Acrylic Resealing?

[combsatl]

Just wondering if there is anything special to this. Thinking about buying an aquarium which needs an edge to be resealed and just wanted to do my due diligence before committing to anything.

How difficult is it to do?

How well does it hold?

If done properly, how long should it last? Will I be risking springing a leak and having it ruin my house?

Does anyone have anywhere they trust to get it done?

Appreciate any advice you can give.

Eric

 

[lilrobb]

There are a few more experienced acrylic guys here than myself, but - I don't think acrylic is resealable.
The joint needs to be redone completely as new glue won't adhere to old glue...

 

[combsatl]

Well.. that would be a deal breaker.. and that's not what I want to hear, lol.

I found a 100 gallon acrylic aquarium that has a leak on the front left corner for a decent deal - haven't bought it yet and that would definitely be a reason to not buy it.

What all is entailed in re-doing the joint? I'm assuming the entire pane that's leaking needs to be taken off and everything redone?

 

[ripped tide]

You'll put a lot more money in the tank repairing it than you think. It's pretty much a reptile tank at this point. The joint compound used when constructing an acrylic aquarium actually "welds" or melts the two pieces of acrylic together. If the joint is compromised, it's pretty much a botched job. Most of the time, any patches made on a joint will fail within time. A patch made on a flat panel, if done correctly, can be a permanent fix. Joints, not so easy.

 

[combsatl]

Thanks for the reply. I can probably get it for $50... do you think it would at least be worth trying?

I was planning on setting it up in my basement (shop) as a frag tank - it's 48" wide x 24" deep x 20" high.

 

[ripped tide]

It might be doable. I doubt it would be very aesthetically pleasing, but if you are just using it for functionality, it may work.

 

[combsatl]

Yeah - looks don't mean a whole lot with this tank.. I just thought it seemed like a really good deal if I could make it work.

I did some looking around and found a product called 'Weld On #16' which should fill the gap and, like you said, create a weld and melt the two pieces together. $50 isn't much.. I figure I've wasted more on less before so I may as well give it a shot.

 

[ripped tide]

go for it. If looks dont matter, you may want to follow the Weld-on w/ a layer of marine epoxy.

 

[ripped tide]

I've worked with weld-on 16 a lot. I've tried to use it as a seal. In some scenarios it works, in some it doesn't. It works best as a joint compound and not as an attempt to repair or fix a leaky seam. It is not a particularly strong adhesive, it is only as strong as the two plastics that it is melting together. If you have used it to bind clear and black acrylic, and you mess up and move the bonding sheets of acrylic, you'll see a black smudge on the clear acrylic. The chemical cause the plastics to melt and become fluid. As the solvent evaporates, the plastics harden and the joint cures. It can now with stand quite a bit of pressure. Different weld ons can tolerate different levels of psi.

 

[combsatl]

Ripped Tide;722032 wrote: I've worked with weld-on 16 a lot. I've tried to use it as a seal. In some scenarios it works, in some it doesn't. It works best as a joint compound and not as an attempt to repair or fix a leaky seam. It is not a particularly strong adhesive, it is only as strong as the two plastics that it is melting together. If you have used it to bind clear and black acrylic, and you mess up and move the bonding sheets of acrylic, you'll see a black smudge on the clear acrylic. The chemical cause the plastics to melt and become fluid. As the solvent evaporates, the plastics harden and the joint cures. It can now with stand quite a bit of pressure. Different weld ons can tolerate different levels of psi.

Interesting. Yeah, I was reading about the different types of weld on and 16 seemed like the one I wanted - unless you guys think otherwise.

What about this: How about I use weld-on on the joint itself, then cut a small piece of acrylic that would essentially fit right into the joint (90 degree angel to 90 degree angel) and use weld-on to put it in there... What do you think about that?

Is there a limit to how many times you can use weld-on before the joint is ruined? I mean, if you're melting plastic, it would only seem like there's a finite number of times it can be melted before the two pieces don't fit together like they should any longer...

Does anyone know of any places around Atlanta that specializes in aquarium repair? If so, I may want to give them a shout and see if they have any advice or see how much it may cost to get something like this done.

 

[rdnelson]

Here is what I would do:

1. If the leak is high on the tank and this is to be a frag tank, just don't fill the tank up to the point at which it leaks.
2. If it is at a joint, I would get some acrylic ($8.00 at HD) bend a piece at 90 degrees then coat the entire surface that would contact the tank with weld on 16 and put it over the area that leaks. Do it from the inside of the tank. This will weld the surfaces together over a larger foot print and not allow water to get too the leak. Won't be pretty but if looks are not important........

 

[combsatl]

rdnelson99;722048 wrote: Here is what I would do:

1. If the leak is high on the tank and this is to be a frag tank, just don't fill the tank up to the point at which it leaks.
2. If it is at a joint, I would get some acrylic ($8.00 at HD) bend a piece at 90 degrees then coat the entire surface that would contact the tank with weld on 16 and put it over the area that leaks. Do it from the inside of the tank. This will weld the surfaces together over a larger foot print and not allow water to get too the leak. Won't be pretty but if looks are not important........

