Enclosure Design Considerations

[RANT]

I HATE URETHANE! :x

4 coats, and it still feels like one. Maybe "flat" wasn't the way to go after-all (in-store decision), but that's not the half of it. Partly my fault, I was in a hurry to get going after losing a week waiting for weather & other vicissitudes, and put the board on paper without a gap. Yup, the paper stuck to the board, but GOOD. :x I'll deal with that.

This stuff just doesn't do the job good ol' lacquer does.

Spending my day(s) watching urethane dry... (grumble, grumble...)

[/RANT]

It doesnt have much of a build up but it also doesnt need to. It seals well with 3 or so coats. It's a lot tougher than lacquer so it doesnt need to be as thick. If you're at 4 coats I'd say you're good.

Did you sand before sealing?

-Brandon

claudiusx":1otvp855 said:

Did you sand before sealing?

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But of course! And lightly between coats. As Steven Seagal said in Under Siege 2, "This, I was trained for."

It's a lot tougher than lacquer so it doesn't need to be as thick.

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..and as Abdullah retorted in The Ghost and the Darkness, "On that I choose to remain dubious."

I got most of the paper razored/sanded off. Good thing it's the bottom sheet. :roll:

Thinking aloud here, that someone else might benefit from these experiences/proceedings...

I'm thinking now that I probably should have bought a gallon of this stuff. 4 coats on one side, and one coat (so far this morning) on the flipside, and it looks like I'm about halfway through the quart. 5 "sides" to go, 3-4 coats ea. side. I should review the labeled coverage & re-guestimate.

The outside, I intended to stain & finish (Minwax?) including the front 1 x framing.
I already have the sky-blue paint for the top (inside) of the lizard compartment (still need to choose & order a UV-B fixture for cutout size).

claudiusx":211kfp90 said:

It seals well with 3 or so coats.

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"or so?" :roll:

I read the label again after most recent coat. It says 3 coats minimum are recommended, so now I'm second-guessing if/maybe I should put a 5th (or more) on the side that could potentially get lizard whizz exposure (worst case scenario--it'd have to get between the siliconed slate or he'd have to be a contortionist... :dontknow: )

Checked the coverage; it says 100-125 s.f. The board is 10 s.f. , and it's gotten 5 coats so far between the 2 sides, so half the can is in the ballpark if they meant single coat coverage (which they probably did).

I was going to comment on how well I thought the (not cheap) synthetic bristle brush was holding up... until this last coat. All of a sudden, I got bristles sticking out every which way. (Yes, I'm meticulous about brush cleaning & maint. between coats.) It's just weird...
Oh, well.. snip-snip!

OK, so DW helped me carry out the next board & position it on the "bench" in the sunlight. Not supposed to urethane in direct sun (according to the label--UV?) but there's no rule I know of that you can't/shouldn't sand in direct sunlight. Gotta see, right?

So after sanding, I come in the house for a sweat break (it is HOT out there--at least for this old fart), and she asks, "Do you need more light?" :shock:

"Than the SUN?" I replied, "whaddaya got?" :laughhard:

Hahah my wife is like that too. The problem is I'm a wiseguy and cant help make comments like that either LOL.

FWIW, I mount my lights (well at least my heat lamp) in my enclosures once I seal the top (the area I seal the least) and I use the bulb to help heat and "bake" the sealer to hopefully help it cure quicker. Not sure it really helps as it still takes a dang long time, but I figure why not.

Are you using an exterior urethane? I cant remember If you mentioned. Only reason I ask is interior might yellow under the uv light. It shouldn't matter much anyways though.

-Brandon

claudiusx":35jnvyue said:

Are you using an exterior urethane? I cant remember If you mentioned. Only reason I ask is interior might yellow under the uv light. It shouldn't matter much anyways though.

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Yes, it's interior, but I can't see it'd be a problem. The light shows down, the false ceiling that's closest to it is flat sky blue latex wall paint, and the walls will be either painted sky blue, white, or covered with slate backsplash.

I've got the time for everything to cure.

Impatience (and lumbar pain) got the best of me, and I did a thing (not to be confused with the Aussie YT channel).

Got down to near the bottom of the quart can, and instead of dip & spread, I poured & spread. Actually, it worked out much better than I feared. I'll probably do it again on the next coat to use up the last of the can. :dontknow:

I must confess. I do that too.... LOL.

Just dont make the mistake I did once of pouring way too much on. Talk about a gummy mess that wont cure until I've turned to dust lol.

-Brandon

You forget my age/experience. I've already made & learned from that mistake too.

ANOTHER PIC--THE FLINTSTONE-SPECTRUM PLAYSET

Here's a pic of the decorations I've amassed so far...


Back Row: 24" x 7" Cork Round
Middle: Nice hunk-o-granite DW dug up while gardening (been washed, scrubbed, & bleached), slate stone tiles from Home Despot (Nominal: 4"x4", 4"x2", 2"x2") yet to be glued into steps & climbables
Front: (3) shale or hard sandstone BD-sized basking stones from a landscaping place (to go on top of the tiles)

Awesome materials! Cant wait to see what you come up with in the tank.

Granite huh... did you end up getting the ir gun I mentioned? You are definitely gonna want it if you plan on reading temps from the granite. (Emissitivity around .45~ compared to .9 most ir guns are calibrated to)

-Brandon

claudiusx":1hvucppf said:

Granite huh... did you end up getting the ir gun I mentioned?

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It's on the list. Gee, you really do have a patience issue!

Just asking as all you said about it was you'd look into it.

-Brandon

Well, shut my mouth and call me Cornpone. I thought I'd mentioned before we'd checked into it and that it was on the list. My bad. Profuse apologies. :notworthy:

We checked into it. Looked good/made sense, so it's on the list. Thanks again!