I was thinking the same thing, but also I was wondering about possibly being able to replace areas on that one that might be rusted to the point of losing detail.
Antique cast iron "WATER QUEEN" restore. 1915 predates metaframe and jewel
- Thread starter 2rivers
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Hi
I googled "Antique aquariums " and was surpised to learn there are several manufaturers of "reproductions"
Would guess originals to be as scarce as hens teeth due to the decay of the material?? Are you sure you aren't "ruining
something very valuable?? An 1851 model brought 125,000 dollars and would not hold water!!! Reproduction for around 8,000 bucks!!! Notbody as crazy as "Antique " collectors?? gary
I googled "Antique aquariums " and was surpised to learn there are several manufaturers of "reproductions"
Would guess originals to be as scarce as hens teeth due to the decay of the material?? Are you sure you aren't "ruining
something very valuable?? An 1851 model brought 125,000 dollars and would not hold water!!! Reproduction for around 8,000 bucks!!! Notbody as crazy as "Antique " collectors?? gary
While asphalt probably contains one of every organic molecule imaginable, all epidemiological data shows that only the fumes of asphalt are toxic. Since you aren't going to be heating your aquarium up anywhere near 400 F (~190 C) this is a non-issue for aquarium purposes.
The glass is not held in by roofing tar -- Type III or IV roofing asphalt softens at close to 200 F (95 C), which would be a real pain to work with and would probably warp the frame. At room temperature roofing asphalt would probably be too brittle to make a reliable seal.
"asphaltum" technically is beach tar -- crude oil which has drifted ashore and has lost an uncontrolled and unspecifiable amount of the volatile fractions. A hundred years ago, before common and more specific terminology was developed, the word was used to refer to any soft semi-refined asphalt.
For a modern material, what you really want is a paving or waterproofing grade asphalt (AC20 or so in US terminology). Ideally, an SBS-modified asphalt to improve the toughness and reduce the processing temperature. Perhaps you can get a sample of such a material from a local waterproofing contractor. There should be a BAKOR representative somewhere around New Hampshire.
The glass is not held in by roofing tar -- Type III or IV roofing asphalt softens at close to 200 F (95 C), which would be a real pain to work with and would probably warp the frame. At room temperature roofing asphalt would probably be too brittle to make a reliable seal.
"asphaltum" technically is beach tar -- crude oil which has drifted ashore and has lost an uncontrolled and unspecifiable amount of the volatile fractions. A hundred years ago, before common and more specific terminology was developed, the word was used to refer to any soft semi-refined asphalt.
For a modern material, what you really want is a paving or waterproofing grade asphalt (AC20 or so in US terminology). Ideally, an SBS-modified asphalt to improve the toughness and reduce the processing temperature. Perhaps you can get a sample of such a material from a local waterproofing contractor. There should be a BAKOR representative somewhere around New Hampshire.
Maybe you should get in touch with Wayne Leibel or Lee Finley. Wayne is a big collector of antique aquariums and Lee collects antique aquarium literature.
I know this is digging up an old thread from about 3 months ago, but just in case this project is still being worked on, I figured the following might be good info. I ran across someone else doing a restoration of a Metaframe (I am currently restoring a 125g myself) that dug around and found two recipes for the original black tar stuff. One uses lead powder, but the other is safe enough and all the materials are still obtainable so far as I can tell. Scroll down a bit after clicking here to see a picture from the original book it was taken from.
Good luck with the restoration if that's the route you decided to go.
Good luck with the restoration if that's the route you decided to go.
that thing really sucks. don't waste your time.
PM your address and I'll come get it so you don't have to deal with such a monstrosity. I won't even charge you you to haul it away.
PM your address and I'll come get it so you don't have to deal with such a monstrosity. I won't even charge you you to haul it away.
I cant tell if I want to
:barf: or :laugh:
To the OP, that is an incredible find! I would get in touch with one of the guys mentioned in post 26 and find out what they think. You may have your heart set in restoring it, but it may make the value go way down.
To the OP, that is an incredible find! I would get in touch with one of the guys mentioned in post 26 and find out what they think. You may have your heart set in restoring it, but it may make the value go way down.
