I thought of using water based wood sealer. Its real runny and thin like water. I will run a test this weekend to see how it goes. My only problem with this is that it will have a shiny appearance. I might sprinkle lose peat over the top.

Will unsupported peat stay up. Don't want it to drop when the enclosure is moved.

It would be awesome to be able to do save backdrops like this.

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Hey Jake

I did an experiment a month or so ago, very similar to your 3rd example, but on a much smaller scale. I used two diff types of substrate as tests, so-called 'tarantula peat' and the other was the coconut fibre one. I gave it up then cos when the peat stared to dry out it would 'shrink' n pull away from the glass and either fall over or crack n crumble. Next time I try will make my layer thicker and try compress it more.

There's two other backdrop styles I wanna try out too. The first is the RobC style backdrop that uses polystyrene or packing foam cut to size, smeared in silicone then covered in peat.

The other is your 'DIY' style backdrops with polystyrene n grout. What did u use to seal the grout when u were done?

Thx for this thread, inspired me to keep experimenting
:rock

Those look great, Rob c had something similar on his you tube channel

Nice job :rock

@ Shaun, you brought back some memories from when I was a child.
I was about 5/6 my mom use to build me towns out of chicken mesh and paper massy and dams out of bricks cement, where I could play with my cars and boats on the water noob and things like that, but when you said about the water based wood sealer, used something similar, also a thin runny liquid with wood shaving and made shapes and a tortoise using that stuff and when it dried it become rock hard.
The good old days.

Shaun Wrote:
Will unsupported peat stay up. Don't want it to drop when the enclosure is moved.

Well the peat is still standing and after moving it around for the photo's.
The small tank, with the wood in it, that "backdrop" is a couple months old, I just rehydrated the peat.
That tank was in the process of getting cleaned out, for some reason I forgot about it, it got packed into a box and 4 months later out it came.
The whole thing that got me interested in trying it, is the fact that when I turned the tank upright it stayed in place and it was bone dry and it did not move, crack or break, yes some of the peat did come lose, I even held it upside down to test it.

So That got me thinking.


@ Patrick, I find the first method of coating the design with silicone and peat does not last, eventually the peat starts falling off and you have an almost bear design.
I did one design like that and have never tried it again, I used half a tube of silicone and allot of peat to coat it..

The other designs I have done with grout are sealed 2 ways.
First, is with a external water based paint. I use top paints, Sand coat range.
Second, you get a product that you add to your tile mixture for outside tilling and to make the mix stronger.

So this is a bit off topic, but artist choice. shocked

First photo not so great.
Here is the method where one uses silicone on the design, coated with peat.
This is how it looked when I was done.




This is how it looked after re-housing.



These 2 where painted with water based paint, with the peat thrown onto the wet paint at painted over again.
Repeating the steps 4 times.

I will have to try the grout thing some day


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