Acrylic Fabrication Q & A

Pepcrylic · Nov 28, 2016

Neil Fox said:
Didn't know you posted here Dave, happy Thanksgiving...

Been here a while. I dont post that often. Only when I know my facts are correct. There are some smart, and talented people on this thread. I am always looking to improve my education on the art of working acrylic.
Hope you also had a great turkey day

Sanj997 · Nov 30, 2016

TherealplexiG · Dec 1, 2016

Sanj997 said:
Ĺ

umm! love?

imustbenuts · Dec 9, 2016

@Floyd R Turbo @cromag08 @Lowell Lemon , hoping someone might be able to steer me in the right direction. I am going to be adding a lid to my top off container and the open sections of the eurobraced top on the sump. I know I can't just cut a piece of acrylic because it will warp. What is the best design for the lids? I eagerly await your responses!

cromag27 · Dec 9, 2016

Has anybody used one of these to polish edges?

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-inch-pneumatic-polisher-kit-99934.html

cromag27 · Dec 9, 2016

I've been making these for over five years. people really seem to love them.

imustbenuts said:
@Floyd R Turbo @cromag08 @Lowell Lemon , hoping someone might be able to steer me in the right direction. I am going to be adding a lid to my top off container and the open sections of the eurobraced top on the sump. I know I can't just cut a piece of acrylic because it will warp. What is the best design for the lids? I eagerly await your responses!

dbl · Dec 9, 2016

imustbenuts said:
@Floyd R Turbo @cromag08 @Lowell Lemon , hoping someone might be able to steer me in the right direction. I am going to be adding a lid to my top off container and the open sections of the eurobraced top on the sump. I know I can't just cut a piece of acrylic because it will warp. What is the best design for the lids? I eagerly await your responses!

If you go to post #813, you'll see how an amateur makes a lid for an ATO...lol. Works great.

cromag27 · Dec 9, 2016

Has it warped yet?

dbl said:
If you go to post #813, you'll see how an amateur makes a lid for an ATO...lol. Works great.

imustbenuts · Dec 9, 2016

cromag08 said:
I've been making these for over five years. people really seem to love them.

Did you laminate 2 pieces together?

cromag27 · Dec 9, 2016

No, it's a single piece.

imustbenuts said:
Did you laminate 2 pieces together?

TherealplexiG · Dec 10, 2016

cromag08 said:
Has anybody used one of these to polish edges?

@TaylorPilot had a similar one..have'nt seen him in a while...

How did you secure the net so tightly?
What are those white dots use to secure the net?

cromag27 · Dec 10, 2016

Magic.

TherealplexiG said:
@TaylorPilot had a similar one..have'nt seen him in a while...

How did you secure the net so tightly?
What are those white dots use to secure the net?

imustbenuts · Dec 10, 2016

It doesn't warp?

cromag08 said:
No, it's a single piece.

so the single piece doesn't bend or warp after a while?

cromag27 · Dec 10, 2016

Not the way I do it. I have a proprietary system.

imustbenuts said:
It doesn't warp?

so the single piece doesn't bend or warp after a while?

dbl · Dec 10, 2016

cromag08 said:
Has it warped yet?

Not the way I do it. I have a made up, amateur, way that I've been lucky with so far...lol.

cromag27 · Dec 10, 2016

hey, as long as it works and you're happy with it. that's all that matters.

dbl said:
Not the way I do it. I have a made up, amateur, way that I've been lucky with so far...lol.

MamaLovesHerReefTank · Dec 10, 2016

A friend of ours cut us 3 pieces of acrylic to use for lids. They are cut to size and fit but we have to drill holes for evaporation, gas exchange etc. How big should the holes be and how far apart should they be spaced? Is there a chance of cracking if not done correctly?

cromag27 · Dec 10, 2016

If not drilled correctly you risk the chance of chipping or cracking the plastic. there are plastic specific drill bits you can purchase. Even if you drilled those lids, you can expect them to warp at some point.

Lori LeBlanc said:
A friend of ours cut us 3 pieces of acrylic to use for lids. They are cut to size and fit but we have to drill holes for evaporation, gas exchange etc. How big should the holes be and how far apart should they be spaced? Is there a chance of cracking if not done correctly?

MamaLovesHerReefTank · Dec 10, 2016

We were lucky in the sense that they didn't cost us anything for them. I had to replace my glass tops as two of the cracked. We replaced them with egg crate but my lighting is being affected and some of my corals are not happy. These will have to do until we can get something better sometime after the new year.

cromag27 · Dec 11, 2016

When they warp, just flip them over. but I'd drill as many 1/4" holes as you can.

Lori LeBlanc said:
We were lucky in the sense that they didn't cost us anything for them. I had to replace my glass tops as two of the cracked. We replaced them with egg crate but my lighting is being affected and some of my corals are not happy. These will have to do until we can get something better sometime after the new year.