Acrylic fabrication questions? I can help!
- Thread starter JohnL
- Start date
Definitely not what I want in the long run. I plan to buy a customs glass or acrylic tank within the next year but for now I figured since I have the materials sitting around (only 1/4" though) I would love to at least get something up and running.
Thanks a lot, I appreciate the advice.
It'll be either acrylic or styrene, and in either case - if you're just worried about it leaching or similar; yep, perfectly fine
HTH,
James
Joel A
New member
two questions.. and sorry if they've already been answered (i'm sure they have someplace..)
I'm making a sump out of an existing 40 gallon breeder.. i want to glue acrylic baffles into the sump, 10"x18" baffles to be exact... i'm wondering a few things..
What material do i use for acrylic to glass? I know silicone is for glass, and weld on is for acrylic, but what about gluing acrylic baffles to a glass tank? Also, How much smaller should i make the baffles compared to the inside measurements of the tank.. for instance if the inside of the tank measures 17.5", how much smaller should i make the baffles?
Finally, I want to order the acrylic sheets online... tapplastics.com looks like a good place, because you can have the panels custom cut for you... but there's a few different "acrylic sheet" options... which one do i want? They list "Clear Acrylic Sheet" or "Acrylite Plus Clear Sheet" ??
Thanks guys!
I'm making a sump out of an existing 40 gallon breeder.. i want to glue acrylic baffles into the sump, 10"x18" baffles to be exact... i'm wondering a few things..
What material do i use for acrylic to glass? I know silicone is for glass, and weld on is for acrylic, but what about gluing acrylic baffles to a glass tank? Also, How much smaller should i make the baffles compared to the inside measurements of the tank.. for instance if the inside of the tank measures 17.5", how much smaller should i make the baffles?
Finally, I want to order the acrylic sheets online... tapplastics.com looks like a good place, because you can have the panels custom cut for you... but there's a few different "acrylic sheet" options... which one do i want? They list "Clear Acrylic Sheet" or "Acrylite Plus Clear Sheet" ??
Thanks guys!
Modest_Man
New member
I actually don't have a reef aquarium but was searching for some answers in regards to building acrylic tanks and came across this area.
I recently acquired three sheets of "plexyglass" as it was listed on Craigslist. They are 4' wide, 12' long, and 3/4" thick. They were originally used as wall dividers in an office.
Using Google and whatnot I've come to the conclusion that they are acrylic and not polycarbonate, which is good, and I'm fairly certain that a sheet of this size acrylic would be cell-cast and not extruded. But I'm not positive and can find no definitive answer as to what the maximum thickness of extruded would be.
I don't have the living space to build a large tank for a while so this is just the planning stages and I'd like to be 100% sure what I picked up will work long term.
So, the gist of it is, is there any way to distinguish extruded from cell-cast?
Here are a couple photos, not sure if they'd help.
The opaque portions simply peel off...
Thanks much, Jamie
I recently acquired three sheets of "plexyglass" as it was listed on Craigslist. They are 4' wide, 12' long, and 3/4" thick. They were originally used as wall dividers in an office.
Using Google and whatnot I've come to the conclusion that they are acrylic and not polycarbonate, which is good, and I'm fairly certain that a sheet of this size acrylic would be cell-cast and not extruded. But I'm not positive and can find no definitive answer as to what the maximum thickness of extruded would be.
I don't have the living space to build a large tank for a while so this is just the planning stages and I'd like to be 100% sure what I picked up will work long term.
So, the gist of it is, is there any way to distinguish extruded from cell-cast?
Here are a couple photos, not sure if they'd help.
The opaque portions simply peel off...
Thanks much, Jamie
Jaime,
Simply by looking at the material and the edges in your pics, I'd guess polycarbonate. What leads me to this is the dark & solvent polished edges and the amount of color to them. It's possible that they are a slightly tinted acrylic, but I don't know anyone who would solvent polish acrylic (maybe it's not solvent polished but that's the look of it)
Extruded acrylic is made up to 1" thick nowadays but that's rather rare.
If you have a micrometer or dial calipers, measure the thickness. If they are .708" +/-.005" then they're most likely polycarb. Cell cast acrylic will vary in thickness up to about 1/16" so if there's no variation in thickness, it's doubtful that they're cell cast acrylic.
Simply by looking at the material and the edges in your pics, I'd guess polycarbonate. What leads me to this is the dark & solvent polished edges and the amount of color to them. It's possible that they are a slightly tinted acrylic, but I don't know anyone who would solvent polish acrylic (maybe it's not solvent polished but that's the look of it)
Extruded acrylic is made up to 1" thick nowadays but that's rather rare.
If you have a micrometer or dial calipers, measure the thickness. If they are .708" +/-.005" then they're most likely polycarb. Cell cast acrylic will vary in thickness up to about 1/16" so if there's no variation in thickness, it's doubtful that they're cell cast acrylic.
troylee
In Memoriam
+1 james... i was gonna say the same thing it looks like polycarb by the edges.... i use it everyday so i have seen my fair share of the stuff....if you could cut a scrap off it where the hole is drilled you can stress test it to find out exactly if iis poly or acrylic....
Modest_Man
New member
Thanks for the quick reply. If it ends up being polycarbonate that would be most unfortunate.
I went and took a couple more photos. I'm not sure but I don't think they're tinted. I could be wrong though. The photos made them look very dark.
A close up of an edge...
Looking through all three as well as I could...
