tank dismantle and glass cutting

[reefnut]

ive recently purchased a 96 gal tank.i got it for a good used price and my plan is to cut it down to fit my stand and re sillicone it.first question is that i have cut glass before but this is 3/8 and much thicker than i have experience with.do i just cut it the same way as thinner stuf f or is there any tips or tricks.i plan on cutting the length down about 4-6 inches and the width front to back about 2-4 inches it is 20 inches tall and has no bracing at all.should i add this?and as far as prepping for new sillicone what is the best method.i planned on scraping as much sillicone off as possible and using a solvent to finish it off.then clean all the glass with vinegar and dish soap followed by a thorough rinse.any thoughts or tips?ohh and can i get a proper sillicone from home depot?thanks for any help guys.

[Clay&Chey]

myself i'd alter the stand to fit the tank. making glass cuts square and straight isnt the easiest thing. its easier and not so permanent to add to wood.

[mark]

take a look in Dez's build thread, believe some tips there on drilling and cutting

[reefnut]

thanks guys.i have no choice but to dismantle cause the bottom piece is cracked.the previous owner just silliconed another piece ontop.it leaks.so i thought i would adjust the size while i have it apart.

[Dez]

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.

[Delphinus]

I find cutting old glass is hopelessly hit and miss, and mostly miss at that. Only ever gotten a predictable break line when the glass was perfectly (and I mean PERFECTLY) clean.

If it were me, I'd replace the bottom panel and adjust the stand size. I hate cutting glass. Dez has a golden horseshoe up his rear (sorry man but it's true) and things just "work" for him, if you're like me and basically on the complete other end of the luck spectrum, my suggestion is don't waste your time, you could wind up losing the whole tank.

Good luck whatever you decide, and have fun with it.

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by Dez

Hi,


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 .

you can save a lot of money going to home depot and buying a wheeled cutter. personaly I have never seen a drag scribe for glass.

if you do not buy one with an oiler make sure you use a bit of oil on the cutting wheel.. dip it in and then shake it a little. if you are only doing a small bit of cutting don't waist money on the tungston carbon wheels just get the regular hardened steel wheel and you will be looking at about 8 bucks. I used a bit of air tool oil as that what I had laying around but any light weight mineral oil will work.

I never used a wire wheel or brush when I did mine, just scrape with the razor blades real good till you can't see any silicone then I used acatone to clean any residual stuff off. the problem with the wire wheel or brush is you have to be very very carefull not to put any scratches in the area you are cutting as there will be a chance of the cut following the scratch instead of the cut line.

if it is going to be a critical cut use a strait edge to guide your cutter and start off the glass and continue to cut till you run off the end and no stopping along the way. it has to be one long fluid cut using constant pressure or you can cause chipping int he glass which can cause your break to run off instead of staying true. not as hard as it sounds.. I did a curved one free hand and it worked pretty good.

Steve

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by Dez

Hi,

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.

hmm the glass shop out here showed me and told me the opposite. they explained it as your suposed to pull the scribe appart not compress it.. and they broke it down witht he scribe up...

here is a pic on how you are suposed to use running plyers.. if you notice the score is on the top and you are pushing up on the bottom middle to seperate the score and compress the bottom