Good information, thanks for taking the time to do this write up. I have been considering building an acrylic tank for a while and every bit of info helps.
Weld-on #40 and #42
- Thread starter wednesday13
- Start date
When the DIY aquarium thread frenzy started some 8-10 years ago, there just wasn't much information about weldon 40 and it's application. So people used weldon #3 or #4 for their acrylic builds. I never saw anybody use weldon 40 until a few years ago on the tv show "Tanked" where the company ATM builds all kinds of crazy acrylic tanks. I wouldn't have chopped up my 8ft river tank a few years ago if I knew about this weldon 40 method. So this thread is too late for me. Thanks for information though. I've pretty much given up on acrylic tanks until now. I may think about rebuilding that river tank in the future, but building it correctly from the start using this method.
Sorry to hear that cool keith...i just dont know why this glue kinda "disapeared" for so many years as it was used to make all my 20yr old plus tanks so i feel the traditions should have been carried through. People are cheap these days and dont care about quality products like they used too. Kinda like new cars compared to ones made in the 50's i guess lol.
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Funny thing is about 3-4 years ago when i figured out how to duplicate the tip and pour with #40 i found the information straight on the weld-on website that "this is the glue used in the aquarium industry" posted right in the #40 product disclaimer. There are also old threads from 2000-2002 on reef central with people using #40 so its crazy the info never transfered over to our community. The problem lies in tank mfg. Cheapening the products they sell and confusing people so they buy a new tank instead of repairing an older one.
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To be fair cars made now are made way better than they they were in the '50's . From safety, gas mileage, maintenance, all the way to reliably and dependability. I know because i have a '56 Cadillac.
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Egon thats simply amazing 
old cars were my first passion before fish, my lowrider truck is neglected these days tho...the fact u have a 56 still in comission today is pretty impressive tho u cant deny that lol...they were all steel construction, easier to work on and far more repairable than todays cars made of thin sheet metal and mostly plastic. Agreed on saftey factors but u cant even sit on the hood of a new car without it denting. I guess i was referring to the bodys durability more than anything else but i also love working with steel more than any other material out there. Me and wood just dont get along.
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old cars were my first passion before fish, my lowrider truck is neglected these days tho...the fact u have a 56 still in comission today is pretty impressive tho u cant deny that lol...they were all steel construction, easier to work on and far more repairable than todays cars made of thin sheet metal and mostly plastic. Agreed on saftey factors but u cant even sit on the hood of a new car without it denting. I guess i was referring to the bodys durability more than anything else but i also love working with steel more than any other material out there. Me and wood just dont get along. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
I was wondering I have a 700g I got that has bad crazing in the seams, and I was thinking of using Weldon 4 and a syringe to try to get some down in the cracks in the seam to hold it together and then using Weldon 40 to make an inner seal with the tip and pour method. Would that be a good way to reseal it? Right now I think it would hold water, but I am betting not for long unless I made a metal frame to support it. i was told that when this happens the only way to fix it is to cut the tank apart and build it again with fresh seams. Thanks in advance.
To ruggedwood: def. Dont need to cut the tank apart lol whoever told u that was misinformed. U have the exact right idea to use the #4 first to try and shoot it in any of the crazing then seal the deal with #40 and the tip and pour. Really no need to even do the #4 but for $10-15 for a can of that its worth trying to as a first step.
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OK thanks. I appreciate it. I was thinking of using the #4 more for aesthetics. I am hoping it will fill in some so i dont see the crazing so much since the tank wont be hidden in a wall. Also was wondering if I can delete the center overflow by knocking it out and covering the hole with a 1" piece of acrylic. Thanks again
Sounds like u have the right idea for #4 (aestetics) and #40 (final seal)...center overflow can be cut out and sealed with a piece of acrylic and #40 also. I usually use the thickness of the tank bottom as a rule of thumb but any thickness 1/4"-1" will work. As for cutting the overflow box out i usually use a dremel with the small extension tool for engraving equiped with a "rotozip" bit. Cuts through like butter
. If you dont have a dremel and rotozip bit a fine tooth blade from a hack saw will work but it takes a long time by hand. Dont try and "knock" it out it will just crack the floor of the tank and still be attached. Acrylic joints can only be removed by cutting with a skillsaw,dremel/rotozip bit or some kind of fine tooth hand saw blade. If you are really patient and only have a drill you could also just drill holes all the way around the box until its cut but its not the prettiest. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