I'll have to pick up a caliper, I've needed one for a while anyways. Though I don't think your numbers are correct with the .708" +/- .005", that wouldn't get me to .75" any way you look at it. Is the variance actually .05"?
Thanks.
I went and took a couple more photos. I'm not sure but I don't think they're tinted. I could be wrong though. The photos made them look very dark.
A close up of an edge...
Looking through all three as well as I could...
I'll have to pick up a caliper, I've needed one for a while anyways. Though I don't think your numbers are correct with the .708" +/- .005", that wouldn't get me to .75" any way you look at it. Is the variance actually .05"?
Thanks.
With only one or two exceptions, virtually all acrylic and polycarbonate under 1" is metric. So when you are buying 3/4" you are actually buying 18mm, and 18mm=.708". Polycarbonate is extruded and is therefore extremely consistent in thickness, hence the tolerance I gave.
Acrylic is clear, almost absolutely clear. The amount of color evident in your pic is one of the things that leads me to think polycarb as it has much more color than acrylic does.
OTOH, your new pic of the close-up does look more like acrylic.
Try carving a slice off to see if you can.
Also drill a hole in it using a new drill bit - 1/4" will suffice, post the pic if you'd like. If it fractures out the back side - most likely acrylic. If it grabs and twists the drill in your hand, most likely polycarb. It's not the perfect way to tell, but it's quick, easy, and usually very telling.
Modest_Man
New member
Thanks for the info.
Here's what it looks like if I try to scrape it with a knife. I get stuff off ok but it doesn't peel off in strips by any means.
Drilled a 1/4" hole through it. Tried to go fast and it stopped the bit. Slowed down my drilling and it was fine.
Front-
Back-
This is just some damage that is on the edge I was drilling/scraping (hence why I picked that edge...) Not sure if it helps at all or not.
Yeah, I'm gonna follow my gut and say it's most likely polycarb. Acrylic would have fractured out the back, the melting in the looks more of polycarb, the drill stopped and twisted in your hand (I'm fairly sure) and acrylic is too hard to carve a piece off with a knife.
I could be wrong, but most likely polycarb
I could be wrong, but most likely polycarb
Modest_Man
New member
Bummer. That makes it unsuitable for making an aquarium.
The cost of a sheet of almost 4' X 12' 3/4" polycarbonate would be fairly high would it not?
The cost of a sheet of almost 4' X 12' 3/4" polycarbonate would be fairly high would it not?
troylee
In Memoriam
i would have to agree with james and juding by the size of the sheet i would also guess it's poly.... a 4x12 of any acrylic is super expensive since it is a special order item....not that they dont make it, but generally you will see lexan in the bigger sizes..... you can always take a scrap and smash it with a hammer to double check... simple test lol.... "make sure you wear saftey goggles in case it is acrylic".....poly will just leave a slight dent and the acrylic will shatter or at least crack pretty good..depending on the hammer lol....
I would like some advice regarding bending acrylic tube. I have 8mm tube and i would like to form it into a circle to act as a spray bar within my skimmer. The question is how do i bend the rigid acrylic tube into a circle. I thought maybe i could heat it and and bend it around a cylinder of the diameter i was after. What temp would i have to heat it up to to get it to bend but not collapse (which i assume would happen if it was heated up too much).
dear all.. i intend to build a 3ft length x 3ft breath x 2ft tall tank. will it be alright if i use 20mm acrylic for the sides and 10/15mm for the base? it will be rested on stylofoam and plywood on top of my DIY stand and strips of 3inches (10/15mm) bracing will be build all around the tank.
As i am staying in singapore, DIY of tank is not encouraged as it is perceived as dangerous and equipments are really hard to get other than the regular drilling tools but i am really determine to prove my friends wrong! :bum: Went to all the major acrylic supplier and they don't have acrylic's top 3 recommended brand but managed to find a brand called Plexi-glas GS! it is suitable for the tank??
I don't have access to a router so all parts will be cut by my supplier to exact dimension. :worried: Can recommend me the best way to prep the edges? will scraping the edges with the back of a sawblade and using of sandpaper be enough?? or do i have to file them? what extent do i have to do it till??
The sides will be assemble first following the base of the tank. How do i ensure that the sides will be aligned correctly?? As i mentioned b4.. i don't have a router to trim the edges so i wanna ensure that all sides are flushed!
thxx! :beer:
As i am staying in singapore, DIY of tank is not encouraged as it is perceived as dangerous and equipments are really hard to get other than the regular drilling tools but i am really determine to prove my friends wrong! :bum: Went to all the major acrylic supplier and they don't have acrylic's top 3 recommended brand but managed to find a brand called Plexi-glas GS! it is suitable for the tank??
I don't have access to a router so all parts will be cut by my supplier to exact dimension. :worried: Can recommend me the best way to prep the edges? will scraping the edges with the back of a sawblade and using of sandpaper be enough?? or do i have to file them? what extent do i have to do it till??
The sides will be assemble first following the base of the tank. How do i ensure that the sides will be aligned correctly?? As i mentioned b4.. i don't have a router to trim the edges so i wanna ensure that all sides are flushed!
thxx! :beer:
jameshongth
New member
It's no joke for building a 3x3x2 acrylic tank. You need at least 2 people, amble space and proper tools to do the job right. Beside that, If you do not have any hand-on on acrylic project before, I would advice you to leave it to the professional.
Here is the link for MAKING YOUR OWN ACRYLIC AQUARIUM http://www.duboisi.com/diy/BNdiytank/bndiytank.htm
Hope it helps.
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