I need some info from someone who has built a sdc and can tell me how and what is the optimal route for construction.

I havent made one but i asked this question before as well. You need to make a wood box big enough to hold you. Caulk it and make it water tight, then use enough caulk to smooth out all edges into smooth bends. Cover this in plastic that wont irritate the skin if youre rubbing against it for a while. I forget the constant temperature you have to maintain, but at a pet store you can get a fish tank water temperature regulator that go up to 25 c, (22 c is room temp) Gotta make sure its soundproof, possibly covering it with the foam egg containers at the grocery store will help. It also has to be tight enough on the door so light doesnt leak in, possibly goin to the dump and ripping the sealed lining off of a fridge door. I forget the water you have to fill it with, but its special in some way, maybe with salt or something im not sure.

[EDIT] Corrected spelling error of a word that was very important.

[This message has been edited by 655321 (edited 06-06-2003).]

[This message has been edited by 655321 (edited 06-06-2003).]

I think its salt you have to add because it increases your bouyancy enough to not touch the bottom. There may be a better chemical.

that sounds like a reasonable answer, i suppose it is salt. Or possibly some high desnity nontoxic liquid chemical, to compliment what you said.

its salt water for the home builder. from what i understand the water needs to be the same temp as your body so u cant feel it. make sure its water tight and the door dosnt have any light cracks. egg foam/ carpet layering will keep the sound out.

just heat it up to a nice warm temperature. Then in time your body will warm it to your exact temperature through diffusion i believe its called? Or is that simply for high density traveling to low density?

Has anyone else seen that Simpsons episode when homer goes on a journey in his Sensory Deprivation Chamber.

lol yeah, but he doesnt hallucinate, he just goes all over town in it. All i remember is that the truck only fits 1 at a time, and he falls out of the repo truck onto the highway, down a hill, and homer exclaims that it has begun to work, then ralphy finds it covered in seaweed on the beach and shows his dad the cop. Also that the hippie puts a cinder block on the door of homers tank for some reason.

Remember folks, you still gotta breathe air

that goes without saying, i imagine air holes in between the egg shell sound proofing. And since its a home job, but you dont want light, i would to it in a dim room, and if you must, stuff the air holes with as much cheese cloth as you can possibly? like 30 airholes no wider than a pencil? Just a thought.

as a curios question:

does the size of the chaber (beyond fitting you) have anything to do with anything?

i dont think it would, though possibly it could be deeper than you, to add some bouyancy perhaps, which is what you want?

I thought that the point of a SDC was to take away all outside stimiulants to the brain(touch, sight, sound, etc)to see what will happen to the brain. Is it true that if you are in there for too long then it screws up your barin and can sometimes do permanent damage because brain activity slows down or something?

solitary confinement can do that after a few days. Theres actually a legal limit on how long someone can be in solitary confinement, not for physical health, but it could make them insane. Floatation tanks are only used for a few hours, plus theyre comfortable, so i dont see why they would do damage. I imagine floating on water feels a lot better than sitting on a cement floor.

Actually i think its more than a few days, you will have to put some research into it to make sure, but i believe ive heard after 1-2 weeks insanity begins setting in.

[This message has been edited by 655321 (edited 06-09-2003).]

If your gonna do it turn off all the lights and put it in your basement and cover the windows. For air you can stick a tube out of the tank but just paint it black