building a fuge

[xxmoorishmanxx]

i am building a fuge for my reef with lucite. i was wondering what the best type of sealent is for this project thanx for any help.

Jc

[justDIY]

the only sealant i know of is "weld-on"

I've tried alternatives, with limited degrees of success, but the weld-on takes top marks

[astride13]

I just made one out of 1/4" Plexiglass (another brand of acrylic). I used Weldon #3 and it worked great. I didn't even need any silicone to seal. It depends on how smooth your cuts are. I used a table saw with a blade designed for Melamine and just went real slow. After the cuts, you need to smooth out the edges with a razor blade to get the burrs off. I also used the original edges of the sheet for my important joints. If you do not have the equipment to cut it, most acrylic stores will do the cuts for you.

What size fuge are you building?
What thickness of acrylic are you using?

[justDIY]

Originally Posted by astride13

I didn't even need any silicone to seal. It depends on how smooth your cuts are.

very good point!

it is critical that your edges be completely smooth and even ... a friend recommened to me laying a sheet of sand-paper on a table, and then passing the cut along the sheet, back and forth until it was smooth and even - this helps keep it from getting crooked, which can happen with hand sanding. the tip works very well!

also, incase you've got something that's just not fitting right, Weld-On is also available in a #16 gell, which fills small gaps and still provides an extremely strong bond.

[roho]

Where do you buy Weld-on? I can't find it anywhere.

[astride13]

I bought it at Piedmont Plastics. I am not sure where they have stores, but I think they are nation wide.

How much do you need? I bought a quart and I only used about 1oz. If you only need a bit, I can send you some.

[roho]

I just need enough to put together a 18"x12x12" refugium. Shouldn't be much. Thanks.

[justDIY]

www.craftics.com is where I obtained my weldon's