SaVeThEeELs Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 anyone use restaruant lexans?? they are the clear brand name acrylic food containers used by all restaruants... they come in sizes from the lil 3'' containers to big 5 gal containers... a pic of one in use would be great! Link to comment
polyppetey Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Something I have wondered about as well, I have access to lots of diffferent sizes of Lexan tubs from 1 quart to 5 gallons, as well as lots of 5 gallon buckets which we use for food storage. If it is food safe would this stuff be reef safe too?? Some of the 2 gallon square tubs would make a nice fuge. Drillable, they have lids, bendable if you heat them HMMMM>>>>>>>>>>>> Link to comment
proraptor2 Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 If they use the containers for food they will be reef safe as well Link to comment
chipmaker Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 I sure am at a loss trying to visualize what kind of containers used in restaurants are made from lexan.......clue me in...I get tons of acrylic materials from various department store displays quite frequently, but never seen any such "lexan" containers in a restaurant. Link to comment
SaVeThEeELs Posted October 3, 2006 Author Share Posted October 3, 2006 will post a pic soon....link-------> http://www.atlantafixture.com/Detail.aspx?...O+MANUFACTURING picture a 12'' by 5'', 6-7'' tall betta tank pagota looking when i set it on top of the drip pan...w/ lid....has about a 1/2'' lip... it is about as thick as the acrylic on my pico...apperantly cheap, they gave me mine only problem is i havent found many that dont have little no slip lines...the little halfpans (6'') dont have lines..... but if its just for a fuge or sump not a problem.... they are crystal clear when new and you dont use a brillo pad on em they are stackable.... making chambers would be easy as hell.... 2 - 6'' pans fit into a 12''.... so on and so forth the brand that i got is RUBBERMAID....(restaurant supply store??) lexan is good for temps from -40 to 212 f the amber ones up to 375.... i tried snapping a lid today.... it flexed hard, then i got scared... didnt want plastic in my eye... the even streach really good.... dropped some in a deep fryer before LOL yeah just about anything you eat out of is reef safe... i even found one today with a brown diatom growing in it!! yum! apperantly im an algea grazer.... i find that lexan should be drilled rather than melted through because of its nature to discolor and its ability to stretch far....careful w/ that heat gun this is the stuff they make bulletproof glass (plastic) w/ right?? Link to comment
wav3form Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 Some of you people really need to get out more. Rubbermaid is a manufacturer, they are not just a restaraunt supply store. Why did you think they were a restaraunt supply store? Do you not see the rubbermaid brand at lowes, homedepot, walmart or any other retail store? Link to comment
SaVeThEeELs Posted October 3, 2006 Author Share Posted October 3, 2006 Some of you people really need to get out more. Rubbermaid is a manufacturer, they are not just a restaraunt supply store. Why did you think they were a restaraunt supply store? Do you not see the rubbermaid brand at lowes, homedepot, walmart or any other retail store? que? no no no... the brand of lexan container im using is rubbermaid....... you know, lexan acryilc?? makes bulletproof glass? a restaurant supply store is just a place to find it.... LOL well if i gotta get out more......nevermind... pic of lexan containers made by CAMBRO.... Link to comment
Mudfish Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 que? no no no... the brand of lexan container im using is rubbermaid....... you know, lexan acryilc?? makes bulletproof glass? a restaurant supply store is just a place to find it.... LOL well if i gotta get out more......nevermind... pic of lexan containers made by CAMBRO.... Lexan is a polycarbonate; the containers you are looking at/linking to are, as clearly stated in the text accompanying your linked picture, made of polypropylene. Link to comment
chipmaker Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 No wonder I was having such a hard time trying to visulaize a lexan container as used in food service industy...its because its not lexan its polypropylene......B I G difference....go ahead try and tear up a lid on one of those, be hard to shatter it to the extent you would have to worry about getting any in your eye.....Suggest yoou buy a book on plastics / acrylics and see what the various types are and their properties and typical uses. Link to comment
SaVeThEeELs Posted October 3, 2006 Author Share Posted October 3, 2006 No wonder I was having such a hard time trying to visulaize a lexan container as used in food service industy...its because its not lexan its polypropylene......B I G difference....go ahead try and tear up a lid on one of those, be hard to shatter it to the extent you would have to worry about getting any in your eye.....Suggest yoou buy a book on plastics / acrylics and see what the various types are and their properties and typical uses. then why in the heck do we call them lexans??? Link to comment
Cosmadot Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 then why in the heck do we call them lexans??? Lexan is also the brand that produces those bins, in the trade they are almost always refered to as lexans or cambros depending on where you are and which brand they use. I think they would work fine, they just loose almost all integrity once they are dented or cracked, so drilling or cutting them is probably not the best idea. Link to comment
