Cheap Way To Make Natural Ornaments

[fenwoman]

Yesterday I went and bought from the builder's merchants, one large lump of slate. They sell them for only £2.75 a bit so I got the biggest I could carry. This morning I have knapped it into suitable sizes and shapes, knocked and sharp edges off, and as we speak my hot melt glue gun is heating.
You have to play around with the bits selecting shapes, presenting the most attractive sides to show etc. I'm planning on building large rock cave.
Slate sold for rockeries is cheap and very easy to break into slabs, slices etc. You have to knap the edges gently ti make them blunt otherwise they are razor sharp. They had some pretty greenish slate there too but I got the normal dark stuff. Will go and do it and take a picture to show you what I made. For my £2.75 I can make at least 3 of these, more if I make small 'piles' of rock. Let me know what you think.

 

[stang1]

I think it's a great idea. We did exactly the same to make caves for our plecs and they love it. Also brought cheap pebbles to make a background and ornament for one of my fighter tanks and only cost £6, a lot cheaper than buying an ornament and background. Another fighter tank has a slate background and another one has stone. Works out a lot cheaper and looks just as nice.
Can't wait to see pics.

 

[fenwoman]

The coffee mug is in the picture for scale.

 

[F.O.H]

i will have to do that AFTER SPENDING £12 on a couple peices of slate.

 

[The-Wolf]

as we speak my hot melt glue gun is heating.

there is some contension as to hot glue being aquatic safe or not,
personally I'd risk my fishes lives on it.
I'd use a proven safe glue like silicon sealer or wet water sticky stuff.

 

[fenwoman]

Wolf I used the glue gun after I had done research into what I could safely use. If you know otherwise, could you please point me to where it mentions it as when I looked every site I looked on said it was safe.
I can always get some silicone and make some more as I have loads left.

 

[fenwoman]

i will have to do that AFTER SPENDING £12 on a couple peices of slate.

£12??? crikey, do you live in Chelsea? A big rock of slate can be cheaply bought from any builders merchant or garden centre. Mine wieghed about 10kg and was only £2.75.
I was carrying it around while I looked at other stuff and one wag asked if it was a pet rock, to which I replied yes, and it's name was 'Hudson'. Rock Hudson gedditt

 

[fenwoman]

Wolf could you please provide me with a link or links about glue gun glue being toxic please as I need to know whether I should put the stale cave in or chuck it out. All the sites I have read have suggested it is safe.

 

[Lateral Line]

If you search here, there have been several threads about hot glue guns. Opinion seemed evenly divided. I doubt there is a simple one size fits all answer, as there are almost certainly several different types of thermal adhesive being used.

I used to collect broken roofing slates from builders merchants, who were usually glad to be rid of them. Never paid for them. I always constructed with silicone though.