Laminated glass

MrDellimore · Jul 29, 2019

I went down the rabbit hole researching glass as I am quite new to working with glass. I was under the impression that laminated glass would be stronger than solid glass, but from what I read laminated glass is supposedly weaker than a solid piece at the same thickness.

I went as far as to contact some custom aquarium builders and they all don’t use laminated glass. So I was hoping someone in this community might have some experience working with laminated glass.

I have 60” by 30” of 1/2” laminated glass that I probably should have never ordered, but maybe there is someone out there with a silver lining with a way that I could still use this or repurpose it.

Ridgeway · Jul 30, 2019

Laminated glass here on my current system. Quoted by the glass manufacturer as being more flexible than a single piece of the same thickness if i remember correctly.

Here i have 2 x 1/2" laminated together on all my panels, sides, base etc

It's quite a common spec here to use that size.

Ridgeway · Jul 30, 2019

Something like this:

GThompson · Jul 30, 2019

Adellimore said:
I went down the rabbit hole researching glass as I am quite new to working with glass. I was under the impression that laminated glass would be stronger than solid glass, but from what I read laminated glass is supposedly weaker than a solid piece at the same thickness.

I went as far as to contact some custom aquarium builders and they all don’t use laminated glass. So I was hoping someone in this community might have some experience working with laminated glass.

I have 60” by 30” of 1/2” laminated glass that I probably should have never ordered, but maybe there is someone out there with a silver lining with a way that I could still use this or repurpose it.

Not being a smart a&$ but they make great coffee tables

vetteguy53081 · Jul 30, 2019

weaker - yes. Composite layers form the panes.

MrDellimore · Jul 30, 2019

GThompson said:
Not being a smart a&$ but they make great coffee tables

Hahah true! If you are near Brooklyn New York I will make you one

MrDellimore · Jul 30, 2019

Ridgeway said:
Laminated glass here on my current system. Quoted by the glass manufacturer as being more flexible than a single piece of the same thickness if i remember correctly.

Here i have 2 x 1/2" laminated together on all my panels, sides, base etc

It's quite a common spec here to use that size.

Wow that is thick!!!!
What is your tank size??

I reordered some all the glass except the base. I was worried about salt water getting between the layers and having it fail.

Is it ok to use silicone to join laminated glass?

Mastiffsrule · Jul 30, 2019

Evening

If I am correct going by memory I would not use laminate to build a tank. The laminate, like already mentioned has the plastic sandwiched between the 2 panes for safety. The laminate glass has a higher chance of cracking compared to solid glass.

Throw a rock at the laminate windshield and it will crack or have a bullseye chip. The side window glass, non laminate may get a small chip but it will not crack like the laminate. Also not sure about bonding the laminate with silicone

The laminate glass will also not give as clear a view compared to the solid.

This is going by memory though and I can’t remember what I just ate for dinner. There are some glass guys that may stop by.

MrDellimore · Jul 31, 2019

Mastiffsrule said:
Evening

If I am correct going by memory I would not use laminate to build a tank. The laminate, like already mentioned has the plastic sandwiched between the 2 panes for safety. The laminate glass has a higher chance of cracking compared to solid glass.

Throw a rock at the laminate windshield and it will crack or have a bullseye chip. The side window glass, non laminate may get a small chip but it will not crack like the laminate. Also not sure about bonding the laminate with silicone

The laminate glass will also not give as clear a view compared to the solid.

This is going by memory though and I can’t remember what I just ate for dinner. There are some glass guys that may stop by.

Thanks so much man. I really wish I researched this before. I just went with the advice of the glass shop [emoji29]

Mastiffsrule · Jul 31, 2019

I believe @Ron Reefman built some tanks. Maybe he could stop by for some advice if he’s available and doesn’t mind. There’s also a few diy vids on google.

