4.3. General Tips

Except for the copper tubing, the Dirod kit comes with all its parts pre-cut but you may want to smooth the cuts with a little fine sandpaper for cosmetic purposes. The copper tubing should be cut with a tubing cutter, available inexpensively wherever plumbing supplies are sold. The base can be painted with enamel or polyurethane. Stay away from black or metallic paints, however, as the base should be non-conductive. I give mine a couple of coats of water-based polyurethane, but you may leave the base unfinished if you wish. A little acetone will take the writing off of the PVC legs if you wish to do so.

You will also need a strong, flexible adhesive for bonding the various parts together. I have found no equal to "Plumber's Goop". Other "Goop" adhesives will also work. If you want to use other adhesives, it would be a good idea to try them out on scrap acrylic. The bond should be both strong and flexible. Clear epoxy will work in a pinch, but it is much more rigid than Goop. Please read the directions twice through and check your assembly against the figures before gluing anything.