100g Metaframe

[deeda]

WOW! Keep an eye on that stab wound, I'd hate to see you get an infection.

I didn't use anything except the heat gun to remove the glass panes, just heat along the metal trim to soften the tar sealant and the pane should start to fall out.

I did recommend using heavy gloves when using the heat gun, mostly because I burned myself the first time.

 

[skjl47]

Hello; Poked a nail into my leg this past summer. When I could not recall my last tetanus shot, I went down to the local health dept and had one injected. Check around for cost as one dept wanted over $60 and the other did it for a just over $20. One in KY and the other in TN about 13 miles apart.

 

[Gervahlt]

When I could not recall my last tetanus shot, I went down to the local health dept and had one injected.

Great advice. I probably should have done just that. I cleaned it out very well, stopped the bleeding with pressure and ice, then dropped some skin glue in. I'll go to the hospital if I see any infection or start to feel at all wrong.

I didn't use anything except the heat gun to remove the glass panes, just heat along the metal trim to soften the tar sealant and the pane should start to fall out.

I wish this had been the case with mine. Some of the tar had turned into something else and wouldn't melt any more. I left the heat gun on high for a full 90 seconds on a patch at one point without moving it around at all. No softening whatsoever and I was afraid to leave it longer for fear the glass might crack from uneven heating. Take a look at the pics below and you'll see what I mean with a few close-ups.

Now, I'm pleased to announce that all panes have been removed from the frame at last with no further injuries and I have pics. Let me know if you have any good ideas for removing the rest of the tar from the frame. The glass I'll just scrape then use acetone. The slate I'll use white vinegar and some manual effort.

The frame and glass:

Some closeups of the hardened tar that would no longer melt and needed to be chipped out:

Just some of the amazing amount of sealant that was in this beast. I used an oven mitt to give some kind of scale:

Injuries. The first is after being cleaned and the bleeding mostly stopped. You can't tell, but that goes down all the way to the bone there. The second is the next day from the side to show deformation and swelling. The third is the burn I got after about a week and a half of healing. Neither of them are serious (assuming I don't get tetanus) and I'll be happy if they're all that happen to me before this is done.

The Oscar on the left is one of the reasons I'm doing this. That's an 8" Severum he's swimming next to. I think the Oscar's about 10" now and still in a 55. He'll be going into this 100 when it's finished then be transferred into next year's project upon it's completion.

 

[Eupterus]

Nice find and a nice project. I'll be watching this.

 

[deeda]

I used Mineral Spirits to soften the tar left on the frame. I actually bought a black plastic tub from home improvement store that's sold for hand mixing cement. I put enough mineral spirits in the tub to cover/soak a section of the frame until the tar sealant softened. It was then very easy to gently scrape the frame of remaining tar.

I saved the used mineral spirits after straining the debris out with a paint strainer. You can reuse it multiple times this way. If you were to just leave it in the tub, it evaporates eventually.

I did buy a product called Black Jack Asphalt & Tar remover to try on my tanks but haven't used it as a soaking agent like the mineral spirits yet. I could only find it in 8 oz. bottles but it does work great for cleaning up tar remnants from the frame. It is a citrus based product but doesn't seem as oily as mineral spirits.

Hope this helps.

 

[Gervahlt]

I haven't had much time to spend on this lately, but I've started the cleanup process. Just the amount of tar I had to chip out of the frame to remove the glass and slate filled a 13 gallon trash can. I'm a bit worried about the glass as there are a few chips on the edges and corners. If this were a normal tank, I'd be very worried. As it is, I'm not sure whether I should be or not as the corners will be sitting inside the steel frame. Since the steel will be taking the stress, I want to think that unless I were to seriously hammer on it (sending tremors through the entire tank) the chips won't turn into cracks. I know I don't want to spend the money to buy all new glass for this beast. I'll post some pics later to see if anyone wants to chime in on how worried about it I need to be.

 

[Gervahlt]

Here are the biggest of the chips on the corners (and one edge) of the glass that I see. Keep in mind this glass will be sealed both inside and outside to a steel frame that will extend past even the biggest of these by a good 2 inches. It will also be held in place by a large piece of slate. I'm not worried about water getting through here. I'm worried about a crack forming like what happens to the windshield of your car. Since the fish tank isn't constantly getting tweaked and stressed like the glass in a car though, I'm not sure what the likelihood of it actually happening is.

 

[deeda]

From your pictures, I really don't think you'll have a problem with those chips. You could always 'repair' the larger chips using Perma Poxy 5 minute General Purpose epoxy to make the repair. Another member used it on a normal glass tank with great results.

How scratched up will the front pane of glass be? If it's bad & you have the money, I'd just replace that one.

 

[Gervahlt]

Thank you very much for your opinion on the chips! I fee much better about it now even though it's only one more person than myself thinking it should be okay. The front pane won't be too bad, but it won't be scratch-free either. I have some quotes for the glass that I'm in negotiations with my wife about. We'll see how that goes with the holidays and three birthdays coming up.

Any guesses on how much Dow 795 I will need? I'd like to order it (no one seems to carry it here) and the glass in the next day or so.

 

[deeda]

I ordered the Dow 832 from this place and since they had a local distributor, they delivered it right to my house the same day. Excellent service, I wasn't expecting it for at least a week.

BTW, I only used less than one 10 oz cartridge to reseal the inside corners on a 6' long standard 125 all glass tank. Obviously you will need more because you will be applying it between the frame and glass. I would think at least two or maybe three 10 oz cartridges.