Ron Reefman · Jul 31, 2019

I'm in the process of ordering glass for my 6th tank build. I've never used anything but ordinary glass. I never even considered laminated glass as I don't know a single tank builder that uses it. That's not to say there isn't any, but none that I know of. I'm going to my glass supplier tomorrow and I'll ask them about laminated glass. I have to ask them about low iron glass for the front panel anyway. So I'll let you know what I find out tomorrow.

@Adellimore , how big a tank are you considering? Especially how tall? I don't even know how you would cut a 60"x30"x1/2" laminate glass panel.

MrDellimore · Aug 1, 2019

Ron Reefman said:
I'm in the process of ordering glass for my 6th tank build. I've never used anything but ordinary glass. I never even considered laminated glass as I don't know a single tank builder that uses it. That's not to say there isn't any, but none that I know of. I'm going to my glass supplier tomorrow and I'll ask them about laminated glass. I have to ask them about low iron glass for the front panel anyway. So I'll let you know what I find out tomorrow.

@Adellimore , how big a tank are you considering? Especially how tall? I don't even know how you would cut a 60"x30"x1/2" laminate glass panel.

Hi Ron, I am pretty new to the hobby and just started my first build. You can see pictures on this thread:

Complex beginner build

Hello all, After watching hours of videos on youtube of 52 weeks of reefing I decided to get off the sofa and start my first tank build. I have zero experience in all of this but seems like a fun hobby to get into. I dive quite a bit in south east Asia and the Caribbean so it would be such a...

www.reef2reef.com

The tank size is 60” long 30” high 24” wide.

I am using 1/2 laminated glass(1/4” glass laminated together to make 1/2”)

From everything I have researched it seems there is a risk of delamination and not as much strength as a solid piece. I am adding euro bracing to the top and bottom to add strength.

I reordered standard glass fit everywhere except the bottom. If there is a way to still use the bottom laminated glass I would love to know so I can save some money. Otherwise I will probably reorder that as well.

Since I am building this around a pole I don’t want to risk anything that would compromise the durability of the tank.

Ron Reefman · Aug 2, 2019

OK, I didn't make it out yesterday. Instead I searched by internet and phone for a local glass supplier that could get me 3/8th inch low iron glass for the front of my tank (clear glass with no green tint). So I'll go order it today and ask about the laminated glass.

On the bottom of your tank, do the side glass panels sit on the bottom glass or beside it?

Did you use 2 separate glass sheets on the bottom? Or just the laminated glass? And how thick is the glass (both individual sheets and as a total?

If you used two sheets of 1/2" glass on the bottom are the seams that cut them in half directly above each other? I'd do 2 sheets and stagger the seams so one sheet is split on one side of the pole and the other seam is on the other side of the pole. Then you could silicone them together.

You are taking on a really big challenge here. ESPECIALLY for a first build. My first was a 2'x2'x14" frag tank! I'm doing a 36" x 30" x 20" and this will be the biggest build for me so far. BTW, I'll follow your build thread and offer help where I can.

Eggs · Aug 2, 2019

Mastiffsrule said:
Evening

If I am correct going by memory I would not use laminate to build a tank. The laminate, like already mentioned has the plastic sandwiched between the 2 panes for safety. The laminate glass has a higher chance of cracking compared to solid glass.

Throw a rock at the laminate windshield and it will crack or have a bullseye chip. The side window glass, non laminate may get a small chip but it will not crack like the laminate. Also not sure about bonding the laminate with silicone

The laminate glass will also not give as clear a view compared to the solid.

This is going by memory though and I can’t remember what I just ate for dinner. There are some glass guys that may stop by.

That is correct. Automotive windshields and rear windows use a piece of vinyl in between 2 panes of relatively thin glass (approx. 2mm) and very lightweight. Goes through an autoclave (Heat/pressure) to bond it all together. Made to hold together in the event of an impact. The color often seen at the top of the windshield is due to thinner vinyl in that area (1 glass pane is tinted). The vinyl thickness is tapered from bottom to top so that color shows up (tint) at top and clear on the lower areas. Don’t know if other flat glasses use a tinted pane for laminated glass, probably for buildings use.
The Automotive side windows are tempered.