Acrylic fabrication questions? I can help!

Hi everyone

I'm new to Reef Central and I've created a post in the DIY section as I'm trying to understand a bit more about acrylic vs glass strength.

I am totally new to this, so it's not a post for those short of patience as I'm probably asking some seriously dumb questions! I am quite confused by all the different advice out there and would be super grateful if anyone with experience of actually building acrylic tanks would have a look at it and comment.

I've had the inevitable "Don't be stupid! Buy it, don't build it" posts, which might actually be sound advice, but I'm the sort of person who'd much rather try and fail than not try at all! I'm sure there are others like that here, although most people can't understand that line of thinking and I've given up trying to explain it to people! :deadhorse:
 
Got a question about acrylic strength as well. I'm planning on building a canopy and attaching an ATI LED T5 power module inside it. The power module is pretty heavy, maybe 15-20 lbs or so. My tank is 36" x 24" x 16", eurobraced, 1/2" thick. Will this be able to hold the weight?
 
I would think so, yes. The weight is going to be spread out by the canopy which I am assuming sits on the corners of the tank, or around the edges. Thus the mass/force is transmitted vertically through the walls of the tank. This is a minimal issue compared to the force of the water pushing outward on the walls.
 
Not sure what you mean. Acrylic is solvent welded, so there really isn't a "cement" per se, at least not one you would want to use for aquarium purposes. Acetone would not be a proper solvent for welding. You need to get Weld-on #3 or #4.
 
I did hear the Astari type acrylic was re formulating to allow for better glueing any body used it yet? Or had any experiences with that brand?
 
Nope. I wouldn't use it, if they are just now saying they are reformulating that tells me that it had problems. Meanwhile, Plexiglas, Polycast, and Cyro/Acrylite continue to be safe bets.
 
Sci Grip is the old Weld-on, so that is the right stuff. But WO-16 is essentially worthless for joint quality. You need to properly prep your edges and use a water-thin solvent weld.
 
FWIW, I repaired a sump that was 6'x2'x2' that was wick-solvent welded using 3/8" acrylic, rough-cut edges (saw cut) and exact fit pieces (meaning no overlap for making a fillet, etc) and not only did one of the vertical seams fail, it snapped clean on the joint rather than breaking the acrylic. Even rough cut edges can be solvent welded decently but you have to use the pins method and allow enough of a soak time (15 seconds) before allowing the 2 pieces to come in contact with each other, or else the joint will be very weak. The same tank (empty) was picked up by the eurobrace and it snapped clean off at the joint also. Even scraping a rough cut edge with a razor blade will get you better results. You don't have to be 100% perfect, but there are ways to reduce your acceptable level of risk.
 
I have an old sump that has some weak joints. I want to add a small piece of acrylic at the joint. It has been empty now for about a year.

What should I use to clean the joint (water mineral deposits)?

Is it ok add a small piece of acrylic at the joint with wo-4?

I'm not sure if the sump is cast or extruded acrylic (it had blue plastic masking). But, the small piece I want to add in at the joint is an extruded shape (right triangle). Is that ok?
 
Use vinegar to clean any deposits off the joint. Prop the sump up a bit and soak a paper towel in vinegar and slap it on there. Ever 5 minutes, pour a small cup of vinegar on the paper towel, repeat that for 20 minutes and then take off the paper towel and clean the gunk off, repeat if necessary. Rinse with water and allow to dry well. Then take denatured alcohol and a cotton cloth and wipe the bonding surfaces of both piece down to remove any grease, fingerprints, etc.

For using WO #4, I would get the joint horizontal (prop up on wood, or just get someone to hold it up for you) and squirt a bit into the joint and quick place the gusset. Or, you can place the gusset, lift it up a bit on one end and squirt in the WO4 along the edge so that it fills in and then push the gusset down. More than one way to do it. This type of repair is where WO16 does work well, because you have more working time

Plastic mask could be either cell cast or extruded, but more likely it is extruded. Most manufacturers do not put plastic mask on cell cast.

Triangle is fine, but is it a true right angle? I bought a bunch for use with WO40 and the were such a shape that there was a cavity left behind them for the 40 to fill in. This would not work for a water-thin solvent
 
Floyd R Turbo said:
Use vinegar to clean any deposits off the joint. Prop the sump up a bit and soak a paper towel in vinegar and slap it on there. Ever 5 minutes, pour a small cup of vinegar on the paper towel, repeat that for 20 minutes and then take off the paper towel and clean the gunk off, repeat if necessary. Rinse with water and allow to dry well. Then take denatured alcohol and a cotton cloth and wipe the bonding surfaces of both piece down to remove any grease, fingerprints, etc.

For using WO #4, I would get the joint horizontal (prop up on wood, or just get someone to hold it up for you) and squirt a bit into the joint and quick place the gusset. Or, you can place the gusset, lift it up a bit on one end and squirt in the WO4 along the edge so that it fills in and then push the gusset down. More than one way to do it. This type of repair is where WO16 does work well, because you have more working time

Plastic mask could be either cell cast or extruded, but more likely it is extruded. Most manufacturers do not put plastic mask on cell cast.

Triangle is fine, but is it a true right angle? I bought a bunch for use with WO40 and the were such a shape that there was a cavity left behind them for the 40 to fill in. This would not work for a water-thin solvent
Click to expand...

Thanks Floyd... Now you got me worried. I did buy some 16 along with the 4...

The triangle rod I got was this http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=24196&catid=440&clickid=searchresults

So if the sides of the extruded triangle are cupped in a little would 16 work or would I need to go to 40?
 
so i built a 40g breeder and had it up and running for a year. decided to cut it down to 8" tall for a frag tank. once i removed the euro brace, i noticed the back piece is now warped by 1.8". any suggestions? usable still?
 
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