1. Some steps involve power tools. Safety glasses should be worn and other appropriate cautions taken.
2. The glue gun and melted glue are hot and can cause burns.
3. Needles for the syringe are very sharp and have chemical in them. Be careful to avoid sticking yourself with them.
4. The solvent used to glue the plastic should be treated with care. Wear gloves when handling and do not inhale fumes. If necessary, steps involving this chemical may be done under the hood.
Time for each step varies
| Step | Image |
| Using the template as a guide cut acryllic sheeting. Drill the 8 large holes with a hole saw. The three smaller holes were drilled with a 1/2" bit. | |
Screening is cut into 4" x 21" strips, then attached to the acryllic with hot glue. One strip will cover a set of four holes lengthwise. Run a bead of hot glue closely around 1-2 of the holes, then place screening on glue. Screening may be pressed down carefully with fingers or a ball of aluminum foil. Make sure screening is completely sealed by the glue, then trim around edges with the rotary cutter. |
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| Align cage with edge of counter (side with screening attached toward counter). |  |
| Cover a PVC tube in aluminum foil. This will keep the plastic solvent from welding to the PVC form. Place the covered PVC on the plastic sheet parallel to the edge of the counter. |  |
| Being careful to keep the acryllic sheet straight relative to the PVC, roll the sheet onto the PVC. Clamp one end as shown. |  |
| Clamp the other end. |  |
| Contine rolling sheet onto PVC, placing additional clamps at 1/4 turn intervals. Leave remaining sheet loose. |  |
| Turn assembly over, such that loose end is pointing up. |  |
| Overlap secured end of plastic with loose end and clamp. Do likewise on other end, attempting to keep sheet straight. Do not remove clamp holding secured end. |  |
| Slide a strip of PVC pipe (pictured at right) over the cage seam and up close to the clamp. It will not fit tightly due to the clamp on the far end. |  |
| Apply pressure to the PVC strip to prevent it from slipping. Remove the clamp and slide the PVC strip into place. The entire thing will come apart if not held tightly. Several tries and possibly a second person may be needed to correctly position the PVC strip. Continue holding the PVC strip down, remove clamp on other end and slide into place. |  |
| Ideally the loose end of the acryllic sheet will only stick out from the PVC about 1/8" |  |
| Remove clamps not holding the PVC strip. Have Quick-clamps out on counter. Set cage on edge of counter. It is not a very good idea to let go of the cage at this point. |  |
| Attach clamps as shown. The main part of the clamp needs to be on the opposite side that you intend to glue. Place the small clamp on top, medium clamp in the middle, and large clamp on bottom. Position of the clamp handle (heavy part) is important for balance. Incorrectly positioned clamps will cause the assemble to flip off the counter. |  |
| Occasionally it is necessary to fold a paper towel and place under one side of the tube to stabilize the assembly. |  |
| Set up all cages to be glued. Place a paper towel on the floor underneath each cage. Fill syringe with plastic solvent. It is not possible to run the need continuosly up the seam. Instead every couple inches, insert the needle between the layers and slowly squeeze in glue until a continous seam is formed. |  |
| Up to four cages may be assembled at one time. The cages need to be left in this position for 24 hours for the seam to set up correctly. |  |
| After 24 hours, remove clamps and the PVC tube. |  |
| The next step is to add the lid. Cut screening lid out using circle cutter on green mat. | |
| Materials needed to glue lids. |  |
| Place a square of aluminum foil on top of the flower pot. Pressing down gently will leave an indentation to line up the screening with. |  |
| Center screening on aluminum foil. |  |
| Quickly place a bead of hot glue around the top of the cage. The glue gun should be set on a low temperature. |  |
| Center the cage over the screening and press cage down into flower pot. |  |
| Cage pressed into flower pot. |  |
| Allow the glue to set up for about 5 min, then remove foil. The edges of foil are sharp so be careful. |  |
| Check the finished lid for gaps in the glue. Seal with a small amount of glue if needed. |  |