What's new
  • Happy Birthday ICMag! Been 20 years since Gypsy Nirvana created the forum! We are celebrating with a 4/20 Giveaway and by launching a new Patreon tier called "420club". You can read more here.
  • Important notice: ICMag's T.O.U. has been updated. Please review it here. For your convenience, it is also available in the main forum menu, under 'Quick Links"!

The Army Brat Grow Box Builder

SpacedCWBY

Active member
Veteran
I'm a DIY'er. I like to design and build things. Started out with a refrigerator grow box, then, used a 36" base cabinet with an expanded top for lighting and ventilation. All great little creations. Both hold temps as well as humidity constant. But not the best for light leakage. I was growing lowryder and light leaks weren't too much of a concern as the box is way away from prying eyes.

Now I'm finding that what I should have been doing all along was building a multi-chamber cab for all growth phases. I've got 4 troublemakers going now. Nice little bushes, I've trained and topped them well. Would like to keep those going for a few rounds with some little cuttings.

I need to be able to have a good steady supply as my wife is a raging pothead (ok, so it's me too - but it's kinda like the dog farting-point and blame). :pointlaug I don't want to be going out buying shit when I've got a box full of joy on the premesis back home. Seems like if I were caught with a bag, the bastards would find a way into my house. Don't need that. So going with clones to keep perpetuity in my little box of joy, and filling in the gaps with LR seemed to be a good way to go. :joint:


I plan to use 1 can filter and exhaust fan to vent and scrub, one electrical 6 tap (20 amp circuit). I have 2 400w HPS from Inside Sun. One will go into each chamber. 4 4' floro tubes in the little clone area. As for the 400w hps's, I'm upgrading to two 600w digitals from ebay. Found them on there tonight for $165.

The 400's from Inside were good and cheap, $110 each and came with a nice heavy reflector and a good bulb. They are just loud as all get out and I can't deal with it anymore. Magnetics drive me nuts. They'll have to do for now until I get the new ones though.

Before I go any further. The box is 4' x 4' x 5 1/2' tall. A 4x4x4 cube and an 18" mechanical room upstairs that will be partially lined with insulation to cut down on the fan noise.



I'll line the walls and ceilings with white aluminum coil stock. I used to work with it and I know how the sun reflecting off it will blow your eyeballs out. I train plants low , so 30" of space between the soil and the bulb will do. I'll probably end up doing a scrog in there when I get into the cloning mode. If you see any room in my plans for improvement, lend a hand! Kinda like kindergarten all over again.

Here's what I've accomplished so far. I have got the main pieces of the box cut to size already and I put the light trap pieces together last night.

Oh what shall become of you??


2 4' long strips for the light block. One is 3" wide, the other is 5 1/2". Made 2 sets of these.


Caulked the joints after using gorrilla glue (I'm a huge fan) and 2 1/2" drywall screws to put the pieces together.


Ah, caulk is a good thing! Don't let me catch you sniffin' it, I'll have to send you a bill.
 

green_grow

Active member
Veteran
your caulking skills are impressive . i used some sort of black goo in my corners which wound up looking like i had applied it with my ears.
 

SpacedCWBY

Active member
Veteran
green_grow said:
your caulking skills are impressive . i used some sort of black goo in my corners which wound up looking like i had applied it with my ears.

LOL, thanks. It definitely takes just the right touch learned over years. I've probably caulked a few thousand miles worth of joints by now, so I've had some practice.

Thanks for droppin' in. It's a work in progress.

This is gonna be fun.

Spaced...
 

SpacedCWBY

Active member
Veteran
Caught a wild hair up my ass today and decided to get moving on the new box.

Here are some new photos. One or two more afternoons and I'll have it done.

Flowering side


Veg/Seedling/Clone side


Here is part of the light trap and air vent
 

Sleepy

Active member
Veteran
SpacedCWBY said:

I need to be able to have a good steady supply as my wife is a raging pothead (ok, so it's me too - but it's kinda like the dog farting-point and blame).
:pointlaug


hehehe man, that's too much! :yummy: :chin:

nice carpentry!

taggin' along... :lurk: :lurk: :lurk:
 

SpacedCWBY

Active member
Veteran
Thanks guys (gals?)!

Yeah, that was a pretty funny line. I've been on vacation all week so it's been an intoxicating holiday season. Makes for some funny shit at times. She usually wakes me up in the morning tapping me in the face with a lighter.

Here is some other stuff I got done today as well. This thing is heavy! I think that I'm going to put it on casters and figure out a light trap box for side intakes rather than floor vents.