tinyreef Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 then why in the heck do we call them lexans???no idea why you do. lexan is a brand name of GE for their polycarbonate. i guess it becomes everyday usage for some people kind of like kleenex is a brand name (although very incorrect in this circumstance). polycarbonate (PC) is usually very strong. different grades will yield different strengths (properties). CD grade PC is very high-flow (processing) but extremely weak relative to other PC grades (i.e. bulletproof, fighter plane cockpits, etc.). it's used though because it can tolerate very high temperatures compared to acrylic, which is actually better optically. polystyrene (PS) is another material used in tanks. typically, the cheaper and smaller tanks (mass produced) are molded from PS. it's not as uv stable, weaker, and slightly less quality optic-wise but it's cheaper than acrylic and much clearer than polypropylene. acrylic is used for tanks and such because of cost (lower than PC) and it's much more resistant to UV. it doesn't lose strength as radically as PC as UV wears on it. also the question of optic quality also plays into the dominance of acrylic in tanks (price and availability due to its preferred status because of the optic quality). polypropylene (PP) is the cheapest of the materials and had good chemical resistance (as does acrylic). but its optical quality is nearly non-existent. e.g. how clear is a tupperware food container? also, it's not a very rigid material so there tends to be considerable deflection although it's very strong in impact strength. if you're going to do a sump or holding container where visual issues are negligible, PP would be the best candidate due to price and size, e.g. rubbermaid container. if you're doing a large tank, i'd opt for (cast) acrylic for optical quality and strength/rigidity. (actually, i prefer glass but that's another topic) for tiny picos and such, you'll likely be stuck with PS as that's what the manufacturers are likely using (i know those guys, personally). PC really shouldn't be used in a reef/tank setting imo. it's strong but quickly degrades after a certain time (dependent on UV inhibiting additives, 1~5 years). hth Link to comment
SaVeThEeELs Posted October 3, 2006 Author Share Posted October 3, 2006 ok my my RUBBERMAID brand "lexan" container has stats on it... -recycle level 7 -clear 121p temp range of -40 to 212 -then 631-1?? if that means anything.... some of our containers are really old, and other than scratches are fairly clear..... know of a site that might help me identify this plastic? Link to comment
tinyreef Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 recycling symbols 7 is "other". your container could very well be polycarbonate though. some delis use pc containers on their counters for survivability/handling. the operating temps are probably more to do with food than the material itself as almost all plastics are still intact in those ranges. PP and PE start to sag at 212F and can start to melt but 300F is survivable for many other types. PC is good up to 400F iirc (one reason why we make it for commercial metal halide lighting fixtures even though it quickly degrades under such uv conditions). the 631-1 might just be a style number from the manufacturer. that sounds like a rubbermaid designation number or generic food container-type of numbering system. the 121p i have no clue. doesn't sound like a cavity number unless they have a huge mold/die or many molds/dies. Link to comment
SaVeThEeELs Posted October 4, 2006 Author Share Posted October 4, 2006 yeah my boss said its a type of polycarb.... way back in the day they used actual lexan.... thus the name anyhoo......still a good find? like i said we throw these all the time..... the deep pans we keep ribs in are all clear w/ no griplines....aprox 10 gal...8''+ deep i wannna say... didnt really mesure i got all kinds of shapes, and big 2'x3 1/3 ' lids and containers Link to comment
tinyreef Posted October 4, 2006 Share Posted October 4, 2006 they should be safe to use as long as they don't have any grease. if you use it as an algae refugium (i.e. lighting involved), then i'd keep in mind that it will not stay clear. but it will likely only yellow or cloud up over a couple of years, depending on the uv output of the lighting. i don't think you'll ever have an issue with structural integrity though as the typical sizes preclude any significant water/weight pressure on the sidewalls. Link to comment
SaVeThEeELs Posted October 4, 2006 Author Share Posted October 4, 2006 they should be safe to use as long as they don't have any grease. if you use it as an algae refugium (i.e. lighting involved), then i'd keep in mind that it will not stay clear. you sure that it will discolor?? eh have to test it then..... i plan to use it for a fuge.....but before everyone starts robbing the restaurants they work at, lemmie run mine for a couple months... Link to comment
jeremai Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 Careful if you plan on drilling it - Lexan and similar plastics have a bad tendency to craze, speaking from experience. Link to comment
SaVeThEeELs Posted October 5, 2006 Author Share Posted October 5, 2006 Careful if you plan on drilling it - Lexan and similar plastics have a bad tendency to craze, speaking from experience. proper dremel bit......they drill the ones at work all the time...for storage or making drip pans... Link to comment
chipmaker Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 I could not tell you why they call em lexans....but its probbaly just like why is lexan, ABS, Polycarbonate etc all simply calle dplastic...when plastic is actually a term to designate pliability and moldability not a material. To determine what kind of material it is, look for a triangle looking logo on the bottom of a plastic container or item. It will usually be divided into three or more parts, and one part will have letters in it, like PP, PE, HDPR etc etc...thats your clue as to what the material is, weather its virgin material and its recycle code. is the other numbers commonly found in the triangle. Link to comment
SaVeThEeELs Posted October 6, 2006 Author Share Posted October 6, 2006 i keep changing up what i wanna do....ok brine shrimp breeder it is.... keep it simple i guess.... im turning another picotope into a fuge, mainly for parts, another filter to play with and the light.....all thats worth 50 bucks to me... the 20 was going to the shop but i changed my mind again....its running fine... choppin up the 15 !! i may be running into a bunch of old lexans from work, minor damage...chipped lips, some cracks or melt spots.....however this gives me sheets of acrylic to make lil boxes w/ and stuff.... Link to comment
The Propagator Posted October 10, 2006 Share Posted October 10, 2006 AYE YI YI !!!!!! Link to comment
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