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11/03/2007, 07:04 AM | #551 | |
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Quote:
James |
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11/03/2007, 09:51 AM | #552 |
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I am looking at building another larger tank and have a thickness question. How tall do you recommend going with 1/2" material? I am looking at a 72x24x24 but wondered if I can go a little bigger and stay with 1/2" material. Can I go taller? wider? longer?
I want to have it divided into 3 sections, so two crossbraces plus eurobracing. I have 3 lumenarc reflectors for lighting and want one over each opening. Other than that, I don't have any restrictions on size. I want to "maximize" the tank using 1/2" material and the 3 openings. Thanks for all your help. Dave Last edited by jpndave; 11/03/2007 at 09:58 AM. |
11/03/2007, 10:31 AM | #553 | |
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Quote:
72 x 24 x 25" will hold up nicely and only take 2 (4 x 8') sheets to build. You can go a little longer, up to 36" or so wide and up to ~27" high with tolerable deflection & without more bracing but becomes economically impractical to do so from standard 4 x 8' sheets. If you stick with the 72 x 24" footprint, 3" eurobrace all around with (2) 6" crossbraces yields you 3 nice openings measuring ~18 x 18" and will do well. HTH, James |
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11/03/2007, 01:53 PM | #554 |
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well im pressed for space under the 125... the dimensions under there are 30"l x 17"w x 30"h. That is the available space i have under the 125. Is that enough?? So the thickness of it should be 1/4 or 3/8??? ya this will be for my 120 reef.... where can i get AcryLite FF???
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11/05/2007, 03:18 PM | #555 |
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Polishing Kit
What is the current recommended polishing kit?
Have any of you used the 3M Trizact system? Thanks, Dave |
11/05/2007, 06:30 PM | #556 |
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Dave,
I used the 3m Trizact kit when I had to polish up my old 240 tank. I got the type that goes on a 5" random orbit sander and it worked BEAUTIFULLY. They are very hard to find these days (I would almost guess that 3M doesn't want to sell them!), but if you can find them, I wouldn't hesitate to buy and use it.
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11/05/2007, 07:24 PM | #557 |
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Thanks for the reply Roamer. One of my suppliers carries them (Louis & Co.) so getting it isn't a problem. I was looking at that same size, 5" stickit discs. I just need to polish the edges that I glued and routed.
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11/05/2007, 07:31 PM | #558 |
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Is that the dry sanding system? I looked at 3Ms site awhile back and saw there was some dry sanding kit up to about 2000 grit. Not sure how that could work without severe loading.
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11/05/2007, 08:19 PM | #559 |
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Here are a couple of links to what I am looking at. What do you think?
http://www.jamestowndistributors.com...rge/6597-1.jpg http://multimedia.mmm.com/mws/mediaw...666X7jCOrrrrQ- http://www.jamestowndistributors.com...lm+Disc+568XA+ |
11/05/2007, 08:34 PM | #560 |
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That is the same system I used. It is a wet system. I used a spray bottle with water and a small amount of dish washing liquid in it.
Also, be sure to flush out the sanding pad after every pass. And I do mean EVERY pass. I would run the vertical-horizontal pattern on the end of my tank, take the pad off and take it to the sink and rinse it out completely. Then, wipe the tank off with a clean towel and make another pass. Repeat until you are happy with that pad, then go to the next finer pad and repeat again. I goes pretty fast when you get into the groove. I would HATE to do this all by hand, but the RO sander REALLY speeds it up. And the results are fantastic! One other thing, this is one area where it is a bigger mistake to be too conservative on picking the starting grit. You will HATE life if you decide to "be careful" and start with a high grit pad (aka: finer pad) and then sand and sand and SAND and STILL not get those scratches out. If you start with a pad that is a bit too course for the size of the scratches you have, the very first pass will probably take all the scratches out, and then you can move to next finer grit and start working your way up. There used to be some pretty good articles on how to polish up acrylic online, so you might want to do a bit of reading before you start work.
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11/14/2007, 08:59 AM | #561 | |
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We dont get Weld on solvents in South Africa.
Has anyone used Tensol to build a display tank? The plastic suppliers suggest using tensol 7 which is a 2 part cement and cutting the perspex sheet at a 3 degree angle. They also advised against using tensol 12 saying the bonds are not going to be strong enough. But its not going to be fluid enough to use the pins method. It also seems like its going to be difficult to put together since it will need clamping etc. Does anyone know if one of the other tensol products will work. What if i just used chloroform to bond the pieces would that be strong enough? Quote:
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06/02/2008, 05:15 PM | #562 |
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Can't seem to find Weld-on #4 in the UK either.
