Removing rim of aquarium and scratches in glass?

[CWO4GUNNER]

myswtsins. Your way of splitting the molded trim in half with the Dremel tool is an outstanding idea. Im definitely doing it that way and easing off using the heat blower.:thumbsup:

Cap. I don't blame you for not wanting a rimless tank, here in SW AZ that water is so hard you need the trim to hide the calcium deposits that quickly form almost overnight. Your problem is making the whole thing look even so your best bet is to trim the whole tank in new. The stuff is way too expensive in my opinion so I use angle PVC to re-trim an entire tank which looks great, is way stronger then the stuff they sell and cost a fraction of what they want at aqua vendor sites. I order my angle PVC in either 1/2", 1", or 1.5" angle by 1/8" thick, whichever is cheapest and available depending on inventory at this hobby vendor called Small-Parts.

 

[oscardelahoya]

thats a great idea gunner! how do you fuse the corners? i got a 75 off of cl and the top trim was cracked. there was a structural brace down the center. i took off the broken trim and was going to silicone in small sheets of glass in all four corners for support and use a hood so you couldnt see them. however after seeing your idea id much rather go with that look.

 

[DGC]

Which pane of glass needs replacing, hopefully front or back then removing scratches will be solved. I tried using jewelry polish and a buffer, light scratches went away deep scratches _ I gave up.

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

Well the trim is just decorative not structural. As far as the PVC angle you just cut each piece to full size length for each side and where they overlap you cut with a jig or Dremel cutting wheel so that they don't overlap and fit like a puzzel piece. They just closely intersect and are siliconed in place. They are only decorative so there is no need to fuse anything. The only way you would have structural support in trim is if it were made of steel with welded corners like the old Metaframe tanks. The injected molded top and bottom on new tanks are just used as assembly line jigs to shove and hold the panels top and bottom with silicone at all joints without waiting for them to completely cure so they can be moved and stacked for boxing and shipping. Before they had to handle tanks more carefully or the panels would just fall apart or brake seal..

 

[captmicha]

I dunno about that. It seems to me the trim would be for more than just decoration on tanks, especially large tanks. I'm pretty sure it's integral.

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

I dunno about that. It seems to me the trim would be for more than just decoration on tanks, especially large tanks. I'm pretty sure it's integral.

If that was even remotely true then the injected mold trim pieces would include the vertical corners that have the majority of the load, but there are no decorative braces on the vertical corners becasue they don't facilitate jig assembly at the factory and decorative trim was specifically designed to hide substrata scratches at the bottom and waterline stains at the top. The tank is able to hold the volume for only two primary reasons (1) The development of commercial silicone sealant in the late 70's that has many properties of molecular silica and the ability to create an incredibly strong bond between glass molecules. This is where 99.9% of the joint strength in an aquarium glass panel is realized. (2) The thickness of structural plate glass to support the force of pressure inside an aquarium specifically with respect primarily to first the "water column height", followed by total volume respectively. Before the advent of silicone sealant in the late 70's aquariums were dependent upon tar as a sealant and sheet stainless steel frames with electric spot welds to keep the glass panels in place but even then it was the glass the supported 99% of the load.

Believe it or not its a discovered truth, a matter of elementary hydraulic, atmospheric, and structural created physics. Plus I was there in the 70's when silicon sealant came on the scene and flimsy soft linoleum trim was pasted on to replace stainless steel. Todays plastic trim pasted or injected-mold-jig, provides no more structure support to aquarium glass panels filled with water then the skin around your pretty neck supports your head from falling off your shoulders.

 

[myswtsins]

Todays plastic trim pasted or injected-mold-jig, provides no more structure support to aquarium glass panels filled with water then the skin around your pretty neck supports your head from falling off your shoulders.

:lol2: Interesting comparison. Everything you said does make logical sense, I have several of the old metal framed tanks and everything that was done on them is very purposeful. The only thing you did not mention was center braces of those injected molds which I believe are structurally important to stop larger, or oddly shaped tanks, from bowing but can easily be replaced with glass and more silicone.

I've researching a lot about de-rimming and although TONS of people say don't do it out of fear (even as small as a 10g) I have found very few people that say don't do it because they or someone they know has had a tank fail on a DIY rimless tank and those cases were usually complete DIY tanks constructed by amateurs or compromised in some way. With that said I am still leery of de-rimming larger tanks.

Back to the OP though, I know of no way of removing the old rim intact and reusing it. You'd be best off buying a new rim or doing something like CWO illustrated, there are lots of DIY rim threads out there too. Are you replacing the pane of glass because of scratches or is it cracked?

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

:lol2: Interesting comparison. Everything you The only thing you did not mention was center braces of those injected molds which I believe are structurally important to stop larger, or oddly shaped tanks, from bowing but can easily be replaced with glass and more silicone.

Your absolutely correct about that which for my argument was a separate issue, however I think placing that extra piece of plastic to prevent bowing is a very poor substitute for glass bracing as I hear about allot of plastic brace failures becasue in that particular case the manufacturer is mistakenly trying to save money by using an ineffective material (plastic) and method for bow bracing which incidentally is completely different then structural seam bracing. If the same was done with using plastic molded seam bracing with no silicone between the glass panels and only sealed on the inside, a large tank would fail almost immediately and never reach full volume guaranteed.

 

[captmicha]

I'm having a heck of time removing all the silicone. I just can't break the seal or get the rim disconnected from it. I have one more trick to try. There's a product called Lift Off. I called the company and they said it would be safe to use and not leave any toxic residue behind that can't be washed away with soap and water. And of course a vinegar rinse.

I hope to God it works. The only problem is finding it. I hate Home Depot. Everybody employed there is seemingly incompetent and has the intelligence of a small rodent. I'm sorry if anyone has any friend or family there or anything or if you work there yourself but that has been MY experience every single time I've been to one! I called there and no one could figure out if they carry the stupid Lift Off! Why am I surprised? Now I'm going to have to drive the 45 minutes to one to probably be disappointed. Lowes is a heavenly place compared to Home Depot but it's even farther and I don't feel like schlepping over there but guess I'll probably end up having to. That is if I don't feel like ordering this one thing via internet and waiting days for it to arrive.

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

I told you before when it comes to separating trim or glass panels by cutting the silicone, it takes great methodical patience and persistence. Its not like fast-food but like preparing a meal. Silicone is pretty impervious to most chemicals so whatever you are going to use to devolve it must be incredibly toxic, noxious, and corrosive. I think all you doing is raising the hazard bar in getting this job done in a hurry. Stick to the mechanical methods shown in earlier post and the plastic and silicone will suddenly give way and you also will learn. This is not an area to break new ground in especially using chemicals. And remember there are all kinds of people in this world that work in all kinds of places, people created just like you and me, so be kind to yourself by giving them a brake.