Dustin1300
Reefaholic
Thanks!
Join me for a strange one...
- Thread starter kcress
- Start date
Thanks!
Air cured portland concrete (what you guys are using) dries in a somewhat logrithmic time curve. Very quickly over the first few hours and days and then more slowely as time passes.
1 day 15% strength
3 days 40% strength
7 days 60% strength
14 days 80% strength
28 days 90% strength
From 28 days to 100 years the concrete goes from 90% strength to 100% and then starts to decline in strength over the next 100 or so years until it turns back to powder and aggregate
Well put.....most don't understand the dynamics of concrete and refer to it only by one if its ingredients
Dustin1300
Reefaholic
Agreed. This is an interesting one:eek2: Strange one based on the title!
kcress
New member
Yo Dave! They aren't... I've been swamped with work and now that that's easing a bit I've come down with latest cold going around which is kicking my butt. I'm on day three, leaving the sore throat behind and moving on to the debilitating cough and numbing exhaustion phase. :hmm3:
Hopefully this weekend will get things moving.
Yeah, that strength table can easily explain why that edge snapped off in my hand. The layup had probably only achieved a measly ~22% strength.
Truth in advertising!
Now, where's my Kleenex...
Costa reefing
New member
Very nice build!
quick question about the tang though, how did you train it to go through those tunnels?! or did it figure it out itself?
quick question about the tang though, how did you train it to go through those tunnels?! or did it figure it out itself?
kcress
New member
They figure it out in about 1/2 hour. Fish normally check passages out as they might be needed for evasive moves. It's the one edge they can have, because they're "locals", over marauding predators.
Some fish keep local - really local. Some will never check them out and rarely move more than a foot or two from some home plate. But most will check them out.
Some fish keep local - really local. Some will never check them out and rarely move more than a foot or two from some home plate. But most will check them out.
Costa reefing
New member
hmmm. Im thinking of making a fish tank that resembles a hamster cages with all the tunnels now. muahahaha
How is the aquascaping coming along?
How is the aquascaping coming along?
der_wille_zur_macht
Team RC
Not to continue down this side track too much, but I've always wondered - how do you keep those fish tunnels clean? Does a magnet cleaner fit in there?
Vandal996
New member
Wow! I just read the entire thread. Kind of like marathon watching the first seasons of the Sopranos only to find you have to wait for the final season.
You sir are a true craftsman.
I dont have much to add but you did seem to be concerned about chain and sprocket rust. My first inclination was commercial motorcycle chain lube however I believe I have a safer solution for you.
There is a product called Dillon Case Lube available to the ammunition reloading market. I have used it as it is intended and as a release agent when pulling molds from bronze sculptures.
This product is comprised of Lanolin and isopropyl alcohol only. It forms a wax layer that will penetrate into the chain links and rollers and according to Wikipedia, lanolin is also used as a rust proofing agent.
Dillon Case Lube comes a non aerosol pump spray bottle
Check it out.
You sir are a true craftsman.
I dont have much to add but you did seem to be concerned about chain and sprocket rust. My first inclination was commercial motorcycle chain lube however I believe I have a safer solution for you.
There is a product called Dillon Case Lube available to the ammunition reloading market. I have used it as it is intended and as a release agent when pulling molds from bronze sculptures.
This product is comprised of Lanolin and isopropyl alcohol only. It forms a wax layer that will penetrate into the chain links and rollers and according to Wikipedia, lanolin is also used as a rust proofing agent.
Dillon Case Lube comes a non aerosol pump spray bottle
Check it out.
kcress
New member
Since they don't have a bunch of light in them they don't grow toooo fast. But yes they can be a bit of a pain. I just pull them once in a looong while and set them upside down in a utility sink. Then fill them with HOT water. I just mechanically scrub them with yards sticks and paper towel, and coat hangers with paper towel, and paper towel with paper towel. Then I reinstall them.
I have the two. And while the all clear one is realllly cool when clean the one I made black on the back stays looking clean for 3x as long.
The easiest would be to make them all black except for the front face. Then use a magnet on that face. That would probably be the easiest. The black back ground can really show the fish off nicely too. (Yellow Tang)
Thanks for the complement. Yes, patience is a virtue..
I'll check that Dillon Case Lube. I always thought the Dillon presses were da'bom.
Thanks.
kcress
New member
Today I started thinking about the neat MMLR tahiriqbal showed me. That stuff is fired ceramic, which I could do, as I have access to a lot of BIG kilns, but what a pain..
