Acrylic fabrication questions? I can help!

Mike,
Any time amigo :)

Khoivo,
Yes, it will, esp over time. The determining factor is what your deflection tolerance is to begin with. For me and that size tank, I'd use 3/4" for the vertical panes and 1/2" for the bottom, but again - just me :)

Mayday,
It has been done and can be done, not sure how they turned out long term though so cannot comment to that extent. I've done it on some tall & narrow tanks using 1/2" 316 stainless rods spanning the tank but these rods also went through the acrylic and angle to provide more structure. Personally, I wouldn't use 304 for saltwater, esp something structural like bracing. 1.5" angle may not be enough either, may need to go bigger on that. Congrats on the tool purchases, hopefully they'll serve you well.

HTH,
James
 
James, I purchased a few acrylic tanks for my setup but also need a 29 gallon tank but the standard dimensions won't fit (30.5" x 12.5" x 17")' in my cabinet. I need to either modify the cabinet or make a 29" x 12" x 18" tank. I guess I'll need 1/4" thickness but is their either a supplier that would either cut the 5 pieces with polished edges or I would have to learn what acrylic to select and how to cut and polish the edges. Also would need to find out the cement (solvent) to use to weld the corners. This may be too many questions to ask you, and if so is there a site I can go to to get the right direction. I'm a DIY guy but never cut or worked with acrylics before (as you can tell by my questions).
Thanks, Jim
 
There are lots of distributors and other suppliers that will do the job for you. FWIW, you'll need 6 pieces for the tank :)
Look in the yellow pages under "plastics, fabricators, finishers, and decorators". These are the folks that actually machine the material to your dimensions. When you buy the material, specify routed smooth with dimensional tolerance of +/-.005" - should be difficult for any half decent shop. Do not use sawcuts, routed smooth will yield the best results and make your first DIY tank go that much easier. They'll probably charge for material and maybe 1/2" hour of labor to do it, well worth it IMO. Also, please please please use only good material; Spartech Polycast, Cyro's Acrylite GP, or Plexiglas G only and in that order of preference.

Do not under any circumstances flame polish the edges prior to gluing the tank. Polishing is done after the whole thing is completed and cured.

We did a thread some time ago called "DIY tank, step by step" or something to this effect. Anyway, it's the only thread here on RC that I've ever started so do a search using titles only with me as author and it should be the only one that pops up. This thread goes through the basics of building just your basic tank :)

HTH,
James
 
Thanks james i will look into 316 stainless and rods the angle i plan on using will be 1/4" thick the table saw is a tannewitz xy model looks like new and milwaukee 3.5 hp router is new got both for under $600 buxs
 
one more question please

one more question please

ok i wil take your advice ,,Acrylic,,,
do you or any body ever use double sheet of acrylic to make it thicker??
i don't have 3/4" acrylic but
i have alot of 3/8" acrylic G ,, would it look ok if i use double shet of 3/8" ?
i like tank size 25x25x20 if possible,,thanks

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13362760#post13362760 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Acrylics
Mike,
Any time amigo :)

Khoivo,
Yes, it will, esp over time. The determining factor is what your deflection tolerance is to begin with. For me and that size tank, I'd use 3/4" for the vertical panes and 1/2" for the bottom, but again - just me :)

Mayday,
It has been done and can be done, not sure how they turned out long term though so cannot comment to that extent. I've done it on some tall & narrow tanks using 1/2" 316 stainless rods spanning the tank but these rods also went through the acrylic and angle to provide more structure. Personally, I wouldn't use 304 for saltwater, esp something structural like bracing. 1.5" angle may not be enough either, may need to go bigger on that. Congrats on the tool purchases, hopefully they'll serve you well.

HTH,
James
Click to expand...
 
Can someone tell me how W.O. 1802 differs from 4 or 16?

Also, the best source for WO 40?

Thx
Chris
 
khoivo,
Do not attempt to "double-up" on the thickness of acrylic, it simply doesn't work on large panels. You can do it on smaller things all the time up to maybe 12 x 12". Try a few small pieces and see how it goes, just for "culture" if nothing else.

