Yup I know what your talking about. My friend told me to use ethyl methyl ketone, which does the same thing.
Help restore a stainless steel framed aquarium w/slate bottom
- Thread starter myswtsins
- Start date
TWO old fashioned tanks!!!!....You 're lucky...these tanks are so rare most people don't know they exist.Now for the bad news. Old fashioned tanks are more leak prone then modern tanks. I slathered, I mean slathered 6 Oz or more of silicone to reseal mine and it still sprung a new leak. I'm thinking of putting some of kind of panel on the bottom now and resealing it from the bottom.
Hope you can fix yours. It's very difficult to find information about old fashioned tanks due to their rarity.
When I saw these lying in a PILE of tanks for sale I TRIED to remain calm for sale reasons & it worked out well. 
Thanks, I like a challenge....in the beginning at least. 
:
Thanks, I like a challenge....in the beginning at least. :
No matter how hard it is to save, I think that saving them would be worth the price due to the uniqueness of them.
You could try to use some windshield sealant as that is a tar-like substance. Any glass company that does windshields should have some. They should be able to tell you about it and ask for MSD sheet on it. That will give you a ton of info also.
I would think that you should use it all around the frame and then insert the glass/slate panes. That would likely give the best seal.
You could try to use some windshield sealant as that is a tar-like substance. Any glass company that does windshields should have some. They should be able to tell you about it and ask for MSD sheet on it. That will give you a ton of info also.
I would think that you should use it all around the frame and then insert the glass/slate panes. That would likely give the best seal.
They will be saved! If I could not get them repaired to hold water I would have used them for dry tanks at the very least.
Hmm, windshield sealant. I imagine that would be stronger than silicone, right? But will it bond with slate? I think I will call around on that one, thanks.
I found CRL windshield sealant, here is the MSDS on it...
Chemical - ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBON SOLVENT
% by weight - 5%
ACGIH TLV TWA/STEL - 500ppm
LD50 - 0.5 TO 5 G/KG
[SIZE=-1]
[/SIZE] Chemical - QUARTZ(SiO²)
% by weight - <1
ACGIH TLV TWA/STEL - 0.1 MG/M³
That all means nothing to me. Is it safe? This one seems to have the least amount of hazards too.
Just to clarify you are suggesting that I only put sealant in between the metal & glass but not inside of the tank? That is of course what I would prefer to do!
Hmm, windshield sealant. I imagine that would be stronger than silicone, right? But will it bond with slate? I think I will call around on that one, thanks.
I found CRL windshield sealant, here is the MSDS on it...
Chemical - ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBON SOLVENT
% by weight - 5%
ACGIH TLV TWA/STEL - 500ppm
LD50 - 0.5 TO 5 G/KG
[SIZE=-1]
[/SIZE] Chemical - QUARTZ(SiO²)
% by weight - <1
ACGIH TLV TWA/STEL - 0.1 MG/M³
That all means nothing to me. Is it safe?
This one seems to have the least amount of hazards too.Just to clarify you are suggesting that I only put sealant in between the metal & glass but not inside of the tank? That is of course what I would prefer to do!
Aw man what a great project, i'm new so I can't wait to watch the results! Great job so far on the stand.
Well welcome to AC! There are many great projects around here. If you are a DIYer then check out the DIY Links sticky in this forum, that is where I got a lot of my ideas for my past projects. If you are not a DIYer this forum may convert you.
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You know, Derek (DirtyDawg10) did a beautiful restoration on a steel frame/slate bottom tank. I bet he could help you with the How-To Know-How.
The asphalt was probably readily available when these tanks were being made (maybe in strips) and the auto window sealer strip sounds close to the original. If I remember correctly one of the ways of fixing leaks was to reconstitute the asphalt by just using hot water in the tank and the leaks were sealed. I am not sure that the silicone bonds to Slate all that well; I think that the silicone was just a pressure seal.
The Europeans used a methodolgy for tanks that just used a bond between the edges of the glass whereas the U.S. manufacturers also used an inside corner bead that has caused all sorts of trouble with Algae and chemical stains remaining under the corner.
This is probably more confusing than not but every bit of extra information will eventually be a good thing.
The Europeans used a methodolgy for tanks that just used a bond between the edges of the glass whereas the U.S. manufacturers also used an inside corner bead that has caused all sorts of trouble with Algae and chemical stains remaining under the corner.
This is probably more confusing than not but every bit of extra information will eventually be a good thing.