Can't wait to get the white aluminum sheeting on the walls. Think it's going to be a little tricky, but I'll figure it out. Might have to get out the brake and bend some stuff up for this one!

Light trap - just sitting in place here.


Yeah, this ought to be enough room for what I need.


Probably have room in there for two of those. Have to upgrade the fan though...









I hope this is enough space. 10" from clone shelf to bulbs.






Happy New Year!

Spaced.
 
Last edited:

SpacedCWBY

Active member
Veteran
I just found out that I'll have tomorrow off as well, so.......... I'll get the walls lined with the white aluminum and get the doors and light proofing taken care of.

Thanks for stoppin in SoCo
 

SpacedCWBY

Active member
Veteran
Hey mushu - that's some good shit by the way. Have som e :lurk: ... Pass this on down to SoCo. I think sleepy brought his own. edit - Just noticed you had 3 boxes of popcorn... Must have been munchies induced by that huge harvest you just pulled off. Nice grow man.

Spaced...
 
Last edited:
G

Guest

hah, thanks for the munchies, lookin forward to that update after your day off. Im just picturing some plants overgrowing that beast
 

SpacedCWBY

Active member
Veteran
Notta problem SoCo. Kinda like that replicator they've got on star trek. Just push a button and bam! You've got munchies... Now if they'd just put that replicator on the shelves... Nah - we'd be out of a hobby! Would be nice for the dirty old perverts like me though. I'd live in a holodeck world of porn stars and drugs... Ah... Heaven........

As for the future inhabitants of this box... (hence the name "Army Brat" - they're getting bounced around a bit...) We've got troublemaker (hkxmk) from doc chronic. Grow Thread



On the left you've got two confirmed females - just found the nice preflowers adorning their many crotches tongnight. Tied them up all sorts of which ways. Got a lot of tops going on them.

On the right are couple unconfirmed. Pretty sure their boys. Just judging by the structure and how they've grown compared to the girls. They're not really showing yet that I can tell. Maybe another day or two. Either way, I'd like to get some beans of this stuff, so I'll keep the nicer of the two around until I can get some pollen.

Night all.
 
Last edited:

SpacedCWBY

Active member
Veteran
Wow, what a bright s.o.b. I can't wait to get a 600 or 1000 in there. When I first turned the lamp on, I walked away for a few minutes. Came back and opened the door - just about blew my eyeballs out.

Here's some updates of THE BEAST - As named by IrishSoCo. Lives up to it, let me tell you. WAY heavy.

Glad I got the wheels! We're mobile... Lowrydin'


Made some 2'x4' aluminum coil panels. (window and siding trim metal) Hemmed the edges for safety and rigidity. Look at that reflection!


These took a little while. Whole stack of 'em


Blasted caulk all over the walls, I use good shit - like superglue. Tacked a few corners with my paslode nailer just to make sure it wasn't going anywhere.


Put the door on - little tricky - had to use monster bolts to hold it in place without it bending the hinges. 3/4" floor board. Made 2 sheets for it as well. Added 1/4 round trim to the opening and put foam weather stripping around the edges. Couple minor light leaks to deal with - but easily fixed.


I wish you could really see just how bright this thing really is - blows my mind how well that coil reflects it.


This one is pretty cool. You can see right where the sweet spot under that light is that. I'm going to have to spread the wings on the reflector though to even it out a little bit. Kinda like a built in light meter!


Doesn't look too suspicious yet - wait til I add another 18" to the top and start up 2 mag ballasts and a couple fans. Ha! Inlaws coming in two weeks - better figure out security quick!


Later all...

Spaced...
 
that looks pretty sweeet!!! best thing for security would be to stain it and make some false doors as if its a big dresser.
 

SpacedCWBY

Active member
Veteran
Yeah, that might work, eh?

Eventually, I'll have a hidden room down here in the swamp as I like to call it. When my architect sent over a proposed design of our new house (just built - my other project - told you i'm DIY) with 8 x 8 space off the main foundation (as in, a rectangular foundation with a small 8 x 8 room sticking out of one end) I should have taken him up on it. But it actually changed the design of the main exterior that I didn't want to deal with it. Would have been a bad ass room. Totally stealth...

But thanks for the dresser idea. I've seen a few of those on here.

Spaced...
 

invision

Member
everything looks good but i would reconsider your fan, your want to pull two 600watt lights with a 250CFM isnt going to happen, those lights are going to make that box a oven in no time.

your going to need atleast 465CFM cage fan, i may even bump it to a 600 as you want to scrub on the same duct.

just a suggestion for you to think about.
 
Top