Help to cut and join wire mesh cage please :)

NVP

NVP

NVP

Soldato
Joined
6 Sep 2007
Posts
12,804
Hi all,

I need to cut about 3in out of this wire mesh cage:

w19f0or.jpg


My plan is to snip the cage wire, sand back a bit of the black paint, and then join it back together... somehow :confused:


I do have a soldering iron that can go to 450c, I also have some strong metal glue/epoxy etc.

As this is a fixing for a basking light bulb, the join will need to withstand high heat, so I think soldering would be preferable.


Q - What type of solder do I need to join this metal together? And will my 450c soldering iron be sufficient?

Bonus Q - Is there a simpler way, I can't think of?

Note: I can't just fold the wires over each other, as I don't want any sharp edges that can cut people.


Thanks :)
 
Last edited:
That sounds like a plan but before you cut it try to solder a piece of the top, too see if you can achieve this. Using a blowtorch would more than likely melt the mesh. Cut the top down to hide the joints
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: NVP
Thanks both, I bought some acid core solder and gave it a go, but couldn't get it to hold... so I gave up and used some black thread to sew it together :cry: and looks better than I expected! Buffed the sharp bits down so nothing is catching... looks good :)

Ggaoqm9.jpg



And here it is inside the cabinet:

E1KTkPx.jpg


Almost finished :) just a few more bits left...
 
bainbridge said:
It looks like there's a halogen bulb in there.

What about replacing with an led bulb and removing the need for a guard?
Click to expand...

It's a special UVB bulb for lizards to bask in, not sure if there are LED versions... but hey ho, all done now :) Thanks
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom