Free 4x8 Sheets of Glass!!!! Big Tank???
- Thread starter cabinetman
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wouldn't do it the glass is too thin. you need 3+ times the thickness of glass for the height you are trying to achieve. Make multiply small tanks...a rack system would be nice, you can't house big fishes but you can house a good amount of small-large(1ft give or take) fishes.
Ive thought about doing this before. I worked for a glass wholesale company and had unlimited access to 1/4 inch 6mm glass. THey came in sheets 144x108, 16 sheets to a pack. We would pick the stack up off of a semi flatbed that had a A-Frame rack on it holding the stacks of glass. When supported by nothing but a sling on each end lifted by an overhead crane, the stack was as solid as a brick wall and had zero flex, but try to pick up a single sheet and it would flex and sway all over the place. I think it could work, but try it outside. If you want to see a video of the giant stacks of glass being lifted by the slings, watch the video at Louisvilleplateglass.com.
I watched the video and yeah they lift standing sheets with slings. Gravity is acting on the sheets top down, very strong and the weight of them is causing the sling to bind them together tightly which would make them seem very solid. But water pressure is going to be pushing against the face of the sheets, a completely different thing altogether. Of course stacked sheets will be stronger than single ones, but not nearly as strong as a single sheet of glass of the same thickness. The reason being that the individual sheets can move independently allowing them all to bow outward. If you laminated them with some sort of no-creep adhesive, then they would start approaching the strength of a solid sheet.
There are two obvious problems I see here. First, if 4 sheets were enough, which I doubt, and someone cracks one you get a domino effect and they all break. I realize you can break a thick sheet too, but you need to give it a pretty solid whack. 5mm glass is far easier to crack.
Secondly how are you going to avoid condensation and mildew between the sheets? My guess is that even the next to nothing space between the sheets will be enough to allow either/both.
There are two obvious problems I see here. First, if 4 sheets were enough, which I doubt, and someone cracks one you get a domino effect and they all break. I realize you can break a thick sheet too, but you need to give it a pretty solid whack. 5mm glass is far easier to crack.
Secondly how are you going to avoid condensation and mildew between the sheets? My guess is that even the next to nothing space between the sheets will be enough to allow either/both.
Ive thought about doing this before. I worked for a glass wholesale company and had unlimited access to 1/4 inch 6mm glass. THey came in sheets 144x108, 16 sheets to a pack. We would pick the stack up off of a semi flatbed that had a A-Frame rack on it holding the stacks of glass. When supported by nothing but a sling on each end lifted by an overhead crane, the stack was as solid as a brick wall and had zero flex, but try to pick up a single sheet and it would flex and sway all over the place. I think it could work, but try it outside. If you want to see a video of the giant stacks of glass being lifted by the slings, watch the video at Louisvilleplateglass.com.
My thoughts exactly. By adding layers you add strengh. I agree too that by laminating the glass with a glue of some sort it would add alot of strenght. One more thing...I wouldnt go 30" tall with this. Highest I would try would be 24".
Well it turns out I wont be trying this afterall. I found an even better score. Two 4x10 sheets of 1/2 plate glass and the best part is they are Free! Just gotta pic em up. Im thinking of doing a 10 ft x 30x30 plywood glass tank. Im sure I would be ok with 1/2 for 30 tall. There are all kinds of tanks done that high with 1/2. I cant wait to play around cutting this stuff. Sure going to put my glass cutting skill to the test. Anyone ever cut 1/2 glass before? Imagine trying to cut a 10 ft sheet in half!
Cutting half inch is totally different than cutting 1/4 inch, not so much the cutting procedure but getting it to break flat on the end. Sanding with a belt sander has always been required for me to get a nice flat end. Awesome score on the free glass! You could cut the 2 sheets in half and do a 60x60x30 glass tank with a plywood bottom like Uaru Joey is documenting.
Im not sure what Im going to do with it. Thought about a 120x24x24. Then all I'd have to do is buy silicone. Either that or I might do a 120x36x24 and just buy the ends or....Look for some more free glass lol! Not in much of a rush. It will take a while for me to get bored of my 280. Going from a 180 to a 280 is going to be quite a jump concidering my 180 is really only about 160 or so if you figure it out by inside dimesions.
