Acrylic Fabrication Q & A

Turbo's Aquatics · Mar 28, 2016

cromag08 said:
lexan is even better but more expensive.

PETG is actually the best to use, but more $$ yet

stocker · Mar 28, 2016

A question. On a sump 18 inches in height, what should be the height of the internal baffles. Also the fuge baffle. Thanks

Turbo's Aquatics · Mar 28, 2016

If you build it correctly, the height of the baffles really isn't a factor in basic strength. I always use 3/8" for the 4 walls, and with a eurobrace that's good for 18" easily without any baffles.

TheEngineer · Mar 28, 2016

Someone was just asking a question about an Aqua C Remora slimmer and it reminded me of the broken one I have in my basement. I dropped it and broke off a decent chunk from the bottom of it. I had the piece at one point but that was 4 moves ago and I don't anymore.

Is this repairable? That right side is a rounded edge.

stocker · Mar 28, 2016

Thanks

Turbo's Aquatics · Mar 28, 2016

icecool2 said:
Someone was just asking a question about an Aqua C Remora slimmer and it reminded me of the broken one I have in my basement. I dropped it and broke off a decent chunk from the bottom of it. I had the piece at one point but that was 4 moves ago and I don't anymore.

Is this repairable? That right side is a rounded edge.

It might take a few patches as well as some weld-on #40, but you should be able to repair that. That being said, WO40 is like $25 + shipping for a quart of it and you'll use maybe use a tablespoon.

TheEngineer · Mar 28, 2016

There are some fractures up the face too. Can I use the #40 on that? I was thinking of maybe squaring off the gouge and fitting a piece in there and then squaring off the rounded edge too and putting a vertical piece there to meet the other face. Does that sound reasonable?

Also, where does one buy the weld-on from?

Turbo's Aquatics · Mar 28, 2016

http://www.eplastics.com/plexiglass_glue

I was wrong it's $40 a pint

http://www.eplastics.com/Plastic/plexiglass_glue/ips40-pt

icecool2 said:
There are some fractures up the face too. Can I use the #40 on that?

you can, it is like epoxy with respect to the way is spreads and dries - gooey spreading it and rock hard when it's done. Use in a ventilated area! I have a buddy who has no sense of smell and he could tell there were strong fumes present - that's how nasty that stuff is. I used it on a cracked tank at MACNA in DSM in 2011 and you could smell it 2 aisles away.

icecool2 said:
I was thinking of maybe squaring off the gouge and fitting a piece in there and then squaring off the rounded edge too and putting a vertical piece there to meet the other face. Does that sound reasonable?

yup. You can machine/sand it afterwards too.

TheEngineer · Mar 28, 2016

$40/ pint!? Ouch! Cheaper than a new skimmer I guess. That smarts though.

Turbo's Aquatics · Mar 28, 2016

Honestly though, for that, you don't really need WO40 I think. You can weld in the patches with #3 or #4, then seal it all up with your standard 5 or 15 minute epoxy from Devcon.

TheEngineer · Mar 28, 2016

Floyd R Turbo said:
Honestly though, for that, you don't really need WO40 I think. You can weld in the patches with #3 or #4, then seal it all up with your standard 5 or 15 minute epoxy from Devcon.

If I square the edges off and get a good contact surface? Preference over 3 or 4?

I'm not going for pretty, just functional

cromag27 · Mar 28, 2016

Floyd R . Turbo said:
PETG is actually the best to use, but more $$ yet

Yeah good stuff. was easier for me to machine, than polycarb.

cromag27 · Mar 28, 2016

icecool2 said:
If I square the edges off and get a good contact surface? Preference over 3 or 4?

I'm not going for pretty, just functional

3 is non flammable and sets fast. 4 is flammable but sets slower. same functions though.

Lowell Lemon · Mar 29, 2016

cromag08 said:
I have a strip heater. I was thinking about making a wood template and heating it in the oven at 400 degrees.

The oven will work but you will deform the entire part which will make it harder to control a flat bonding surface in the aquarium. The way many control this is by a two part mold and then a final trim to size machine process. Think hot tubs and you get the picture. These are vaccum formed acrylic parts with a positive and negitive mold that allow the part to cool on the mold before being released. Then the part is machined to make the final fit.

cromag27 · Mar 29, 2016

Got it, makes sense. what of wa are you in?

Lowell Lemon · Mar 29, 2016

cromag08 said:
Got it, makes sense. what of wa are you in?

Clarkston, WA on the boarder with Idaho and just north of Oregon border. Largest zip code number in contigous United States. We are not at the end of the world but we can see it from here and we are right at the mouth of Hells Canyon. Scary huh? Lol. Right in the center of my major market areas for aquariums we manufactured for over 30 years.

cromag27 · Mar 29, 2016

Yeah I know where that is. I'm from western WA and a uw alum. non-wsu territory.

Lowell Lemon · Mar 29, 2016

cromag08 said:
Yeah I know where that is. I'm from western WA and a uw alum. non-wsu territory.

I used to deliver to Fin and Feather in the U district to the owner and friend Gary Brown. Did you know the store or was that before your day?

cromag27 · Mar 29, 2016

I had never been there, but have heard about it.

Adkins · Mar 30, 2016

This is an amazing thread full of great knowledge and advice! Thank you all for sharing. I will definitely be following along and re-reading a lot of the posts.

I had a question that I don't believe has really been touched on.

Would it be except able to laser cut all the 3/8" panels instead of cutting them with a router? I just didn't know if this would produce a sub par surface for welding. I believe that there are products out there now that have been laser cut. However, not any that "hold" water in a large volume.

I am going to roll the dice and try to build a sump for my 50 gallon cube.

Thanks!