Acrylic Repair???

[Barney]

I recently got a wet dry for a bargain but it has a crack on one side. The crack is about 3/4 from top going down, not touching the water line yet. But it will if power went off, so I would like to know how to fix it. What do I use to seal it?

 

[reefrunner69]

If the crack is on a flat side, rather than a curve you should be able to glue a piece of acrylic over it and seal it that way. I'm sure Logan will pipe in here, he works with acrylic alot.

 

[Barney]

There is no crack on the curve. It is right in the middle area on the end part where the bio balls go.

 

[cal91666]

Weld-On #16 which is thicker that Weld-On #3 will fill and seal a crack.

 

[loganj]

Weld-On #16 which is thicker that Weld-On #3 will fill and seal a crack.

Exactly! If you want more strength, you can cut a piece and glue it over the crack, but I doubt it's necessary. Don't buy your glue from one of these online aquarium suppliers either...they're outrageous. If you'll run a search here on "Acrylic glue", you'll find a post I made with the address of a company in California that will sell it to you for a fraction of the price. If you have some #3 Weld On already, you can thicken it by adding small chips of acrylic and letting them dissolve. It's an easy fix though. I don't know of anything else that will reliably repair acrylic...silicone won't stick to it.
Logan J

 

[Barney]

O.K. I ll go search for "Acrylic glue" and read up. Then make contact.

you can cut a piece


How do I cut? I tried once and it didn't work for me :|

 

[loganj]

You really need a table saw. Use a fine tooth blade with no offset to the teeth. If you look down the edge of the teeth, they should all be perfectly in line. Some blades have the offset (kerf?) and will chip the acrylic. Set the blade height so that it just comes through the acrylic and feed it slowly though. If you don't have a table saw, you'll need a 7 1/4" paneling blade for your circular saw. You'll need to clamp the acrylic to a table and clamp a board or piece of angle iron on top as a saw guide. Saw it very gently and you should be OK. Most Lowes and Home Depot stores will cut acrylic to any size you want if you don't have the tools or don't want to try it.
Logan J

 

[cal91666]

How do I cut? I tried once and it didn't work for me :|

Lowe's and Home Depot also carry a tool to cut thinner (1/8" or less I think) acrylic thats like a utility knife. You score the piece several times down the same line and then break on line, similar to glass. I personally have used this method and as long as you have a good straight edge and score the same line several times the acrylic will break where you want it to.

 

[loganj]

I hadn't thought of that! A thin piece would be all you needed for a patch. I always use 1/4" and thicker for the stuff I build. Cal91666 has the best idea so far.
Logan J

 

[Barney]

oh ok . I guess I got to try and learn to cut. I used a jig saw once and the ends melts.

 

[loganj]

You'll have some melt no matter what saw you use. If you have to use a jigsaw, make sure it's a variable speed. Run it very slow and use a fine scrolling blade. This will be very tedious...small table saws are relatively cheap and don't take up lots of room. They handle the melting much better also.
Logan J