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06/29/2008, 03:39 PM | #563 |
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fro what its worth I am a fishing guy, so ihave some mono around; six# test I have is.008 in dia. so... it worked ok
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01/10/2009, 05:57 PM | #564 |
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All
I have a chance to purchase a 300 gal tank that has a split seam on one of the end panels. Its is the vertical seam near the top were the side joins the front viewing panel. The side panel butts up to the front viewing panel. I am not sure how far down the split extends. I was wondering what you thought about injecting this seam to repair. Is it plausible? I have worked w/ acrylics enough to feel comfortable with building varius projects as well as the sump under my sixty cube 22.75 by 22.75 by 16 tall. I also have all the wood working tools (proffesional grade) i would need to cut down and reutilize the acrylic for a smaller size tank. the dimensions for the tank are 96"x24"x30". Thanks in advance Adam Last edited by Reefrookey; 01/10/2009 at 06:37 PM. |
01/10/2009, 06:50 PM | #565 |
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If the acrylic is good. The worst thing you would have to do is glue in a gusset in that corner from the top to the bottom.
But the big question is, if it was a bad glue job, will the other seems break as well. Kim
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01/24/2009, 10:29 PM | #566 |
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Wow! It took me 5 days, but I finally finished this thread. Thank you everyone for contributing to it. There is so much valuable information here.
It sounds like everyone is using all the Weld-On products. I was wondering if anyone knows how this compares? http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/pro...oduct_id=19275 Has anyone ever used this product before on acrylic? I am preparing to do a 48" x 36" x 12" propagation tank. Thanks, Dave |
01/25/2009, 06:52 AM | #567 |
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Personally, I wouldn't use it for acrylic at all even though the listing says for acrylic as well. It contains tetahydrafuran (THF) which works fine for polycarb but tends to craze acrylic IME.
HTH, James |
01/25/2009, 08:32 AM | #568 |
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Thanks, James. This thread goes back many years, and I know some things can change as we learn/experience more. So I was wondering what everyone is currently using to work with acrylic?
- Weld-On 3 or 4? - What are you using for pins now? - How long do you let the glue set before pulling the pins? - Do you prefer to use a router table or jointer to get a clean edge? I would love to hear responses from anyone that is working with acrylic. Thanks, Dave |
01/25/2009, 08:41 AM | #569 |
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I still make my own but know this isn't possible for most, so I'd recommend 4 over the 3, a little more time is nice.
I'm still using the same wires I've been using for decades Soak time varies, 15 seconds to 1 minute depending on application and whether or not someone else is helping Router table is much better but JMO I can't speak for others, just what I use mostly HTH, James |
01/25/2009, 12:46 PM | #570 |
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anyone here try acupuncture pins?
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01/25/2009, 08:26 PM | #571 | |
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Accupuncture needles. 15 seconds. I haven't had the opportunity to use a router table yet, so I'm still using a jointer. |
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02/04/2009, 09:51 PM | #572 |
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I have been experimenting and seem to be getting pretty good at this. However, I have only been making 16" x 8" x 3" tanks... really nothing usable but just to get practice. Now I think I am ready to go up to my 48" x 36" x 12" propagation tank and I am questioning if it will be any different.
For the small trial tanks, I glued all the side pieces together, one at a time. Then I glued the bottom piece on to those by glueing all the edges at the same time. Is this how you do it for the larger size tanks too? I am just wondering if the glue will set to quickly by the time a get all the way around the bottom. I welcome any thoughts or insight into how you have done this. Thanks, Dave |
02/04/2009, 10:27 PM | #573 |
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I usually work the long side first, then the opposite long side, then the ends. Based on how long it took to wick the glue in the joint, I pull the pins as necessary.
Shimming up and some extra glue here and there is usually necessary. |
02/04/2009, 11:13 PM | #574 |
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Melev. Im using #4 right now. 34 gauge acupuncture needles. how long would you recommend having them in place before pulling them?
Also..what are the major differences between 3 and 4?
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02/04/2009, 11:33 PM | #575 | |
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Quote:
Question 2: 40 seconds You have to pull them quicker if you use #3, because the solvent works fast. 15-20 seconds and I start pulling pins. |
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