Acyrlic user type people

Boogie

Boogie

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#1
#1
Soooo...moving forward on my plan to flood my basement, I have found a, make that two, 48x20x18 acrylic boxes that used to be sumps in a fish store and I have a few questions as I have never played with acrylic:

-I know to look for cracks and crazing but is there anything else I need to look for as these tanks have been empty for 3 years?
-One of the tanks is cracked and I figured I could chop it up and use it to make baffels in the other sump, is this a bad idea?
-Is it a bad idea to try to weld baffles into an old tank?
-Is this whole thing a bad idea?
 
Off The Deep End

Off The Deep End

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#2
#2
One of the tanks is cracked and I figured I could chop it up and use it to make baffels in the other sump, is this a bad idea?

Thats what i just did.

Is it a bad idea to try to weld baffles into an old tank?

3/8 acrylic? Weld or silicon? Most likely it will brace the tank and make it stronger. IMO

Is this whole thing a bad idea?

If it works.... no, if it fails..... yes. HTH
 
Mckibbonator

Mckibbonator

Bat Fish
M.A.S.C Club Member
#3
#3
Your tittle makes the use of acrylic sound like an addiction. I like it.

LFS "I just got a new stash of 1/2 inch acrylic sheets from my supplier."
Customer "Hook me up man!"

For the bad Idea question, I think if you can do it and make it look good, more power to you. If your not willing to make the risk of messing up and loosing money, then don't do it.
 
Boogie

Boogie

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#4
#4
what did you cut it apart with Dillon?
 
Boogie

Boogie

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#5
#5
everything in this hobby is an addiction
 
projectx

projectx

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#8
#8
I have used a fine tooth blade on a circular saw, go slow, it might chip.

the cleaner and straighter the edges the better and dont use silicone, use weldon as it actually fuses the acrylic, melts it together

Check all the seams and make sure they are good, water test it, and you should be good.

I have only tinkered with Acrylic, it can be a pain in the back side for sure
 
Off The Deep End

Off The Deep End

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#9
#9
Boogie;91714 said:
what did you cut it apart with Dillon?
Click to expand...

sawsall with a very fine blade, doesn't give you the flat edge cut that you are looking for though. You should go with a circular saw it will give you that straight edge your looking for. Remember no heat is the key.
 
B-Willz

B-Willz

Angel Fish
#10
#10
If your cuts are not nice and straight, use the weldon #16, its thicker and will fill the gaps. The weldon #4 is thin like water and needs the joints to be tight.
 
Boogie

Boogie

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#11
#11
k..so i'll get a gallon jug of weldon 16..check. Gonna start searching CL for a table saw...have a jig and a circ saw but i almost cut my leg off with a spork so i better find something more stable then setting it on my lap and cutting it...
 
Boogie

Boogie

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#13
#13
Hmmm...Pro-lawn...hmmm...seems that people who have all the tools ALSO know how to use them...he might have just been volunteered to build my sump. WOOT! Thanks PRO! You da MAN! =)
 
SAZAMA

SAZAMA

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#14
#14
I have always used my tile saw for cuts it works great. weld on #4 is very thin so watch out. other than that, I would only buy acrylic. after I sanded out the scratches out of my tank I figure why go glass?
 
othercents

othercents

Tang
M.A.S.C Club Member
#17
#17
Acrylic is much more forgiving than glass. Depending on where the crack is in the second tank you could fix it with Weldon 16 and/or welding a piece of acrylic over the spot. If the crack is in one of the ends, you could always cut the end off both tanks and weld them together. If you do that I would also weld acrylic pieces over the seam to keep it from being the weak spot.

Don't forget to get some CUT-Ease for the saw blade. It helps keep the acrylic from heating up and sticking to the blade.

To make nice straight cuts with a circular saw, get a very straight 2x4 and use it as a guide to run the circular saw guard against it. Remember to watch the power cable on the circular saws. They like to get in the way.
 
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