Yo, what's going on SerpaSquad!
Tanner here and I'm back with another conversion project.
You've seen a lot of terrariums on my channel, but I have yet to do anything with a Wardian Case.
In short, the Wardian Case, is the great grandfather of the modern
day glass box hobbies we all know and love today.
These enclosures have a very unique look to them, but buying one today usually costs a pretty penny.
To keep it on the cheap and to repurpose old materials,
I'll convert and old aquarium into a sleek looking Wardian Case.
Let's get to work.
To start we'll need a tank.
For this demonstration, I have an old 20 Tall Aquarium.
This is a nice size because of the height.
It will provide adequate room for the plants that will be housed in here.
You could use any size aquarium that you want though.
The primary modification needed for this build is to create a peaked lid.
I started by measuring the tank and frame, so I can scale glass accordingly.
Based on these measurements, I also made a guide out of corrugated plastic for the side pieces.
You'll see that it's slightly smaller than the depth of the
top frame to account for other pieces of glass.
I traced the outline of these onto scrap pieces of glass with a marker.
I went on to cut the glass like I've shown before.
I put a guide up along the line and offset it slightly to account for cutting tool.
It's oiled to help it glide smoothly over the glass.
I apply consistent downward pressure and make a single pass over the glass.
After that, I use the edge of my workbench to break it along the scored line.
What I ended up with are two identical triangles.
I went on to cut the back piece.
I cut this out based on the inside width of the tank's frame.
Once I accounted for the width, I used the triangles to mark for the appropriate height.
The cut edges of the glass are quite sharp, so I went on to buff them out.
I wet down sandpaper and got to work.
The water keeps glass debris from going airborne.
I also want to include ventilation in the lid.
For that, I marked the guide for the side pieces.
I used a Diamond Tipped Hole Saw to mark for vent holes.
I drilled through the guide.
I attached it to the glass with tape.
I also taped up the back to mitigate blowout.
From there, I filled in the guide with water and drilled away.
As I'm doing this, I'm not putting any pressure on the glass.
I'm letting the weight of the drill do the work.
I repeated this process on the other side piece.
I went back and sanded the openings to remove any sharp edges.
After that, I ran the pieces under water to remove excess debris.
Now that I have the base pieces of glass cut out, I can address the aquarium's frame.
I'll use these Plastic Strips and corners to mimic the quintessential look of a Wardian Case.
The first thing I did was mark for the corner pieces on the frame.
As is, they wouldn't sit flush with the glass, so I removed a few sections of the frame.
I cut along the markings and pulled away the excess.
I scraped off the silicone in these areas.
I repeated this process in the center of the tank for a straight piece of plastic as well.
The last modification I made, which is specific to my vision, is to add a divider in the middle.
I marked for the center of the tank.
I used a fine toothed saw to carefully cut through the frame.
I did this to accommodate a piece of glass that fits in the center.
I used the triangle guide from earlier to mark the top of this piece,
so it matches up with the side pieces.
I cut it out accordingly.
Now I can bring it all together.
First, I put a line of silicone in the bottom of the tank.
I pressed the divider into this.
I ran silicone beads along the sides of the glass.
I went back and smoothed it out with my finger.
I repeated this process with the other pieces.
I ran silicone along the sides and back of the frame.
I applied it to the back of the divider as well.
I pressed a side piece into the silicone.
I ran silicone down the edge of this piece and anchored it to the back piece with tape.
I applied silicone to the back of the other side and secured it the same way.
After that, I went on to add glass to the front.
I put down silicone and aligned a piece of glass accordingly.
I let it all sit for a few hours while the silicone cured. I removed the anchoring tape.
I added a few smaller pieces of glass to the front like before.
I let the silicone cure overnight and removed the tape once more.
Iwent back and removed the excess silicone with a razor scraper.
From here, I went on to cut the plastic trim pieces I showed earlier.
I find it easiest to use the table saw.
To match the rest of the tank, I painted them black with Krylon Fusion Paint.
After the paint dried, I went on to secure them to the tank.
I applied silicone and pressed them onto the glass.
I taped them down while the silicone cured.
You'll notice that I put paper under the tape over the paint, so that nothing was disrupted.
I went on to add pieces to the top as well.
I added two additional pieces of glass to the front to frame in the bottom.
The next thing I'll do is cover the ventilation holes with Knitting Mesh.
I used the hole saw from earlier as a guide.
I cut these out and put them in place.
I taped up the other side.
I applied silicone around the edges and smoothed it out.
Once the silicone cured, I went back and removed the tape.
I also scraped away other bits from earlier.
The next thing I need to address are the doors.
I have two pieces of glass that are slightly larger than the container's openings.
I'll add trim boards and other hardware to the doors to get them to function properly.
I painted all of this to match the rest of the system.
After that, I applied silicone to those trim
pieces and attached them to the sides of the glass.
As I was working through this, I realized I had to double up the pieces where the hinges will go.
I couldn't get them to lay flush with the original layout,
but stacking the pieces allowed me to secure it to the side of the door.
I lined up the hinges and marked for the holes.
I drilled for them, so that the screws didn't split the plastic.
Then, I put the pieces together.
And there you have it, what was once a standard aquarium,
sitting on a shelf and collecting dust, has been transformed into a new Wardian Case.
All in all, I really like how it turned out and I think it has a neat vibe to it.
It's not quite as minimal looking as other enclosures we've used,
but that's what makes these charming.
What do you think?
The design itself is also quite functional.
The doors open and close with ease, which makes it easy to access the plants when needed.
The ventilation will help keep the optimal humidity for the plants I intent to house in here.
That said, these are an optional feature and aren't necessary for humidity loving plants.
The same goes for the divider.
This is not necessary at all, but again,
I'm using this for something very specific and the divider will server a purpose.
I think that's a good stopping point though.
I really hope you all enjoyed this one and learned something new.
Hopefully, this gives you inspiration to bring new life to one of your old aquariums.
This is a pretty easy modification and fun to do.
Anyway, I'll be back next Saturday with something new.
If you want more content,
be sure to check out my second channel for additional items I don't post here.
Links for that, my other socials, and SerpaDesign merch are down in the video description.
Until next time SerpaSquad, take care and peace!