$50 craiglist 225 tank/cabinet/canopy DIY refurbish
- Thread starter CWO4GUNNER
- Start date
Was a little concerned about my max silicon thickness 3/8 on the bottom, but according to research its all a matter of time and temperature. One time table says the average cure rate for 1/2" thickness is 3 days while 1/8 inch is 24 hours.
Its hard to believe I used 80 ounces of silicone sealant, 75% of which ended up in the trash. One thing for sure GE silicone I at $4 a tube is allot more reasonable then aquarium silicone at $9 a tube.
Some of the past thick 1/2" blobs that were squeezed out of the tank bottom before I cut them off after curing took 2 days to get hard. Fine with me as long as the tank doesn't leak or split.
Im wondering if it would be wiser to level the truck on stands (no suspension) and test the tank inside the truck with padded sides so that if a panel catastrophically splits, the glass will land on padding for re-use instead of on the concrete and being destroyed?
While the tank is once again curing I better get started on repairing and refinishing the canopy.
Its hard to believe I used 80 ounces of silicone sealant, 75% of which ended up in the trash. One thing for sure GE silicone I at $4 a tube is allot more reasonable then aquarium silicone at $9 a tube.
Some of the past thick 1/2" blobs that were squeezed out of the tank bottom before I cut them off after curing took 2 days to get hard. Fine with me as long as the tank doesn't leak or split.
Im wondering if it would be wiser to level the truck on stands (no suspension) and test the tank inside the truck with padded sides so that if a panel catastrophically splits, the glass will land on padding for re-use instead of on the concrete and being destroyed?
While the tank is once again curing I better get started on repairing and refinishing the canopy.
Time to start on the canopy which although pristine on the outside since the outside was stained and varnished, the inside was left bare wood where all the salt water spray from the aquarium could do its work causing damage to the front and side board veneer (tank goodness its not plywood), and completely destroyed the plywood spacer boards in back.
All of it no big deal as the canopy bones are still good and I have plenty of beautiful 11/16 birch hardwood ply left over from the 4x8 foot sheet I used to make the top on the stand. So Ill replace a few spacer boards and after striping off the damaged layer veneer off the inside front and side boards, reinforce it with a layer of 11/16 hardwood before stripping off the old varnish outside, then finish the inside and outside with Cabot burnt cherry stain and Polyurethane just like the stand.
All of it no big deal as the canopy bones are still good and I have plenty of beautiful 11/16 birch hardwood ply left over from the 4x8 foot sheet I used to make the top on the stand. So Ill replace a few spacer boards and after striping off the damaged layer veneer off the inside front and side boards, reinforce it with a layer of 11/16 hardwood before stripping off the old varnish outside, then finish the inside and outside with Cabot burnt cherry stain and Polyurethane just like the stand.
