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Old 07-16-2009, 06:30 PM
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Dez Dez is offline
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Location: Edmonton
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Hi,

Taking the glass apart is the hardest part. I usually use a combination of razor blades (I just buy 100 at Home Depot) and guitar string. Wear gloves or wrap the string aroung a pipe or something to use as a handle on either side, then slowly work the guitar string back and forth to cut the silicone. Guitar string is dirt cheap.

Cleaning - second hardest part - I hate it. Again, use razor blades. Keep changing the blades to always have a sharp edge. Scrape as much as you can off. Keep doing it - the better you do this the easier the next step will be. Then you can use a wire brush (sandpaper might work but I've never tried it) and brush the remainder off. If you have a drill, then use a wire brush attachment. Be carefull to only go on the edge so that you don't scratch the glass.

Cutting - the easy part. Go to a stain glass shop and get a glass cutter (dont' get the cheap home depot scribe one - I've had less successful experiences with these as it's a scribe and not a wheel). You can get a nice glass cutter for under $20 at a stain glass shop (at least 5 years ago you could). Some will be oil filled, but not necessary. Mark out your lines (keep in might the glass cutter usually is about 1/8" away from the straight edge that you'll be using. Scribe it, you don't have to press hard and NEVER scribe twice. It's really easy, practice on scrap glass if you have any. 2 ways to "snap" it off - 1. hang the "leftover" section over a straight countertop and evenly snap it off - if your scribed line is down, snap in the direction of your scribe line (push the leftover section down) 2. Get pliers from the stained glass shop meant to break glass along scribe line - they'll tell you how to use it. It's not scary - really easy.

Siliconing - easy but messy. Clean glass with vinegar and newspaper (I learned this trick from the glass builder at Bow Valley years ago). Mask it off if you don't want it to be super messy, apply silicone and build. Use tape to hold together (fibreglass reinforced tape is what tank builders use because it doesn't stretch)

Hope that this helps.

(I am no pro, but I found it easy building quite a few small tanks in the past). Good luck and keep us updated.
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