Jump to content

Cache Builds: A Hammer, A Rock


Recommended Posts

For once, I finally remembered to take photos during the process of building a new cache container. I thought I'd share.

There are (counts on screen) 22 pictures so far, and I'll post them as replies to this message with some explanation of what's going on. I hope someone finds them useful, or at least entertaining.

Edited by Lostboy1966
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
2 hours ago, Mudfrog said:
20 hours ago, Lostboy1966 said:

The wood core of the PVC can be removed. I did so, and threaded it on to the screw. (Anyone see where I'm going with this yet?):

20200621_162434.jpg

 

Nope!  Looks interesting though so I'll be checking back. :)

It tells you in the last post:

 

19 hours ago, Lostboy1966 said:

Mjolnir, the Hammer of Thor

 

  • Funny 1
Link to comment
6 minutes ago, bubbaWMCA said:

I have found many plastic cache containers that were too fragile to pick up or were laying in a crumbled pile. Plastic containers intended for indoor use do not contain UV inhibitors and quickly decompose outdoors.

 

PVC and what appears to be a true Lock n Lock are fragile ?

Oh...I get it...  In your location...

Fortunately, it seems this fun, crafty hide is for the other side of the country.  :)

 

Edited by cerberus1
Link to comment
4 hours ago, bubbaWMCA said:

Plastic containers intended for indoor use do not contain UV inhibitors and quickly decompose outdoors.

 

Like this one of mine that was placed just over five years ago? This photo was taken when I did a routine check four weeks ago:

 

FiveYearOldCache.jpg.c4ea97b1d6b1e017e4b536c2204d27af.jpg

 

UV is only a problem if the container is exposed to direct sunlight. Most aren't, they're hidden inside something or under something.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
1 hour ago, barefootjeff said:

 

Like this one of mine that was placed just over five years ago? This photo was taken when I did a routine check four weeks ago:

 

FiveYearOldCache.jpg.c4ea97b1d6b1e017e4b536c2204d27af.jpg

 

UV is only a problem if the container is exposed to direct sunlight. Most aren't, they're hidden inside something or under something.

I'm about to replace one the same as that (Fernleigh Track #0 -Prelude). Placed 3/2014. It's been exposed to the elements except sunlight. Moisture was starting to be a problem causing a damp log book. It was in a spot that accumulates a lot of water when it rains. When I brought it home a close check of the gasket revealed some minor damage, some small nicks probably caused by grit. I have a new, identical, replacement ready to go. Should be good for another 6 years.

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
On 6/24/2020 at 12:14 PM, bubbaWMCA said:

I have found many plastic cache containers that were too fragile to pick up or were laying in a crumbled pile. Plastic containers intended for indoor use do not contain UV inhibitors and quickly decompose outdoors.

Hi Bubba! Part of the reason I posted this long thread was to share what I've been fighting with for many a hide; how to build a cache that's not just 'a box in the woods' that can stand up to the elements. I find it is not that easy, because as you stated Mother Nature generally does not take any prisoners. I am in SW Connecticut, so the sun beating up my plastic is not so much of an issue (and this cache is hidden in a rock fissure, out of the sunlight). I find water a bigger problem around these parts.

 

If there is a way for water to get into a cache, it will. I have tried attaching something to the lid of a Lock & Lock by drilling through it and sealing the screw hole with various combinations of silicone, epoxy, construction adhesive, bondo, depleted uranium, you name it. Water WILL get in eventually. That is why I tried the fiberboard saturated in waterproofing, then glued to the lid on this one. I figure if the waterproofed fiberboard or the Gorilla Glue fails, the actual Lock & Lock will still be fine, so I can pick it up and bring it back to my shop for repairs. In a perfect world I would have preferred some sort of plastic base instead of the fiberboard, but I work with what I have in my garage at any given moment.

 

Of course, there is always the chance that some bad critter or muggle will wander along and trash it anyway, but that’s the chance we take when placing a hide!

I’ll repost here to update on how the container ages. Fingers crossed!

 

And if anyone is in the area that does not mind the spoilers in this thread:

https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC8VHX5_are-you-worthy

Peace!

