DIY disaster

[phattypeeps]

I decided to make a tank of mine rimless by taking the plastic rim off of a 20 G Hagen tank. In the process I cracked the glass near one of the corners. My local glass store tells me they can recut the glass without much difficulty. I can then glue the tank back together to get a slightly smaller tank.

 

My problem is I need to take the tank apart for the glass store to recut the glass. Does anyone have any suggestions for the best way to detach the panes of glass in a tank that are bonded with silicone?

 

Thanks, Phatty

[jbfrompa]

I decided to make a tank of mine rimless by taking the plastic rim off of a 20 G Hagen tank. In the process I cracked the glass near one of the corners. My local glass store tells me they can recut the glass without much difficulty. I can then glue the tank back together to get a slightly smaller tank.

 

My problem is I need to take the tank apart for the glass store to recut the glass. Does anyone have any suggestions for the best way to detach the panes of glass in a tank that are bonded with silicone?

 

Thanks, Phatty

 

cut off all the silicone off with a razor blade that you can get to. After that take the razor blade and start cutting the seam inbetween the glass by pushing the razor blade in the seam. That should do it then once apart take the blade and clean all the silicone off. Be careful not to crack the glass more when you are doing it. Take your time this will take a while.

[glazer]

Here's a tip.... while you are at the glass shop, have them cut all the pieces of glass for a new tank. The one you cracked... sit it out by the garbage can.

 

I'm not trying to be harsh... I have your best interests in mind, trust me. Unless you're cutting the glass on the broken tank down to about half it's orginal height it's marginal at best thickness wise for a rimless tank. You risk breaking even more of the sides trying to pull the rest of it apart not to mention the chances of a visit to the ER for some stitches. You can't "half-ass" the clean up job on the glass, you need to get ALL the silicone off and I do mean all of it. Even the most minute film of the stuff left behind comprises the bond between the two pieces of glass when putting it back together. If you're putting the rims back on that's a little different.

 

Anyway... good luck and post up the completed project, eh?

 

 

Steve

[phattypeeps]

Awesome, thanks for the help, I really appreciate it and recognize that there is no substitute for experience.

 

The "crack" in the glass is really just a two cm long piece of the corner of a large piece of glass. I think if I trim off all the places where the glass has failed the remainder should be fine, opinions?

 

What I plan to have the glass shop do is cut a half inch strip off along all the edges of the glass panes where the tank was previously bonded so that I can make a clean bond again without having to spend as much time cleaning silicone off of the old glass. My new tank will be slightly smaller in all dimensions than the old one.

 

In saying that, it has been extremely difficult to break the bond between the panes of glass, does anyone have any more tips for separating them? I can't even fit a razor blade in between them right now.

 

Thanks, Phatty

[doug105]

Awesome, thanks for the help, I really appreciate it and recognize that there is no substitute for experience.

 

The "crack" in the glass is really just a two cm long piece of the corner of a large piece of glass. I think if I trim off all the places where the glass has failed the remainder should be fine, opinions?

 

What I plan to have the glass shop do is cut a half inch strip off along all the edges of the glass panes where the tank was previously bonded so that I can make a clean bond again without having to spend as much time cleaning silicone off of the old glass. My new tank will be slightly smaller in all dimensions than the old one.

 

In saying that, it has been extremely difficult to break the bond between the panes of glass, does anyone have any more tips for separating them? I can't even fit a razor blade in between them right now.

 

Thanks, Phatty

 

 

THis has worked for me before......Go to your local musical instruments shop and get some guitar strings,

The B or high E strings are the thinnest ones. You can use the guitar string like a "saw" by holding one end in each hand and going back and forth in the silicon. Will make your job easy!!

 

 

DougN

[senoufo]

+1 reputation on the post above, great idea!

[phi delt reefer]

I decided to make a tank of mine rimless by taking the plastic rim off of a 20 G Hagen tank. In the process I cracked the glass near one of the corners. My local glass store tells me they can recut the glass without much difficulty. I can then glue the tank back together to get a slightly smaller tank.

 

My problem is I need to take the tank apart for the glass store to recut the glass. Does anyone have any suggestions for the best way to detach the panes of glass in a tank that are bonded with silicone?

 

Thanks, Phatty

 

 

Man we must be brothers - i did the exact same thing. top left corner, back glass, about 4-5 cm long but its a clean crack from teh top of the glass to the left side of the glass. THe piece came right off within the rim and i cussed for a solid hour. Then i got some super glue, cleaned up the glass shavings and glued it back. Let it dry for a couple days and it appears to be fine. I also re-silconed that small section to seal the top corner. I spray pained the back as well so that should help.

