urethane adhesive for glass

[cedwards04]

i have been browsing rc for some time now, and i have seen a lot of threads where someones tank busted a seam or sprung a leak. i also noticed it seems pretty standard to use aquarium silicone on glass tanks.

has anyone ever tried using automotive windshield urethane for building a tank? not sure if it would cause any problems, but i would think once it is dry it would be fine. i know this stuff is SUPER strong, the glass would break before the seam failed. seems like a simple solution to fix a problem.

my guess is since it seems so simple, there is a reason it isn't done. anyone know what this reason is?

 

[thallone]

Having once been in the auto glass industry, I would first be concerned about UV. Depending on the UV blocking that aquarium glass provides, urethane would be a poor choice, as it doesn't like sun. There's a reason that the edge of the windshield is black, and it isn't all cosmetic. In addition, I have no idea how toxic it is. It isn't very user friendly, and it isn't cheap.

Forgot to mention: you also have to either use a primerless version with even more potentially harmful checmicals, or use primers prior to adhering. Primer required varieties are usually stronger.

 

[cedwards04]

Did not know about the uv part. that would make sense. but its really not that expensive, provided it would work, it would be well worth the cost.