Safe epoxy over paint?

[Matak]

I don't want to pay nearly $100 Cdn just to make the back walls of my wood/fibreglass tank black. That's what it would cost after shipping & exchange for potable safe black epoxy bought online.

Could I paint the back walls of my tank with black paint, let the paint cure fully, then cover over with a couple of coats of clear epoxy? Or might there be some leaching and off gassing from the paint beneath the epoxy?

 

[cshepard]

Why don't you paint the outside of the back glass panel, using a good epoxy or even spray paint? I don't think anybody paints the inside. Or better yet, use Oceanvisions vinyl backing (on the outside) - it looks alot like a black or blue back of an acrylic tank and comes in other colors as well.

http://www.aquaricare.org/generic.html;$sessionid$XSSPEXQAAAP1NTZENUEZPQWPERWRJPX0?pid=4

Good luck

 

[Bmeasure]

I agree, paint the outside of the tank with simple spraypaint. Epoxy is always more expensive.

 

[Raskolnikov]

Because if you paint the outside of a wooden tank, the inside still looks like wood.

I've never used the method that you're describing, Matak. Sorry I can't be of more help there.

 

[Ghoti]

Tint the epoxy

If you have the epoxy you should be able to buy tinting compatable with it. Tint the epoxy and then apply it where you want it black.

 

[Matak]

If you have the epoxy you should be able to buy tinting compatable with it. Tint the epoxy and then apply it where you want it black.

Thank you Ras & Ghoti and all the rest that came out.

Where can I get suitable tint?

 

[Ghoti]

Tint

Where did you get the expoxy you are using? What is the name brand and type? The best source for info about tinting epoxy would be to google the name brand or type plus tint. That should give you an idea of what is available. The place you bought the product should know too.

 

[Matak]

Wellll, I work with epoxy and my supplier is an outfit that buys the ingredients in bulk, then blends and repackages the epoxy. We have tinted our epoxy before, but it was nothing more than adding paint tint to the epoxy during mixing.

 

[cshepard]

Opps, sorry. A wooden tank??? I never heard of that before. How many sides are wood? How is it preserved? And why would you chose wood over all glass? The tank looked like all glass in the sunrise photo.

 

[Matak]

Sorry if I was sarcastic

Attached is a drawing of the tank I am currently building. The 30g is my current tank. This one I am building now will be a 180g.
The two short sides and one long sides are acrylic framed in cherry wood. The bottom and two 5' sides are 3/4" plywood. The lines inside the frame are just measurements to show width etc.