 

remember that your water line will be an inch or so below the rim so their shouldn't be any direct pressure there. You can get a glass holes over hole box and silicone it before installing it over that crack and that should help stabilize the crack.

 

 

OR

 

buy a new tank - 20 gallon can be bought on kijiji for 20 bucks or new for 35 ish in the store. A pane of glass probably costs more.

[dutch27]

+1 on simply buying a new tank. When my modded Solana cracked I tried taking it apart so I could just replace the broken pane at some point and rebuild. I now have a scar across my thumb from when the very sharp cutting tool slipped and cut me to the bone.

 

Just spend the extra $15 over the cost of a new pane and get a new tank.

 

If you're dead set on reusing this one, try the guitar string thing, sounds like a good idea.

[phattypeeps]

Thanks for the help guys, things are not going well though.

 

I tried the wire method, sounded like a great idea, thanks. I had no luck though, I think there is something going on with my particular tank. It is impossible to fit anything in between the panes of glass at all.

 

The tank is several years old, I don't know if that is affecting this.

 

The reason I am trying to do this is because I can't find anywhere to buy a rimless tank in Halifax, NS, Canada. ADA won't ship to me, and I can't even get marine depot to ship a Mr. Aqua to Canada.

 

My only other option is to order a very expensive custom built from Toronto or build one myself. I have previously built myself a 12" rimless glass cube, but the materials alone cost me $60, and that was after extensive price shopping for the best glass shop in town.

 

Any more suggestions or help are welcome.

 

Thanks, Phatty

[sirbiggstixx]

I decided to make a tank of mine rimless by taking the plastic rim off of a 20 G Hagen tank. In the process I cracked the glass near one of the corners. My local glass store tells me they can recut the glass without much difficulty. I can then glue the tank back together to get a slightly smaller tank.

 

My problem is I need to take the tank apart for the glass store to recut the glass. Does anyone have any suggestions for the best way to detach the panes of glass in a tank that are bonded with silicone?

 

Thanks, Phatty

 

couldnt you just buy a used tank from your local forum..i see tanks on my local forum for as little as 30 or 40 bucks(not drilled but is inexpensive)..Isnt that piece of glass going to cost you around that...hopefully this isnt taken the wrong way but just my two cents..good luck with the project...but agree with earlier person, every residue or anything of silicone has to be thoroughly removed..

[phattypeeps]

yes I could buy a used tank for cheap, thats what this one was. But that wouldn't solve the problem, I want a rimless tank. And I can't just replace a single pane of glass anyway unless I figure a way to get this tank apart.

[sirbiggstixx]

yes I could buy a used tank for cheap, thats what this one was. But that wouldn't solve the problem, I want a rimless tank. And I can't just replace a single pane of glass anyway unless I figure a way to get this tank apart.

 

Yeah just take your time and get all the silicone off...The guitar string method(wear gloves or finger may be lost) works good for seperating the panes on the corners, then get a razorblade and get to town on the silicone..good luck with everything..

[ajmckay]

phatty,

 

I had a similar situation. A local person gave me a 40b and a 30b tank. While drilling massive amounts of holes (for a CL) he broke both rear panes, completely. I'm not talking a little chip, but an 8" crack.

 

Here's how I ended up getting the glass off. Like yours is the tank was so tight up at the top that there was no room to insert anything at all. But, I was able to find a spot on every edge where I could insert a razor blade somewhere down the length.

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...=206133&hl=

 

Here's my sump thread where I show more pictures...

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...46189&st=60

 

Now regarding replacing the back glass, there's no reason why you couldn't do it, you just need to be super careful. If you want to, giver all the edges a quick sanding with emery paper so if you do slip it won't cut you. You don't need to bevel the edges, just take off the sharp edge. Once the back panel is off, you need to get working with a bunch of razor blades. Scrape as much of the silicone off as you can, and change razor blades frequently. Then use a new one and go over it again. There should be no visible silicone or residue.

 

Finally, sand the edges with some emery paper, and use acetone on all surfaces where the silicone was to clean it up. Do this a few times and then finish it off with rubbing alcohol to get a cleaner clean.

 

Regarding the new piece, if you're not used to working with glass you should have a glass shop cut it to the exact same dimensions as the panel opposite the broken one. Then get some quality silicone and press it it in place. Use plenty of silicone and lay it evenly so you don't get gaps or air bubbles. Use some tape to hold it tight for the recommended cure time.

 

This method passed my 5 day leak test. Then again my tank is also only 12" high (30b).