Well learned something that will help a bunch of people. Recently started wrapping bow perches and all the books say to use Neoprene as a padding. Well i don't know where these authors live, but in san diego neoprene AIN"T CHEAP. I bought a 3X4 foot square of closed cell foam for 7 bucks. The same amount of neoprene would have cost 125 bucks.
So i soaked some of the foam in water to see what would happen. An hour later it was fine. Didn't soak it up, thats why its called closed cell i guess hehe. It is a bit fragile where neoprene is durable, but as a padding it works great.
Its easy to work with and nice and squishy. By fragile i mean it is easy to gouge it. But that doesnt matter once you have astroturf on it. The foam is the soft fragile part, and the astro turf is the durrable part. Once i get my house back from the renovators, ill see if i can post some pics of what it turned out like.
I bought the foam from the Upolstry Fabirc Outlet, dunno if thats san diego only. And some door mats from Walmart for the astroturf. Note: i had to go to two walmarts and a home depot to find the right kind of astroturf. The second walmart had it.
I had a buddy who owns a body shop make mine for me. Took him 1 hour and about 10 bucks worth of matieral. Just bent the perch (which is made of 3/8ths i think steel stock) into the D. Then straightened the legs, and measured it to make sure the dimensions were right. Welded on a cross bar for strength, then with a hand grinder, ground down as many rough edges as he could. Then took some composite filler, (its just like JB Weld) and smoothed that into the rough parts near the welds. Let it set, then sanded it down nice and smooth. Put a layer of primer on it, then a quick layer of paint so it won't rust, and it was done.
Oh ya, and we sharpened the stakes a bit so it is easier to stick in the ground.
If i had the tools i could have done it. Very happy with it
I would also suggest doing a mold test by placing is in a damp environment with some of the usual "stuff" that will get on it such as bunny blood and mutes etc... The reason Neoprene is used is because it does not mold easily and it IS the perching material not the padding. I personally don't really see the need for something so cushy under the astro turf as it is pretty soft to begin with. If anything I would use some rope under the astro turf to make it sturdy. Anyway, I don't know all the details on your design so I would like to see what the finished product is like. My biggest concern will be stability on the perching material. If it "rolls" on the perch it can cause the bird to become unsure of it's roosting area. Think about what happens when you put a bird on your bare arm(kids, don't try this at home). The flesh under her feet will roll causing her to do what?......that's right....she will clamp down to get a steady perch. If this happens continually on the perch she can start to get foot problems in extreme cases. These are just my observations and opinions as I am no master falconer.....although, I did play one on TV once.... ;D
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines "Give a man a fish, and you'll feed him for a day; give him a religion................ and he'll starve to death while praying for a fish."
You make it sound like im gonna try and make the bird stand on a rolling pin
It is very study, and rolls only when i MAKE it roll which isn't easy. The foam is simply held in place with electrical tape, and the astroturf is held in place with like 8 zip ties. Just to assuage your worries, the buttons are on the bottom and won't be reached by the soft part of the foot. I then wrapped the edges of the turf in electrical tape to ensure a smooth edge.
Not sure how to do a mold test. Mold takes a while to form and i really dunno how to MAKE mold grow. Although the way i see it, mold can only grow if you neglect your gear
Neoprene is a bit pricey. They only time i used it was when i had an old wet suit to get rid of. I certainly won't pay the price for it. If your perches are made of 5/8" steel you should be able to get away with one wrap of the wal mart door matt stuff. The "grass" by itself is sufficient to enlarge the circumference of the perch and will add enough spring to prevent foot damage. San Diego is a pretty dry area. You may not have the problems as other parts of the country with humidity. One thing to be aware of is how wet the perch may get after the bird bathes and hops back on it. A master told met that he had seen several perches that had ice in the rope wraps due to water dripping off of the bird in the winter cold. In San Diego that might cause some dampness and possibly mold. All falconers are scared of mold, and rightfully so. It doesn't do the bird any good at all. Anything that can be done to avoid it keeps you one step ahead in the game!
Post by Master Yarak on Sept 1, 2004 16:03:30 GMT -5
I have used old garden hose to wrap the perch then asto turf on top with wire ties as Ooby stated. Give Weasel heck Ooby he needs it ;D Yarak
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away
Bah, he's got me thinking i just gave asper to the bird i dont' have yet...
Hehe
Im actually pleasantly surprised that it turned out as good as it did. I didn't think i was capable of putting anything together unless it had a minimum of ateleast 1 power cable and 2 data cables, but it looks good
And san diego is considered desert, so humidity is like .... around here. Isn't humidity when it rains? it doesn't rain here much. And whats this snow stuff i see on TV?
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines "Give a man a fish, and you'll feed him for a day; give him a religion................ and he'll starve to death while praying for a fish."
Oh yeah they sell it by the foot but you can only get inches by the hour. And if your on the right street they diliver it buy the truck load (snowplows). you should have seen the entrance to our drive way on christmas day. We couldn't get out for two days. But thats the norm. I was stuck for 6 days one time, not fun at all.
"You're a smart kid Johny, you really are, but as long as I'm around you'll only be second best." The Godfather