Acrylic fabrication questions? I can help!

[jimmyj7090]

This may not be the best solution (James please correct me if I'm off here???)

I wanted 1/2" threads in my ca reactor which I made of 5" tube with 1/4" thick walls. I drilled and tapped it for 3/4" FPT thread, then installed a PVC 3/4" MPT X 1/2" FPT reducing fitting and coated the 3/4" thread with weld-on #16 so it would be permanantly fixed in the acrylic.

That way the fitting is sealed well in the acrylic, and then I can easily use the 1/2" FPT (and can put a wrench on the hex end of the reducer to hold it steady when changing the 1/2" fitting - thus avoiding putting any significant stress on the PVC to acrylic joint)

HTH?

 

[Acrylics]

I don't see any problem with it Jimmy, if it works :thumbsup:

 

[jimmyj7090]

It's held up perfectly for seveal yrs like that, and been taken apart and reassembled a few times, so I guess it works

 

[melev]

Hey James... I doubt this has been posted in this thread yet, so I'll toss it in there:

If you have a DVD or CD that is scratched and won't work, try an acrylic repair kit. We've done it both with movies, music, and PC programs and it always works.

 

[Acrylics]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13577697#post13577697 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev

If you have a DVD or CD that is scratched and won't work, try an acrylic repair kit. We've done it both with movies, music, and PC programs and it always works.

Yep, I've seen the kits too. Polycarbonate with an acrylic cover, stands to reason

James

 

[not_sponsored]

I was thinking about buying a router table, would a router be able to cut out a shape like this-

or is it basically only good for trimming edges on acrylic?

 

[Acrylics]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13583813#post13583813 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by not_sponsored
I was thinking about buying a router table, would a router be able to cut out a shape like this

Easily

James

 

[cpoll86]

one more question about the table saw.
should i use water to cool it down and turn the teeth backwards??

 

[Acrylics]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13584514#post13584514 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cpoll86
one more question about the table saw.
should i use water to cool it down and turn the teeth backwards??

never and never
Get a decent laminate or finish blade, preferably a triple chip

James

 

[crab0000]

You might have an "electrifying" experience if you try to water cool a table saw!

 

[Mr. Brooks]

Hey guys, I posted this on the reef discussion forum, I was told to post it here.

I've been planning and putting together a 225 (72"x24"x30") centerbraced acrylic SPS tank for a while now. I finally filled it with water a couple days ago. Well I was bummed to find out that the front panel is not thick enough, causing it to bow out a bit. I bought the tank used but it had never been filled with water, had no holes drilled. The front panel is slightly less than 3/4" thick and 30" tall. The back is 1/2" and bows much more.

<a href="http://s60.photobucket.com/albums/h39/thechad21_2006/?action=view&current=FishTankBuild100.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h39/thechad21_2006/FishTankBuild100.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Here's a picture of the tank when it was dry.

<a href="http://s60.photobucket.com/albums/h39/thechad21_2006/?action=view&current=FishTankBuild003.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h39/thechad21_2006/FishTankBuild003.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>


As far as I can tell I have two options:


Option 1:

Leave everything the way it is. Live with the bow and deal with the inevitable scratches on an acrylic tank.

The bow doesn't look that bad when there's not a level up to it, but I have a feeling it'll get worse over time.



Option 2:

Buy a used (but in good condition) eurobraced (no center brace) Lee Mar polished glass 180. The 180 would be 6" shorter (72"x24"x24"). Which would be good as far as being able to light the tank more efficiently, less water for the light to travel through. I might even be able to get by with three 250 watt metal halides instead of of three 400's.

Although I'd be losing 45 gallons of volume (stability), I'm actually putting less of a work load on my skimmer. In theory I'd be able to keep the water slightly cleaner.

The negatives are that there'll be less room for corals to grow out in and less room for fish to swim around. Most importantly though, It may make the tank look disproprtional. The stand is 36" and the canopy is 22". The tank will appear to be shorter than the canopy by 2" (there's a 2" overhang on top and bottom). I'll also have to square the rounded edges on the inside of the stand and canopy to get the tank to fit (acrylic tank has rounded edges). I'll be able to keep my closed loop, but I won't be able to gravity feed my skimmer. The overflow holes aren't set up to do this. It'd be a return to simplicity. I'd just run a pump instead.

So what do you guys think? What would you do if you were me? it won't cost me THAT much more to swap it out, all things considered. Click on my red house to see the journey up to this point. I appreciate your opinions one way or the other.

Also, I've realized it's a bad idea to run your return pump behind your tank, even when you leave a full 12" to get back there. If I swap it out I'll be able to redesign my return plumbing to make it easier to get to.


Here's a pic of what it looks like now, try to imagine what it would look like if the tank was 6" shorter.

