# Acrylic



## dpickleboy (Feb 28, 2011)

Anyone on here have any luck with building their own acrylic tank? If so how big and how much did it cost? Feel free to add pictures, mistakes, etc


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## lybrian1 (Aug 10, 2010)

I never attempted but after working with acrylic for my sump I can say that the hand held power tools I have in my garage aren't fit for the job. I used a reciprocal saw and a jigsaw. The acrylic was melting and fusing together. Rookie mistake. I paused on that project until I can get my hands on a table saw. Anyone live around me that has one I can use? Just need to make two cuts


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## J_T (Mar 25, 2011)

lybrian1 said:


> I never attempted but after working with acrylic for my sump I can say that the hand held power tools I have in my garage aren't fit for the job. I used a reciprocal saw and a jigsaw. The acrylic was melting and fusing together. Rookie mistake. I paused on that project until I can get my hands on a table saw. Anyone live around me that has one I can use? Just need to make two cuts


Perhaps I could help 

Heat management is key when working with acrylic.

To answer the first question, 90 gallons is my largest.

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## RR37 (Nov 6, 2012)

I've done it a number of times. 

Starting with a "display" is brave IMO. (That depends on how picky you are). While working with acrylic isn't hard, doing it really well is ! There is a reason the people who do it well change for their time.

Start with a small project or two and take it from there. I've made a 50g display that was nice but I was never really happy with the seam bubbles I couldn't get out.


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## lybrian1 (Aug 10, 2010)

J_T said:


> Perhaps I could help
> 
> Heat management is key when working with acrylic.
> 
> ...


are you offering free help to a student in need?


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## J_T (Mar 25, 2011)

lybrian1 said:


> are you offering free help to a student in need?


If you have plexi you need cut, I could cut it for you. As long as its not 100 pieces!

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## lybrian1 (Aug 10, 2010)

great ill send you a pm when i have the measurements and when i finish my exams. thanks


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## dpickleboy (Feb 28, 2011)

Thanks JTand RR37

Any pictures you could post of yours? I think I'll try a small fry tank as practice with no cuts required.


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## J_T (Mar 25, 2011)

dpickleboy said:


> Thanks JTand RR37
> 
> Any pictures you could post of yours? I think I'll try a small fry tank as practice with no cuts required.


http://www.facebook.com/jt.acrylicdiy

Some pictures there. Hope to have the website built soon!

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## dpickleboy (Feb 28, 2011)

JT how come you used black and blue for 3 out of 4 sides? Cheaper?


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## dpickleboy (Feb 28, 2011)

And where did you get the acrylic? I emailed a lot of places with varied prices. Weldon to seal it?


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## bob123 (Dec 31, 2009)

I have been using a router to cut acrylic it has worked for me.


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## J_T (Mar 25, 2011)

dpickleboy said:


> And where did you get the acrylic? I emailed a lot of places with varied prices. Weldon to seal it?


Plastic world. Yes to weldon.

As to the blue, not sure what picture you lpoked at, but that was likely the protective film.

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## Modo (Oct 9, 2012)

Attempted to make my first acrylic tank today. Only about 15" x 11" x 12" with some 1/4" acrylic, so only about 8g. It's not prefect for sure with cuts and gluing. One minor leak that I can patch tomorrow, other than it looks alright. I think the second one would be much much better. Will try to upload picture tomorrow after patching the leak.


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## J_T (Mar 25, 2011)

Modo said:


> Attempted to make my first acrylic tank today. Only about 15" x 11" x 12" with some 1/4" acrylic, so only about 8g. It's not prefect for sure with cuts and gluing. One minor leak that I can patch tomorrow, other than it looks alright. I think the second one would be much much better. Will try to upload picture tomorrow after patching the leak.


Those dimensions will need a brace. If not, over time, it can bow far enough to break. 3/8" is needed to not have a brace, and still be safe.


