Glass

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garyfla

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Apr 23, 2010
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Hi
was given a piece of glass that was used as half of an entryway in a commercial building. It measures
78x30 x 3/4 thick. was thinking about building a tank with it . feel confident that it could hold water at
30 inch depth unless there's something I don't know about glass.
Two problems concern me . #1 There are 5 inch wide panels of what I believe are stainless steel that held the hinges at the top and bottom. They appear to be held in place by some sort of adhesive but I can't even get a butter knife under it. Any ideas on how to get this off?? If it is stainless I could probably leave it attached??
#2 There are two 1 inch holes about 8 inches apart on the long side . Any ideas on how to handle that?? Could probably use them for the filtration system but they would be right in front..
was thinking of building a plywood tank to fir .. Thanks for any help!!! gary
 

Rbishop

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Pictures?
 

SubRosa

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Given the original use of the glass it's most likely tempered, but if not I'd cut away the complications and work with a plain piece of glass.
 

garyfla

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Hi
Not only tempered also tinted. Not sure about cutting a piece that thick anyway ,. Would be best to get rid of the metal..
Think I'll ask a glass co . It may be Carbolite but not sure how to tell.
You want pix of a regtangular sheet of glass ??. Not much to look at lol Thanks gary
 

missmeliss

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They want the pics to see where the holes are and how/where the metal is attached :cool:
 

Bushkill

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Dec 1, 2011
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Special application glass like this is often tempered after being drilled. Same thing with "reef-ready" tanks.

There are ways to tell if glass is tempered, but if these are tinted as well I'm not sure I would trust anyone's advise other than the manufacturer in any event.

If you've got a real steady hand, you might be able to cut the metal away, and I agree it should be removed unless you can work around it. If it doesn't come very far down the panel a possibility would be to just leave them and start the end panels where the stainless trim ends. You'll be making a custom stand in any event, so maybe you can just allow for it and cover it in some fashion.

I'm going to guess the holes are from the door handles. If they are as close to an edge as I'm thinking, why would that have to be the front edge? I would just flip it, and use them as plumbing drains for a center overflow.

I'm sure these these weigh a TON. If you decide to go further with this, make sure they aren't transported horizontally for even a few feet. They need to be carried vertically, or you'll find out real fast if it was tempered or not.
 

Bushkill

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Dec 1, 2011
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Aahhh hah!
Sneaky ain't they. : /
Yeah, I scratched my head over that one for a while until someone in the tank-building business told me a long time ago. Actually aside from the cost of the overflows, etc, it's one of the bigger driver for reef-ready tanks costing more. Tanks made that way aren't like the cookie-cutter non reef-ready ones.
 

garyfla

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Apr 23, 2010
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Hi
Thought I"d clarified that on the original post . The panels are 5 inches wide at the top and bottom . They held the hinges They are U shaped and go over the short edge but not on the long. The two 1 inch holes are located at 33
inches from the the short edge 2 1/2 CL from long edge . They held acrylic handles.
Bushkill Top or bottom would still be in the center of the viewing area?? Would be particularly distracting at the top. as in overflow ?? Could be plugged when reversed but would still cut into the viewing area.
Was told it is made of high impact glass which is city code due to hurricanes. Though I have these type windows in my house have been unable to find info on how this varies from regular plate. Any ideas. ??
Don't think it matters much as I feel certain it could hold the weight.
I made a box for it of 2x4's for tansport as well as storage so it can be kept upright . They broke the other half of the door when they removed it which is the reason I got it for free.lol I'm guessing it weighs around 150 pounds!!
Thanks for the help. gary
 
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