DIY top down box

cloakerpoked

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I built myself an acrylic box so that I could get some top down shots. It is ugly as sin, and I would never go selling it, but it is water-tight, and cost me 7 bucks, so I guess I can't complain. Its dirt cheap plexi that I cut with a circle saw (yeah that didn't work as well as I'd hoped) and then learned to score with a knife and break for a cleaner line, super glued to hold it in place, and then siliconed to make it water-tight. Here's some shots of the box and my tank...

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Saltysteele

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couple tips for ya. you can cut it with a jigsaw ( i use a metal/plastic cutting blade), router or table saw with the blade turned backwards.

silicone won't hold to acrylic. you may never have problems, being it won't be holding water like a tank does, but i wouldn't trust it with my cam and lens ;)

for acrylic, use weld-on (chemically bonds)
 
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cloakerpoked

cloakerpoked

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Yeah, I know it won't hold nearly as well, but my camera cost me about $100 new...and honestly I wouldn't mind an excuse to buy a new one :) I just wanted something to get some different shots of my tank with, and this was easiest for me at the time. Never thought about using the jigsaw, but I can def. see where that would work a lot better.

Once I ruin my camera with my bad craftsmanship, I'll do it the right way, and get a camera with a manual focus :)
 

buck50bmg

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i know! right?

i like to go to lfs just so i can look through their viewer boxes :D (not really, but they are fun) :haha:
Hey Saltysteele,

Do you work near Palisades NPP? I did several refuelings when I worked for westinghouse. Nice town. Thirsty Perch....ahhhhh.:feel_good:
 

revhtree

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Looks cool!! Pics look good as well.
 
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cloakerpoked

cloakerpoked

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Hey Saltysteele,

Do you work near Palisades NPP? I did several refuelings when I worked for westinghouse. Nice town. Thirsty Perch....ahhhhh.:feel_good:

Which Westinghouse. My dad works for the Cheswick plant, used to be Westinghouse, now it's Curtiss Wright.
 
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cloakerpoked

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Looks cool!! Pics look good as well.


Thanks, not too bad for my little point and shoot camera we picked up at Target 3 years ago to log significant family events. I think the occasion was my wife was graduating college, so we decided we probably ought to be able to have pictures of it somehow. Now I'd love to have an expensive camera with manual focus, but alas, I just have to keep pointing at different stuff that it will focus on, and then shift it over to what I actually want the picture of. Not an exact science, but it might be if I'm forced to use it for another year or two. :)
 
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