Acrylic fabrication questions? I can help!

[Phixer]

If it's warped and you have enough of it you could thermoform it into a bowfront or cylinder design. I took down a 1700 gal shark tank many years ago. The 4 x 8 sheet is 1.5" thick but was so warped from the pressure it couldnt be re-used for a rectangular tank.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Thermoforming - you mean using a big oven? That would require...a big oven

 

[camaroboy8691]

hey peppie , seen your post about getting acrylic , i got mine from piedmont plastics , the 1" "g" i got came from sacramento cali .... shipping wasnt to bad , but its another option you might have .

 

[peppie]

hey peppie , seen your post about getting acrylic , i got mine from piedmont plastics , the 1" "g" i got came from sacramento cali .... shipping wasnt to bad , but its another option you might have .

Thanks camaro, It is Always good to have a plan B
I have found a local fabricator that is willing to order material for me at a reasonable price.

 

[chriscobb]

it deffenitly aint pretty , but its for me and as long as it all holds together im fine with it the front and one end i did take extra care to tape off and stuff becuase only 2 sides will be seen , the back and other end will get panted black , i still need to bond the top panel on the tank , maybe ill do that one with the sides on top . but i dont think i will, i really contemplated doing the bottom with the sides on top , but it was the wieght i was affrad to lift it all up and then slide it under , like i said , 1 4x8 sheet of this is like 300lbs , its not light

ill never make one of these again thats for darn sure ill stick with metal working


i would like to add some acrylic strips to the inside like gussets , where can i get pre cut gussets ? looking for maybe like 1/2x1/2 angles

Camaroboy....Try contacting Total Plastics down in Harrisburg.....I got a few from them this past summer.....They would also have gotten you your 1" sheets.....

 

[biecacka]

So how is everyone protecting their tank from scratching. I hear that is biggest concern of acrylic tanks-or is it a little over exaggerated?
Corey

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Well during the manufacturing process you leave the paper on until the tank is pretty much set on the stand. As far as from that point on - making the walls of the correct thickness will reduce bowing and thus lower the propensity for scratching from trying to remove algae/coralline.

 

[Muppetkiller]

I got an Acrylic tank about 4months ago. I find it hard to clean and not scratch it at the same time.

I used a magflot but found it was scratching it... so then i got a little white sponge that said to be used on acrylic tanks but find it lets little marks behind.

Last night i used a sharp blade its about 4 inch wide, and was doing a good job. But i stopped after a while cause i thought i best ask here before i go and do the rest. So my question is, is the blade the best way in cleaning the inside off the glass ? or what else can i use?

Thanks

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Are you using a metal blade???? Big no no!!!

 

[biecacka]

Floyd what do you use to clean your tank?
Corey

 

[biecacka]

Floyd what do you use to clean your tank?
Corey

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Don't laugh but I don't have an acrylic tank. I have a glass 120 in my house, and I mainly build sump and filter systems, so while I work a lot with acrylic - I don't build a lot of big stuff. But one of the tank I used to take care of was acrylic, and in that case, I used an acrylic-safe mag float, very carefully. First I would use it with a foam pad under the scraper side to clean most of the loose stuff off, then I would remove that for the coralline. For the really tough coralline I used a Kent wand with the plastic scraper, and sanded it down so that it was more of a point so that it would 'catch' the edge of the coralline to get it off.

 

[jgsensor]

Plastic blade mainly, but just started using a Mr Clean magic eraser works great and so far no problems.

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

I have read that the Mr Clean Magic Eraser works great on getting buildup off of silicone seals in the corners of glass tanks, but I don't know about it's use on acrylic. I would think that it would cause micro-abrasions that you might not be able to see because of the fact that there is water in the tank. Drain the tank and let it dry a bit and you would see swirl marks everywhere, and the micro-roughness would give algae a place to grab hold.

The test would be to test it on an area out of view on the front and then dry it. If it is scratching the surface, you'll see it right away. Actually I would try it on a scrap piece first. Hold on I'll do that and get back to you.

 

[pfoxgrover]

I use magic erasers first, either with my hand or using a thin slice off a magic eraser rubber banded to a mag float. I use three different length kent scprappers for the coraline algae. Watch out for gravel/sand in the eraser. The main thing I do is block the light from the front and side glass with opaque window tint on the top brace around the outside.

