glass drilling 101

logans_daddy

logans_daddy

New member
i know this topic has been brought up a few times, and i know different advice has been given. when i built my sump about 6 months ago i used a dremel and a bit to drill the hole. it took quite a while and the hole was less than perfect and the bulkhead to this day is still finicky.

tonight i drilled a 75 aga megaflow that i bought off of a board member to upgrade my 75. since i wanted to make a bunch of changes to my 75 before i upgrade it to a reef i thought it would be easier to just buy another 75(cheap), make the changes, and then swap the tanks. i will use my current 75 as a species tank downstairs in my fishroom.

anyways, i bought diamond holesaws off of ebay for less than $10 for 4(2 30mm and 2 38mm). i used my cordless dewalt 18v drill, made a jig out of scrap wood to hold the holesaw in place(took about 30seconds), and went to town. it took me less than 10 minutes to drill 6 perfect holes.

here is a closeup of a hole. you can see how clean the edges are.

[img=http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/7853/tankjournal032fe2.jpg]

and here is a pic of all holes with some of the bulkheads quickly installed to test fit.



if anyone needs help, or wants to borrow my holesaws you need only ask.

shawn:bum:
 
SIGN ME UP. I have a dremel sitting in my basement waiting for me to get to all of my tanks. I have at least 5 tanks I need to drill possibly more. The only tools I have are the dremel and screw drivers, so my options have been limited. I've done holes before with the dremel, but that was on thinner glass and it took me forever. I was willing to do it with my dremel, but if you can save me like 6-7 hours of drilling, PLEASE.

Jon
 
yeah, i know what you mean. thats why i decided to start this thread. the dremel and glass bit is probably the worse tool for the job. i didnt measure the thickness of the glass i drilled tonight but it was at least 1/4" or 3/8". here is a closeup, you can see the thickness and how clean the cut is.



it was very fast and very easy. i have the holesaws to drill a hole for 1/2" and 3/4" bulkheads. if you need bigger bulkheads you wil need to buy a larger holesaw. i saw them on ebay up to 102mm for less than $15 with shipping.

just let me know when you plan on drilling them.

shawn:bum:
 
Just let me know when your available, lol. This week I can make my own hours, next week classes start and a solid work schedule, so it will be a little rough. I'm just about ready to drill accept I'm not positive where I want to drill in some of them because I haven't figured out exactly how I want to build the internal overflow boxes yet. I have been thinking about posting asking about the black plastic people use as opposed to the clear acrylic. I would rather not have clear acrylic boxes in the corner of my display tanks getting all scratched up.
I always am eager to dive in and do things, but I end up reading, planning, and asking questions for months before I do things. Then I end up never getting anything done.
 
black plastic is a good idea for overflows. it blocks the light and slows algea growth on the inside. and hides the syphon tube. you can find some scraps of it at Kaufman glass, in wilmington. in their scrap bin. more than enough and usually half price for odd size cut offs. they are in the yellow pages. and mapquest.
 
I have seen internal overflows that span the entire back from one side to the other. Could I do just one small box in the corner? or possibly a box in each corner?(would rather one box in each tank.)
 
you can make em any size or location you want, just as long as you have enough "slotage" for lack of a better word, to provide the flow rate of your sump pump. without over topping. thats the nice part of DIY. do it your way.
 
I would just use silicon, they have some specific for aquariums. I can get you the exavt name on the stuff tom. I found mne at my lfs in jersey, but I am sure you can get it around here.

Logans_daddy, you got pm.
 
AGA silicon? I have used that in the past, but others swear there is cheaper stuff for DIYSers. I don't skip out on my tanks to save a tiny bit of money when there are any risks. I actually have some of the glue left and will probably use most of it up the within the next couple of days. I have plans that will involve lots of glue however I'm not sure how much of it I will actually get to do on my current budget.
 
the silicone doesnt matter. it doesnt have to say for aquarium use. just make sure it doesnt have a antibacterial agent(usually bathroom silicone). the GEII(grey tube) works flawless. i actually get silicone from work, cant think of the brand, that actually says aquarium safe on the tube.

shawn:bum:
 
I bought a tube in the past from either Lowe's or Home Depot.. I forget which. But one of the guys in the lab told me it was a safe type. I've just never bought an applicator I guess you call it to push the stuff out. He said he had bought two types he had heard about on RC and one of them smelled really bad and toxic while the other smelled like vinegar. The AGA smells like vinegar and vinegar it's isn't disastrous to reef tanks.(No one pour a bottle of vinegar in there tank and blame me for the results, lol. Just a little bit isn't deadly).

I've just read about using these silicones for glass on glass and the weld on for acrylic to acrylic then realized I've never read about acrylic on glass.

Chris (cmondo) and Phil just came over here a bit ago to check out my set up and plans. I'm headed over there place in a bit to see theirs.

Jon
 
now that you mention it....that is exactly what the silicone i use smells like.

as far as bonding goes, it has been brought up before on this forum. acrylic to acrylic use weldon. glass to glass use silicone. glass and acrylic is a different story. i have had a glass/acrylic sump made with silicone for a while now with no problems whatsoever. others have not had the same luck. i think mmbuna and madtownmax both recommended getting glass baffles for a sump. might be the way to go.

shawn:bum:
 
I was seriously considering that and actually had thought this morning as I rushed off to class I should ask you guys about local glass shops.(perhaps the same place in Wilmington you have been suggesting) Have you seen some of the sumps where they locked the glass in place with what looked like weather stripping?
 
I have heard of a few people using the weather stripping in the fuges. It seems really easy to use, and versitile because you can remove the baffles. I saw one in person about a month ago, and it seemed to be holding up, but he had only had the fuge up for a couple weeks. I am not too sure how it will hold up long term, but I would imagine it would be ok.

As far as the glass goes, I got my baffles cut at Sears, and it was really cheap for the glass. The lady also did a good job cutting it, the baffles fit in nicely. (But it wasn't so easy to get them out when I removed them to put a new skimmer in I broke most of them while trying to get them out)

Chris
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

K
Aquascape feedback
Replies
7
Views
261
katestack
K
H
Purposeful zoa infestation?
Replies
5
Views
313
harriehack
H
G
Starphire or Low Iron Glass
Replies
3
Views
380
griss
griss
A
FS: Leemar Tank w/ Stand
Replies
0
Views
246
AQUA951
A
Rpkneumann
BeanAnimal conversion of an 2005 Oceanic 150 GA Tank - possible?
Replies
9
Views
542
Rpkneumann
Rpkneumann
Back
Top