I have searched for Polished Aluminum in the Vancouver area. Talked to a few metal distributers that have sent me to others but in the end I have found nothing. I am very interested in ordering from Ontario if anyone is willing to split the shipping I would be up for it.

Joe.

My question now is if it is better to go with the hammered finish or the smooth. There is a 3% difference in the reflectivity. But would it be a more natural light scatter. Right now I have simple U shape reflectors made from 24" by 12" aluminum sheets bought at Home Depot.

Not to hi-jack the thread but GSP you have me excited about this project also. I am looking at building a metal brake out of some angle iron to help with the forming.

whats your time worth? if its 10 bux an hour or less, then its worth your time to build it but if u normally make 25-50 bux an hour, I would think twice...But thats just my opinion.

I make quite a bit more than that but I don't see the reasoning behind what my wage has to do with what I would be doing at home on my own time?

To be completely honest, I can afford to buy the Lumenarcs no problem but like the idea of saving money. The finished product some people are getting for half the price looks great.

Sorry, just don't see the link between my income and making a reflector :)

I think he means that what time and effort you put into this is time/effort that could have gone towards something else. In other words, is the money you save by DIYing worth the time and effort it takes to do so? This cost/benefit analysis goes into any DIY project.

I figured that but to me that only applies if I were actually getting paid 24/7 and this was actually loosing me money:D

Otherwise all this is doing is taking away from...sitting in front of the TV, playing video games, maybe going to the bar, Canreef, I don't know...I waste all kinds of time ;)

I bet if I had kids, I would just buy them :smile:

I also hate ordering things from the states and having them shipped. I can't find the mini's in Canada so far and the bigger ones don't fit my canopy.


Man...so many people seem to think this is a waste of time!

Well I don't! :)

I'm very interested to see what you decide to do.

Also,
plutoniumJoe, I'd love to see what you do for the hand brake. I'm not exactly sure how you would make it so the brakes don't interfere with eachother but that said I haven't studied the drawings well or worked out the angles. I've actually thought about working up somthing like this only more elongated for my tank (20L with a 150 HQI) but I never seem to find the time at work. So if you have an idea with the hand brake I'd REALLY like to see it. :) Could do it at home then.

Chris

They called me crazy for doing this:

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/sho...highlight=scan

But if you enjoy it.......... then the time is well spent.

Cheers,
Vic

I'm not saying its a waste of time, I was just wondering if it was worth your time...Dont get me wrong, I love to save money as well but if it a matter of being able to buy the product vs build it myself, I would consider all sides of the equation. I did however, plumb my tank and thought it was a lot of fun. But then again, I cant buy a plumbed tank but I could have hired omeone to do the job.

It is different for me as the more I work, the more I increase my future pay whereas someone with a salaried job will only see instant compensation in terms of overtime or other benefits.

It's only a waste of time if you think it is. I wouldn't make the reflectors myself, but I have 2 kids and not a whole lot of luck when it comes to making things come together and having them look good when all is said and done. But if I had access to the proper tools and materials and the desire, then I might. I DIY some things, I buy others. It's all about what you want to do and know what you can do and know what you probably can't do. I'll say this: now that I have Lumenarc reflectors in my possession, they are a lot chintzier than they look in pictures. Ie., they are just flimsy aluminum polished on one side, bent in a hundred places and then riveted together. I don't see any reason why one couldn't make their own provided they had access to a press and brake, and something to model it after. I say "press" because I think it would look like total crap if you used tin snips to cut the pieces. But the aluminum is so thin that you probably COULD use tin snips. I wouldn't have known how to make my own but now that I see them I bet I could make some if I had access to the proper tools.