Building a glass tank: Questions...

[lastlight]

Some really cool videos they have posted there... I couldn't believe how nice the edge work was considering it was all freehand! Then that video where they bond glass with that adhesive and uv light got me curious. The bottle said photobond and it looks to be just a liquid. No ugly silicone although I don't think it's suitable for tank building. I did some googling and found this chair...made the same way.

http://wwww.phillipsdepury.com/aucti...der=&lotnum=93

[kookie_guy]

Originally Posted by nazerine

Google: "ge 2000 silicone" and "beananimal overflow"

GE1200 silicone construction adhesive. Not GE2000

[brizzo]

Originally Posted by kookie_guy

GE1200 silicone construction adhesive. Not GE2000

Sorry, that is very correct and could be a huge mistake. I was using 2000 for a completely unrelated project and it was on my mind. It's not rated for under water application

[nerdz]

ha ha, I knew what you meant about the GE1200...

I was curious about that 2nd disc. Google found this for me:

http://www.wingpoh.com.sg/items/Item...teid=186&Page=

I might have to try on a scrap, unless the glass store is reasonable and I don't want the hassle.

[The Grizz]

The first 2 discs are called flapper discs, they can be purchased at any welding supply / tool supply store. The discs are made up of overlapping pieces of sand paper. Never thought of using them but tried it out today in the shop. Works great.

[nerdz]

Ya, I've used them before, (not on glass), but much coarser around 60grit. The one in the video is fairly fine and has some flex.

What grit did you try today and did it leave a fairly honed/polished surface condition?

Cheers and thanks for experimenting!

[The Grizz]

All I had was an 80 grit but it worked amazing to smooth out a bad cut that was made on the 116 gal that I am rebuilding. Going to pick up some 180 & 220 grit tomorrow.

[brizzo]

http://www.crlaurence.ca/apps/sitese...m%20and%20flat

They have other 'straight cut' diamond router bits, which can be used on a table with water and a parallel offset fence to put a true edge back onto the glass.

[jostafew]

Hey there, thought i would add to the good instruction that's already been posted; you absolutely right about using painter's tape to create a sharp silicone edge. I just scratch built a 24"x24"x18" sump & fuge unit (lots of baffles etc.) and used plain glass for the build. On the seams that were easily visible i masked off the inside of the seam with tape and the seams look pro. Not saying that it's right or wrong, but i used a light bead of silicone when assembling panels, did a panel at a time (spaced a couple hrs apart) and imediatly smoothed out the excess silicone that squeezed into the inside. Once assembled i went back, masked the seams, added more material and smoothed out the seams. I beleive that silicone will not bond so well to itself, but because the initial bead wasn't huge and there wasn't tons of squeeze-out there was plenty of fresh glass for tue 2nd bead to adhere to. Also, because the silicone is so soft the extra material on the inside of the bead is more of a cosmetic and sealing thing rather than being structural. The silicone between the glass panes will be taking the load and will fail before the inner bead sees any stress, and by then it's too late amyway. Hence why people often use glass adhesive to assemble the panels, then silicone to seal and finish.

Good luck with the build!

[monocus]

i just finished building a 46 gallon breeder-go to the aquatools.com.they have a simple glass thickness calculator and all the instructions you need to build a glass aquarium-you definatly do not need 1/2 " glass.i made mine with 6mm glass and then put a 1 1/2 maple strip along the top to support a piece of glass on top if i want it