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## dpickleboy (Feb 28, 2011)

That would be awesome to see, let me know any tricks or tips or any steps you did it in.


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## Modo (Oct 9, 2012)

It's actually a sheet of 10 mm acrylic. So it is 3/8" thick. What I want to know is how much do you guys pay for a sheet of 3/8" acrylic?
The tank still has small leaks that need patching up. Should be ready tomorrow for pictures.


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## J_T (Mar 25, 2011)

Modo said:


> It's actually a sheet of 10 mm acrylic. So it is 3/8" thick. What I want to know is how much do you guys pay for a sheet of 3/8" acrylic?
> The tank still has small leaks that need patching up. Should be ready tomorrow for pictures.


Over $200, plus taxes.

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## andrewdingemans (Dec 7, 2012)

I have been thinking about making a custom tank myself, but am afraid of it coming apart or leaking. Plastic World I think is a good resource for acrylic.

I was thinking of using 1/2 or 5/8 Extruded Acrylic to do a 15" wide x 20" tall x 47.5" long with a center brace and using black plexi for the background. Maybe will be a project for next summer. Is using silicone to bond it better than the Weldon? What if you have them bend the front and sides to avoid seams and then glue the back and bottom on?


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## J_T (Mar 25, 2011)

andrewdingemans said:


> I have been thinking about making a custom tank myself, but am afraid of it coming apart or leaking. Plastic World I think is a good resource for acrylic.
> 
> I was thinking of using 1/2 or 5/8 Extruded Acrylic to do a 15" wide x 20" tall x 47.5" long with a center brace and using black plexi for the background. Maybe will be a project for next summer. Is using silicone to bond it better than the Weldon? What if you have them bend the front and sides to avoid seams and then glue the back and bottom on?


You are right to be worried about it coming apart if you use silicone. It wont stick to acrylic. It needs to be bonded correctly with a product like weldon.

Also, black will cost you about 50% more than clear.

I would need to double check, but you should be good with 1/2". As for the brace, I would go with a one piece euro brace.

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## andrewdingemans (Dec 7, 2012)

Ok, good note with the silicone not sticking to acrylic, been poking around the internet and saw that. I have worked with Acrylic, but only to the extent of making sunroom and mudroom enclosures and solvent based sealants to seal between roof and wall panels. 

I usually try to look when they have scrap pieces of black. I have a good amount of grey plastic, clear extruded 1/4" acrylic, and a decent sized sheet of 1/4" cast acrylic in my 'plastics' rack, not enough for a tank, and no black...The opaque black I had a huge 4x8 sheet of ended up getting used on a custom birdhouse/feeder/water hole.

I'll keep all of this in mind once I'm ready to work on the tank. Does the cast acrylic discolor or haze over time? Anyone with acrylic tanks that have had them for 1-2, 3-6, 6-15 years?


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## Modo (Oct 9, 2012)

I work in the sign and display industry. From my experience, the cast acrylic doesn't fade in colour, because the colour is injected in during manufacturing. 
I think you will still need silicon to seal all the joints. It just won't bond your pieces together.


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## J_T (Mar 25, 2011)

Silicone doesn't stick to acrylic. If you are unsure of your jointery, use weldon 16 after the 3 or 4 has cured. Get the tip for the tube. It makes using the 16 easier than without.

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## Modo (Oct 9, 2012)

She's holding water. So far. Will need to polish up the edges later.


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## andrewdingemans (Dec 7, 2012)

Very nice. What temp is the water at? Wondering if that would have anything to do with the bonding capability of the Acrylic glue?


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## Modo (Oct 9, 2012)

The water is just at room temperature. It's been 12 hours now and no leaks. I'm not so much worried about the silicone not work. More worried about the silicone effecting the water perimeter. Any thought on that?


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## J_T (Mar 25, 2011)

Weldon takes 48 hours to cure properly. Silicone takes almost as long.

When done right. Aquarium silicone will not have any effect on the water. It dries inert.

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