Thanks rdnelson That's pretty similar to the idea I just had.

When I say looks don't matter I don't mean that 100%.. I'm a perfectionist and like things to look as good as they can. I understand this won't look perfect but, at the same time, I don't want it to look like it was completely just thrown together.

From what I understand, from the seller, the leak is on the bottom of the tank on the left side and I'm thinking a repair there, even if done not the prettiest, would be covered up by sand or I could put a small rim around the tank or, when I build a stand, make the molding cover up the first 1/2" or 1" of the tank which would cover it up entirely.

I'm going to look at the tank later today so I'll have a better idea of what, exactly, I'm looking at by means of a repair.

Edit: angle*** too early for my fingers and I don't proof read...

 

[rdnelson]

LOL Yes, I guess I should read "Page Two" before posting. LOL I didn't see that you had the same idea. The one drawback is getting the corner to conform correctly. Bending will give you a rounded edge and may not fit tight. You may want to cut two pieces and weld them at 90 degrees first, then lay it in and weld it to the tank. Worse case you wasted $58.00 plus tax on $8.00.

combsatl;722049 wrote: Thanks rdnelson That's pretty similar to the idea I just had.

When I say looks don't matter I don't mean that 100%.. I'm a perfectionist and like things to look as good as they can. I understand this won't look perfect but, at the same time, I don't want it to look like it was completely just thrown together.

From what I understand, from the seller, the leak is on the bottom of the tank on the left side and I'm thinking a repair there, even if done not the prettiest, would be covered up by sand or I could put a small rim around the tank or, when I build a stand, make the molding cover up the first 1/2" or 1" of the tank which would cover it up entirely.

I'm going to look at the tank later today so I'll have a better idea of what, exactly, I'm looking at by means of a repair.

Edit: angle*** too early for my fingers and I don't proof read...

 

[combsatl]

That's a good idea. I just need to figure out where the leak is. The way he explained it sounds like it's on the very bottom of the tank on the left side - not necessarily at a corner, just running along the seam where the bottom of the tank and the left side piece meet. If it's in a joint then I'll definitely take up your idea about welding two pieces of acrylic to make a 90 degree piece and then welding it to the tank.

Thanks for helping out I'm feeling much better about this project, lol.

 

[rdnelson]

If it were me, I would make the piece I am inserting long enough to cover the entire joint. Then you can also weld the ends to the adjoining sides. As you said, the sand would cover it if you keep the insert piece at 1" wide.

 

[combsatl]

And that would require me to be able to cut the end of the plexi glass perfectly at a 90 degree ANGLE** (see, got it right this time, lol).. I'm not sure I trust myself that much.

Just kidding - I'm sure I could figure it out. I don't have the proper tools to cut acrylic but if I ask Home Depot nice enough I'm sure they wouldn't have a problem cutting me a piece 24" in length and maybe 1" high by 1" wide.. depending on the thickness of pieces they have of course.

Edit: I just found a pretty good repair thread - the guy used WeldOn #4 and a syringe to inject the paper thin adhesive into the crack. Depending on how large this separation is that runs along the seam, I wonder if I can flex the acrylic enough to get separation - enough so to get it completely filled with WeldOn - that may fix it..

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?227408-100-CL-Acrylic-top-seam-repair-with-4-Weld-On

 

[rdnelson]

I live in NW Forsyth which shouldn't be too far from you. I have all the tools. If you wanted, we could schedule a time we can set up in my garage and knock it out. 100 gal shouldn't be too hard to move with the two of us. I would be happy to help out if possible. I have a little bit of acrylic and weld on left over from when I built my DIY HOB Overflow but I don't know that it would be enough. I know that Pure Reef carries the weld on because that is where I got mine. It runs about 20-25 for a tube if I remember correctly.

 

[combsatl]

That's really awesome of you!! I'm waiting to hear back from the seller so I can go take a look at it and see how 'bad' it really is.

I really do appreciate the offer and, if I end up picking this up, I'll definitely take you up on it

 

[rdnelson]

No problem. Lots of people have been helping me out so it is nice to pay it back to the club.

 

[combsatl]

So I just picked it up. It's the front left seam which has come apart - not the bottom left, so any repair will be visible - oh well. It's actually most of the left edge so I'm hoping that won't cause too much of an issue.

Based on what I've read, I'm pretty confident that it's repairable because it's flexible enough to get WeldOn in and there shouldn't be any problem clamping it so it doesn't come apart. If that fails I think cutting a 20"x.25"x.25" piece of acrylic and attaching it along the seam would definitely fix it. Anyway - I'm excited to give it a shot and, really, thanks a ton for offering to help out. I feel much better about having someone who has worked with Acrylic before.

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