sideways in a 10 gallon? A 20?

[Wambli]

how much for one that my bullfrog could get into... I would think a 4" pipe... 6" long... how much would you charge... they look great

[SludgeMunkey]

Fantastic as usual, but it's hard to get a sense of scale from those - what size are they? Can you put something like a ruler in the photos? If I were keeping warm-loving toads in with those, I would be concerned that the dark colour would absorb a lot of heat so they wouldn't be inviting hiding places. Are they short enough to fit sideways in a 10 gallon? A 20?

I'll post some "scale" pictures when I return home from work. This batch of 11 pieces ranges from about ten inches to 18 inches.

I too thought of the color issue, however, once the painting is finished they will be much lighter in color. You make a valid point though...I will do some testing in different set ups and lighting with a IR thermometer.

[SludgeMunkey]

how much for one that my bullfrog could get into... I would think a 4" pipe... 6" long... how much would you charge... they look great

Send me a PM, sorry about the delay, last week was an epic overtime week a t work for me.



Also, here are the "scale" pictures I promised, of the 6 inch diameter half logs.

That's a female Bufo nebulifer in the log hide. She is just over 6 inches long nose to vent...


And not to be out done, the males get to try them out too. Sure enough, they like "tree holes"...


The male visible is about 4.5 inches nose to vent. (John, that is the biggest of the males there.)

Since these logs have been exposed to my critters, I am in process of making more of this type over the next couple of weeks. The two inch branch style are in the works too- I am still a bit swamped at the moment.