Anyway, I was very surprised to find that my existing big panel seems to have gotten more brittle. I assumed it would be about 4x stronger than it was when I accidentally snapped off that edge. Just moving it today I broke off all three corners.
It's still strong enough, I believe, to proceed, I just need to handle it more carefully. I decided to next do the panel bordered by the overflow. That will give me a panel with a right angle that should be able to freely stand on its own using the angle. I framed a side in and the limit edges.
I want to implement projecting interlaced horizontal shelves
I'm considering making the shelves from pre-cast pieces so I don't have to use large amounts of "space holder" while trying to form them wet.
My concern is that my existing pieces have 'human flat' sides which will look fishy to a wild reef. I'm considering breaking up my first panel to use the pieces for the shelving but I'll have the 'flat' problem with it all.
Any bright ideas out there?
Here's a close up of the idea. I think about 15 more pieces of various sizes.
Anyway, I was very surprised to find that my existing big panel seems to have gotten more brittle. I assumed it would be about 4x stronger than it was when I accidentally snapped off that edge. Just moving it today I broke off all three corners.
It's still strong enough, I believe, to proceed, I just need to handle it more carefully. I decided to next do the panel bordered by the overflow. That will give me a panel with a right angle that should be able to freely stand on its own using the angle. I framed a side in and the limit edges.
I want to implement projecting interlaced horizontal shelves
I'm considering making the shelves from pre-cast pieces so I don't have to use large amounts of "space holder" while trying to form them wet.
My concern is that my existing pieces have 'human flat' sides which will look fishy to a wild reef. I'm considering breaking up my first panel to use the pieces for the shelving but I'll have the 'flat' problem with it all.
Any bright ideas out there?
Here's a close up of the idea. I think about 15 more pieces of various sizes.
reeftanknewbie
New member
you could try and use sand on the bottom so that you can vary the shapes and keep them from having a flat bottom.
BeanAnimal
Premium Member
They make a good progressive...but the Hornady single stage is hard to beat.
BeanAnimal
Premium Member
I am not so sure you are going to have the strength for shelves... what percentage of portland are you using?
For the uprights... you can make halves and cement them together while they are still green. It may be easier than making a form.
For the uprights... you can make halves and cement them together while they are still green. It may be easier than making a form.
kcress
New member
Bean; I really like my RCBS press.
I was using the 1 part in five Portland. 1:2:2 Portland
yster
erlite.
With the experience I'm having on this I'm planning on upping things to 2:2:2.
I was wondering if green would take to cement gluing... But, as you see I already have the form.
I was using the 1 part in five Portland. 1:2:2 Portland
ystererlite.With the experience I'm having on this I'm planning on upping things to 2:2:2.
I was wondering if green would take to cement gluing... But, as you see I already have the form.
Kcress, Reeftanknewbie may be talking about something like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFPebEdEoMA
A local reefer did it and seemed happy with the results.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFPebEdEoMA
A local reefer did it and seemed happy with the results.
kcress
New member
Another test.
This time I changed the recipe because of the prior edge breakages.
New recipe:
1 part oyster
1 part Perlite
1 part Portland cement
1 part water
I wanted to see how high you could pile the resulting mix in narrow walls. I also wanted to see how well a piece of cured would cement into the panel.
This is a corner panel that would sit next to the overflow wall. To limit waste I only made the piece about 1/3 the needed height.
This is the consistency I made it to:
Here it is layed up in the form:
Free standing.
This is sort of how the lighting would look as the light is coming straight down from the 'installed' top.
This time I changed the recipe because of the prior edge breakages.
New recipe:
1 part oyster
1 part Perlite
1 part Portland cement
1 part water
I wanted to see how high you could pile the resulting mix in narrow walls. I also wanted to see how well a piece of cured would cement into the panel.
This is a corner panel that would sit next to the overflow wall. To limit waste I only made the piece about 1/3 the needed height.
This is the consistency I made it to:
Here it is layed up in the form:
Free standing.
This is sort of how the lighting would look as the light is coming straight down from the 'installed' top.
reeftanknewbie
New member
Thanks Kcress,
that's exactly what I was trying to describe. the sand does a nice job at holding the newly mixed "rock" in it's shape until it dries without having a flat bottom to it. I believe it also adds to it's strength by making the rock thicker in places based on the shapes you make in your sand mold.