Hi Chris,
1802 is MEK, thickened with a resin, made for ABS but works for a number of plastics. IMO doesn't work as well as methylene chloride for acrylic. Thinner than 16 with less bubbles but far thicker than 4. 4 & 16 are made specifically for acrylic and both use methylene chloride as a primary active. If this isn't what you were looking for, lemme know.

Best way to get 40 IMO is to call IPS and ask them who in your area has the freshest batch. If no one in your area has any, you may have to order through Laird, Port, or some other distributor.

HTH,
James
 
dunno if u all saw the aquarium on ebay. i won it. but didnt realize its only 3/4in thick. and 96x44x40 T! but is said to have a metal bracing around it. although it looks like cheap black perimeter that can be found on 10 gal tanks ets. what do u all think? is this a bad buy? bowage?
 
routing question:

I'm looking to route the edges after cutting with table saw. Where can I find a good bit to do this (link) and what is the procedure?

Thanks
James
 
Most decent woodworking stores will have them. I have a Woodcraft local myself. James can rattle off some of his favorite bits I'm sure. I've had pretty good luck with the whiteside ones myself. I purchased a 1/2 straight and flush bits, and although a little pricey, they've lasted me a number of projects. With the prices of acrylic now a days, dropping $40-50 on an awesome bit that won't destroy things seems to be no big deal ;)

What type of router setup/table do you have? I have a tablesaw/router combo. My process is to align the fence (opposite side cutting from the bit, not the kind where the router bit is IN the fence) so that I take off no more than 1/32-1/16th on the first pass. If the first cut leaves the material perfectly smooth, you're good. If not, just take a hair more off. If you're cutting something like the four walls of a tank, do all similar pieces at the same time to ensure they're the same. i.e. if you're cutting the wall height, do the cuts for all four pieces at the same time with the same fence setting. If you have to trim the slightest amount off of one, trim that same amount off of all four.
 
Can't argue with anything Eric said :)
If you are only going to buy one bit, the Whiteside RFT5125 is kinda hard to beat, a 1/2" solid carbide spiral upcut flush trim bit (flushcutter). If well taken care of, it will last *many* projects. I think there's a pic of one in my gallery for reference.

James
 
i need to cut roughly a half inch off of the bottom of an internal overflow. i wanted to use a table saw with a finish blade. any tips or other suggestions.
 
Question.

Have a piece of 4.5" OD 1/4" tubing that appears to be cast. Got Uni-seals but will the material take threads?

Thinking for 1/2" threaded to slip adaptor for making a Ca reactor.
 
Sandman,

Try Micro-Mesh or an Everclear kit for scratches. Micro-Mesh is available at www.micro-surface.com and Everclear is available at www.etr-inc.com
There is also a kit from 3M that I hear about but have never seen so can't say anything other than I hear good things.


cpoll,

Sounds reasonable to me. After you cut it down, tape a piece of 220-240 sandpaper to a flat table and run the bottom over the sandpaper a few times to make sure it's flat and get out any high spots.

das,

1/4" wall takes threads just fine but I've only done it with 1/4" pipe threads so can't say how well 1/2" pipe threads will do but I'd imagine it would be fine. Only thing is the curve in the tube might be too tight for 1/2" threads but really haven't tried it so can't say with much certainty.

HTH,
James
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

E
Neptune DDR diy question for AWC
Replies
3
Views
364
Reefing102
Reefing102
AquaticReefTV
DIY Cable management time lapse
Replies
1
Views
669
S|\/|S
S
E
Wave maker recommendations?
Replies
12
Views
660
ExitTrauma
E
Puffpuffdavis
NEED HELP - Acrylic CRAZING FIX.
Replies
1
Views
449
kfisc
kfisc
A
Fleece filter bypass problems (Innovitech X filter)
Replies
1
Views
230
Vinny Kreyling
Vinny Kreyling
Back
Top