Edited by Lostboy1966
Edit for formatting
  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
On 6/26/2020 at 8:55 AM, Lostboy1966 said:

If there is a way for water to get into a cache, it will. I have tried attaching something to the lid of a Lock & Lock by drilling through it and sealing the screw hole with various combinations of silicone, epoxy, construction adhesive, bondo, depleted uranium, you name it. Water WILL get in eventually. That is why I tried the fiberboard saturated in waterproofing, then glued to the lid on this one. I figure if the waterproofed fiberboard or the Gorilla Glue fails, the actual Lock & Lock will still be fine

Good idea - how does the Gorilla Glue bond to the plastic of the Lock n Lock.? We have similar containers here and I've noted most glues just won't hold to it....

I generally try and put the logbook inside a second sub-container inside the main, if water ingress is expected to be a problem, they are much more effective than ziplocks, and don't get caught in the seal of the lid.

  • Helpful 1
Link to comment
1 hour ago, lee737 said:

Good idea - how does the Gorilla Glue bond to the plastic of the Lock n Lock.? We have similar containers here and I've noted most glues just won't hold to it....

I generally try and put the logbook inside a second sub-container inside the main, if water ingress is expected to be a problem, they are much more effective than ziplocks, and don't get caught in the seal of the lid.

I've been out of the game for a long time, and just started hiding again. When I last hid a cache, Gorilla Glue wasn't a thing (at least that I knew about). I scuffed the heck out of the plastic with a 60-grit sandpaper before placing this one. It seems to be holding up OK so far, but let's see what a full round of seasons does to it. Water has a way of finding any weak seam in a container, and once it gets in all bets are off. I once hid a L&L camouflaged in spray insulation foam that held up pretty well (This hack found it: https://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=8adc5e8c-dfa1-4e31-a201-0e319b6c7ae4). I'm hoping the same foaming properties of Gorilla Glue will hold true, as I'm using the stuff a lot on my last few hides. I will update the results here as they come in.

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment

Very nicely made (and welcome back!). If / when I get to a stage where I can place caches, I'm hoping I'll be able to do a bit better than "box in the woods". My personal preference (so far, I'm still new) is for small / regular caches where you can put in some stuff for other people to find, but not too big. Having said that, I've only had the opportunity to go out twice and found three caches, two of which were micro / nano's. Not that I'm complaining!

 

This hobby is definitely helping me to satisfy my creative itch, I'm busy trying to work out how to make interesting things to drop off without putting my budget off too much. So far I'm experimenting with etching aluminium, and I've made some custom stickers to put onto plastic poker chips.

 

Here in Australia it's a bit harder (especially in the Northern Territory where I am) the sun will do a quick job on exposed plastic, termites jump onto wooden crates and muggles would tend to panic if there are ammo boxes left lying around (though I believe there are a bunch of ammo-can caches around here). Are there any recommendations you can make towards cache types? I was looking at tutorials for making fake rocks, but the trick is to make it light enough for people to flip over but heavy enough that it doesn't get blown away by the wind / rain.

 

Your hammer looks awesome! Thanks for the inspiration. :) 

Link to comment
9 hours ago, Lostboy1966 said:

I've been out of the game for a long time, and just started hiding again. When I last hid a cache, Gorilla Glue wasn't a thing (at least that I knew about). I scuffed the heck out of the plastic with a 60-grit sandpaper before placing this one. It seems to be holding up OK so far, but let's see what a full round of seasons does to it. Water has a way of finding any weak seam in a container, and once it gets in all bets are off. I once hid a L&L camouflaged in spray insulation foam that held up pretty well (This hack found it: https://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=8adc5e8c-dfa1-4e31-a201-0e319b6c7ae4). I'm hoping the same foaming properties of Gorilla Glue will hold true, as I'm using the stuff a lot on my last few hides. I will update the results here as they come in.

I haven't used Gorilla Glue until quite recently - and have only been highly impressed with its performance with wood/steel/ABS/PLA plastics, the polyethylene/polypropylene type stuff the food containers are always a challenge - I hope it works out well! Post updates.... :)

Link to comment
56 minutes ago, Unit473L said:

 

Here in Australia it's a bit harder (especially in the Northern Territory where I am) the sun will do a quick job on exposed plastic, termites jump onto wooden crates and muggles would tend to panic if there are ammo boxes left lying around (though I believe there are a bunch of ammo-can caches around here). Are there any recommendations you can make towards cache types? I was looking at tutorials for making fake rocks, but the trick is to make it light enough for people to flip over but heavy enough that it doesn't get blown away by the wind / rain.

 

 

We're in Australia, but Newcastle isn't as harsh at the NT by any stretch.... For micros I like preform containers - they are as waterproof as you can get, and camo well. We've got some that are about an inch in internal diameter, so even fit small swag/TBs. A well sheltered Sistema can last a long time though....

