Jump to content

How To: Diy Acrylic Tanks


WickedOdie
 Share

Recommended Posts

Before we start there are a few things we should go over before jumping into our project. I'm going to post a series of videos easily found on youtube instead of making them myself. This will save both of us time, as I'm sure you'd like to get started!


First lets learn how to bond the acrylic together.




Second lets learn how to cut the acrylic. I like to use a table saw, but if you don't have one I'd either get the shop you're purchasing the acrylic from to cut it for you, or you may widdle away at it with a special acrylic cutting knift. For anything bigger than 1/8th, which I assume all of us will be using thicker for aquariums, I'd definitely use a table saw to do it.




Please note that you do not need a special plastic cutting blade, you can use a cheap plywood blade with at least 80-100 teeth. The more teeth the better the cut. As long as you move it slowly through the saw, you should have no problems. Always do a couple test cuts first to get the hang of it.


If you do plan to silicon your tank for extra support and piece of mind here is a little video on silicon. I wasn't aware there was a huge difference between them until ckmullin posted this video for us to watch.




Now that you have a good understanding of how to glue and how to cut your piece, chose the glue that best suits you. While I do use number 3 weldon, I have a lot of experience with the glue. Weldon 16 might be an easier glue to use for those just starting out.


Lets get to it.


He are the glue's I'll be using. I will only be using number 3 myself.


IMG_3036_zpsgeryptnm.jpg


We have all of our pieces cut to length, and we got our dimensions to the way we want them, what do we do now? While we still have the paper, or plastic covering on the outside of our acrylic, dry fit your pieces together. Make sure that they are all the right length and you're not going to have edges over hanging. Now that we have made sure everything is perfect, what I do is I prepare my acrylic edges. I use a 600 grain sand paper and lightly sand down the edges so that they are not rough and do not have any burs. If you have a router and a jig, you may also go ahead and use that instead. It provides a nice finished edge than sanding alone.


IMG_3016_zpsdfto3xia.jpg


Now that all of our edges are nicely cleaned and sanded smooth, lets take off our protective coating. If you do not wish to take it off both sides you do not need to, trim a good inch of so off the edges so that you can easily see your joints. Doing so will allow you to keep most of the acrylic covered so that you do not scratch it while working with it.


IMG_3025_zpskzeuurxd.jpg


I have taken all the covering off for the purpose of this tutorial.


IMG_3018_zps7yrjobda.jpg


Now, take your bottom and one of the sides. For this I use electrical tape, but if you have another set of hands to help you do not need it. However I'm a lone ranger and live dangerously, so I'll be using electrical tape (DISCLAIMER - If your edge isn't perfect a small amount of weld can leak out and could end up leaving blemishes when mixed with the tape.) In my opinion if you do not have a second set of hands use clamps. Line up the one side with the bottom of your tank and tape them so that they dont easily shift on you. You will be able to make minor changes so that you can have a nice edge. Use a square or something that you know is square to make sure your box is indeed square.


IMG_3019_zps8eyhortp.jpg


Run your bead of weld across the seam, making any minor adjustments to keep it square with nice edges. I let it sit for a minute or two before moving on to my next step.Take your next side piece and tape it like you did the first, this time not just to the bottom but to the other side piece as well.


IMG_3021_zpsrftsjrtt.jpg


Once you have it set up and taped and ready to go, run your bead of weld on the base first. I only let it sit for about 30 seconds before doing the seam that connects the two sides together.


IMG_3022_zpszx6zeijg.jpg


It is not shown in the picture itself, but I do like to prop it up a tad off my surface i'm woking on just so that if it leaks out the seam it will not pool under my acrylic causing it to adhere to the outside surface leaving you with a blemish.


I continue this process until I have finished the entire tank.


IMG_3023_zpscdoyldcb.jpg


The last side is one of the more challenging sides. I tape it together like I would all the other sides. However welding the bottom to the base is a little tricky, especially with smaller tanks. Do your best to run the bead of weld along the base, but you may need to stop at the middle and start from the opposite side to complete the full weld. This is where squeezing the bottle and allowing the applicator to suck in air before turning it upside down is key. Any drop of the weld onto any plastic surface will leave a blemish. Is it a huge deal? Probably not, it will most likely be covered in substrate. But keep that in mind when doing any welding.


IMG_3024_zpsz9fn3d2l.jpg


Now that you've done the base, you can do the sides like the ones you've done already.


Once complete, let sit for an hour or two before removing your tape. Once I have removed the tape, I like to go around the seams again with another bead of weld. If you are using weldon 16 you probably don't need to do this step, but if you're using 3 or 4, I suggest going over once more to ensure your seams are leak proof. If you plan to silicon the acrylic, you can also skip this step.


IMG_3026_zpsbaimevyw.jpg


Now our tank is complete... Or is it? Leave it for 24 hours to fully set and dry.


You've now waiting this long agonizing 24 hours. But you're through the hardest part. Now we must test to make sure it's water tight. Take your newly built tank and put it in your garage, or outside or somewhere you can afford to get wet in case any of your joints aren't perfect. Fill up the tank. Watch for any leaks that may arise. Mine leaked from the base, so be warned, even those with acrylic experience can still have poor joints.


If it does not leak, I suggest leaving it for about 10 out of direct sunlight in order to fully test it. The last thing you want to do is dirt your tank (yes everyone should dirt their tanks :) haha) Cap it, plant it, fill it and in a few days notice a leak you hadn't noticed before.


If your tank does leak, empty it out, dry it with a microfiber cloth and wait a little while until it's 100% dry. Now go back over your seams and joints with your weldon. This is where I really like the number 3. It's so thin that it will get into any place missed and seal it up shut for you. Though if you're using 16 and you took your time you shouldn't have any leaks to begin with.


IMG_3035_zpsj31gkwrr.jpg


Hope this helps and may your rimless tanks become a reality.


I'm going to think up a concept for a nice little top, if anyone has an ideas for a DIY project for it, let me know and I'll see what I can do. I'll add it to this thread later when I've completed the project.

Edited by WickedOdie
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Found acrylic for tank tops at home depot. Using table saw for cutting may actually be better. I used jigsaw with acrylic blade but even so getting cutting speed right was a trick. Too fast with that thin of a blade and it fused together behind the cut. Too slow and start shaking and breaking.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...