I've been keeping acrylic tanks for about 19 years and have never made a scratch so deep that you could see it from about are 12" away when the tank is clean. If you put your nose up to the tank you can find some light scratches, especially when it is dirty.

I plan to try using micro mesh to remove the fine scratches while the tank is full.
-Paul

 

[Muppetkiller]

Yes i was using a metal blade. Only did it lightly then stopped but did not do any damage. Will have to look into getting this magic eraser. I do have a pad that says for Acrylic tanks but like i said im not happy with it.

 

[pfoxgrover]

For the coraline algae you will still need something like a Kent plastic scrapper. For other algae the Mr. Clean Magic erased Original works great. They don't last long so get a few. Don't get the stove or shower one, I think it might be different.

 

[Moffy]

tank breaks apart !!!

tank breaks apart !!!

Hi Acrylics ! And other experts - fish me out of this broken tank phobia that has developed in me !

A friend owned a 7 feet tank with 20" width and 33" height and was his proud possession just until yesterday when we having lunch rushed home to see that the front acrylic main panel has come out !!! The tank was done with 20mm acrylic with a mixture of spartech sheet and some other brand from Taiwan. It was made with wo 40 and was beautifully done seams etc. He had it for like 15 months doing very well ! There was no sign of seams going white or anything . It just came apart with all water out . Lot of damage to his house thankfully no one was near the tank that time so no injury.
The're were only 2 support strips of 3" spaced in the center, it had Euro brace all around. They were all multiple pieces and not a single acrylic piece with cut outs in the center. Moreover the 2 center support strips were glued face to face to the euro brace of the tank and not put on top. So the effective glue was less I suppose. All this we observed after the tank broke .
Can someone tel me why it happened ? I m really looking for this answer ... cheers

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Oh, dang!! 200+ gallons of water can do some serious damage!!

I would say offhand there were a few problems:

1) mixture of materials. Normally not a big deal, but unknown/cheap materials (i.e. NOT spartech polycast or Plex-g) is the first red flag

2) Not constructed properly. A one-piece eurobrace is mandatory IMO. A piece together brace is less effective right off the bat, and then amplify that by making it too narrow and you are setting yourself up for failure. Top that off with butt-joint glued piece-together euro and you're just adding fuel to the fire.

3) WO40 joints are not stronger than solvent welded joints. Referred to in this thread as "cast" joints also. If you search long enough in this thread, you will find James explaining why this is the case, and also noting that cast joints can be done incorrectly - and there is no way to tell until you put water in it and it fails. Solvent joints - you can tell immediately if the joint is good.

4) Too thin walls. This is only slightly important, 3/4 (20mm) material is OK if it were constructed properly in all other area, mainly this would only lead to a tank that woud bow slightly more. If the euro was one-piece and joints were solvent, 3/4" would do fine.

I think all in all, it sounds like the eurobrace is to blame. Someone was trying to save material by not using another 1/2 sheet of material for the top, instead using scraps. The largest stress area in a tank is the corners of the eurobrace. This is why James recommends 2" radius corners. With a piece together brace, it's a sharp inside 90, which focuses all the stress right there. Couple that with a cast joint that is only 3" wide in 2 locations, I would be willing to bet Vegas level money that the euro popped and the bottom & side joints just ripped apart like a zipper.

Sorry for your friend's loss. Sounds to me like the tank manufacturer is going to be getting a nasty phone call and a really bad online review.

 

[Moffy]

Thank you Floyd !

If the tank is made with 20mm material and single piece euro brace but with wo40 would you worry ? Heck it is made of acrylite GP . The size is 100" length , 36" height , 18" deep. It's a beautiful bubble free joint. If there is no whitening at joints it means the seams are safe right ? Me and my friend made it in the garage after lot of practice on the scrap . Its holding great for last 1 month . My pc7518 router and Whiteside bits are not giving me beautiful plane joints to try solvent , the marks are having wavy router marks. I m using spiral up cut 2" long bits. Just tried e everything from slow to medium to fast feed rates.
What would you reckon on it?