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
1 hour ago, Unit473L said:

I was looking at tutorials for making fake rocks, but the trick is to make it light enough for people to flip over but heavy enough that it doesn't get blown away by the wind / rain.

 

This isn't quite a rock but it's something I made for one of my caches. The log already had a hollow in one end but I bored it out a bit more so the large bison tube was a tight fit into it. To protect the wood, I firstly baked it in the oven to kill any critters that might have been in there and give it something of a toasted appearance, then covered it in several coats of oil-based lacquer. It's placed so that the bison tube end is well hidden under bushes and the remainder is covered with leaf litter.

 

Log.jpg.496fea9ae7f64719f4cd8a0dc67c0744.jpg

 

There's someone in Sydney who must have some rock-cutting tools and has done similar things with sandstone rocks.

  • Love 2
Link to comment
On 7/13/2020 at 4:04 AM, Unit473L said:

 I was looking at tutorials for making fake rocks, but the trick is to make it light enough for people to flip over but heavy enough that it doesn't get blown away by the wind / rain.

Here's one of my rock experiments (7 pics to follow):

First, you need a rock to copy.

20200702_150634.jpg

Link to comment

The logs of the cache with Thor's hammer are a shame. Three out of the four first logs contain exactly one line of log. That can't be everything for a nicely built cache, can it?

And then the cachers wonder why cache owners lose interest in taking the time to create special caches..... :-(

 

"Are You Worthy?" Yes, any cache should be worth more than one line of log. So if I'll ever find the hammer you'll get a (more) worthy log.

Perhaps you shouldn't make traditionals from these nice containers.

Link to comment
1 hour ago, frostengel said:

The logs of the cache with Thor's hammer are a shame. Three out of the four first logs contain exactly one line of log. That can't be everything for a nicely built cache, can it?

And then the cachers wonder why cache owners lose interest in taking the time to create special caches..... :-(

 

"Are You Worthy?" Yes, any cache should be worth more than one line of log. So if I'll ever find the hammer you'll get a (more) worthy log.

Perhaps you shouldn't make traditionals from these nice containers.

I hear you, and I used to have pretty much the same opinion, but I must have mellowed in my old age, lol! I mentioned somewhere in this or other threads that I’ve come out of GC retirement after about 10 years, but before I continue:

 

Disclaimer

What follows here is not intended to bring up any old grognard arguments on how anyone chooses to play the game. It is just some reflections on what guided my decisions to leave/get back into hiding caches. Please do not yell at me and continue to play however you like. Thank you.

So, to continue (speaks in Old Man Voice): “Back in MY day…”  /s

 

When I started playing it was a couple of years before smartphones became mainstream (i.e. you needed a GPSr to play), the game was smaller, logs were longer, and caches were bigger. Micros were mostly limited to urban areas that required stealth to find them, and they also got decent write-ups when found.

 

I think what finally made me decide ‘why do I bother’ was when I had a Log for a hide that was simply “.”. A period, nothing else. Not even a TFTC. I started becoming disinterested and eventually started retiring my hides after not feeling like it was worth keeping up with maintenance. I still had my Halloween hobby to fall back on for tinkering in my garage, and that required far less hiking.

 

Fast forward a decade to the sh*t show the world is now. I needed something to do, and hiding silly stuff in the woods made me happy, so why not give it another go? I have knee problems these days, so I’m not putting out anymore 7-stage Multis. I just post the Traditionals I put a lot of construction effort into as Premium in hopes that I do not get some new player with a free account damaging them. I am not overly concerned about short logs anymore, just so long as the container remains intact.

 

And so long as nobody posts “.” as their log… Man, that one DID tick me off. Otherwise, it’s all good. I look forward to your logs if you are ever in my area, and thank you for your comment!

Edited by Lostboy1966
Edit for layout (and typos)
Link to comment
8 hours ago, Lostboy1966 said:

I needed something to do, and hiding silly stuff in the woods made me happy...

 

I really like this attitude. At the moment, I'm directing my meagre efforts towards making things to drop into caches for other people to find, because that'll both let me exercise my creative muscles as well as my physical muscles. I've been pretty low-key depressed for a long time because all my creative efforts were getting me nowhere - writing, drawing, photography, bass guitar, piano - I'd start having a go, get more depressed and stop. I think I worked out that I'm a hands type person, I like putting things together to create something that didn't exist before. :) 

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...