<a href="http://s60.photobucket.com/albums/h39/thechad21_2006/?action=view&current=FishTankBuild065.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h39/thechad21_2006/FishTankBuild065.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

 

[Mr. Brooks]

Nevermind, I've decided to live with the bow. Hopefully someone here will give my tank a clean bill of health.. As I don't think there's much I can do about it at this point.

 

[jeffrey_ropp]

Adding a Coast to Coast Internal Overflow

Adding a Coast to Coast Internal Overflow

I've gotten over my fear of working with acrylic (by drilling a couple of holes) and want to try something a little more adventurous.

I have a 48x13x20 and I want to add an internal coast to coast overflow. I mocked up an L shaped piece with cardboard so I know it will fit through the top cut outs. My questions are these:

1) How difficult would it be to bond this to the existing tank using Weld-On?

2) what order would I bond the edges (e.g., back, full-length first?)

3) Anything else I should be considering?

Many thanks,
Jeff (the Map Guy)

 

[cap1956]

Newly purchased used 1/2" acrylic tank 7x2x2 with several white cloudy debonds alond the front top edge. I am unable to stick a pin or razor blade in the joint so bmaybe it is holding after all. I 've read about bonding square tube inside to strengthen this joint. Is it possible to drill a small hole down to the joint and inject weld on 3? Would drilling through the top into the front pain about 1/2" and bonding in 3/16" acrylic rods every 6 inches provide more strength for this joint?

 

[cap1956]

Newly purchased used 1/2" acrylic tank 7x2x2 with several white cloudy debonds along the front top edge. I am unable to stick a pin or razor blade in the joint so maybe it is holding after all. I 've read about bonding square tube inside to strengthen this joint. Is it possible to drill a small hole down to the joint and inject weld on 3 to clear up this area? Would drilling through the top into the front pain about 1/2" and bonding in 3/16" acrylic rods every 6 inches provide more strength for this joint?

 

[melev]

jeffrey_ropp - If you made a mockup that was one piece and it fit, then I would build the overflow as one piece and then glue it into the tank.

I prefer that the bottom be glued to the back of the front piece, so you don't see a seam when viewing the display.

If you end up making it slightly shorter than the length of the tank, the end pieces should be glued behind the front piece as well, so all you see is a clean piece of black acrylic.

You may decide to glue in some small crossbraces inside the box, at least 1" below the height the water pours in. Then you could insert eggcrate to sit on those cross braces to keep snails out of your drain. Of course, if a fish jumps in there, you better be there to rescue it.

It is easy to glue it to the tank itself using the same product. You will need to lay the tank on its back, put the overflow where it will go, and glue it in place. You may need to put something on the box to weigh it down slightly to get a good connection for the full length.

 

[jeffrey_ropp]

Thanks Marc!

When cutting the pieces for the overflow, do I want them to fit snug? Or should there be enough room for the pin/guitar string method?

Can I talk you into cutting the pieces for me?

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[melev]

Jeff, I'm pretty far away from you. Odds are you've got someone in SoCal that would be happy to crank out some acrylic pieces.

I'd cut the front to be what you want to look at, and the end and bottom pieces should be the same width so they glue nicely. The end pieces should be the same height as the front piece, and the bottom piece should fit within those three walls. So it would be 1/2" less long than the front piece, give or take a millimeter.

If this is going to fit wall to wall in the aquarium, you only need the front and bottom piece, and snug would be ideal.

 

[H20ENG]

jeffrey_ropp,
I have added overflows to several tanks over the years. If this is one of your first acrylic projects, I would say simply make the overflow a 5 sided box, drill holes in the overflow and the back of the tank and use bulkheads to attach the OF.

You will have a gasket in the OF and another gasket between the OF and the tank wall, then the BH nut on the back of the tank. The OF is sandwiched with the BH gaskets and seals tight.

A used tank is almost always warped to some degree. To glue acrylic, there needs to be very tight tolerances. If theres any gap at all, it wont glue and it will leak. You will need to test fit, then shave, then fit, then shave, over and over to get a good seam.

You could use weldon #40 (thicker glue), but again it will be tricky, especially bonding vertically and horizontally at the same time.

Use your new skills to make a nice OF, but bulkhead it in place.
Have fun,
Chris

 

[H20ENG]

cap1956,
I wouldnt drill holes to inject solvent. Chances are it wont help anyway.

I would get square stock and glue it in place along the entire seam, not just a 6" piece. Not sure if they make triangle stock or not, may look better. Hopefully though this is under the light hood.

You do have to look for any original glue squeeze out along that joint that would prevent the square stock from sitting tight in the corner. You may have to relieve the edge a bit to allow for this. WO#40 would make this repair easier, but it is a lesson in itself to use.