Need help with acrylic

[Vested]

Building an acrylic ATO and dont really trust the weld on #4 job I did to keep it water tight for many years to come, I just ordered some weld on #40 and realized how hard it is to find specific information on how to use it for aquarium use. So if anyone is able to help out with a few questions please let me know! I checked out wednesday13 thread and its amazing that its still one of the only resources out there.

#1 What is the best way to minimize bubbles when mixing the 2 part, is it suitable to just mix slow and deal with a few bubbles?
#2 Id like to put a fillet inside every seam, how long should I wait in-between pours for each?
#3 What is the best way to pour, again id like to minimize bubbles for a good seal and I worry using something like a syringe is just going to cause more.
#4 Any other tips/tricks before I mix/pour?


(also if this is the wrong place to post please let me know lol, will move it over!)

 

[Hari Haran]

1) start with room temparature for both bottles, i use clear disposable plastic cups, add the ratio you need, pour them slowly and mix them slowly for 2 minutes i use popsicle sticks, you will find some bubbles but they will come to the top, if you see them after your pour just break them while you pour, you have 10 mins to play with then it starts to get harder, you dont want to touch the pour after that.

2) 20 mins to harden, i leave another 30 minutes as the smell is strong initially, pour with a good quality respirator i use 3M.

3) i like clear ketchup bottles from dollar store, you will need to cut the nozzle a bit to open up as the liquid is little thicker, the nozzle helps you pour exactly at the spot you need. Its also easy to stop pour with ketchup bottle due to capilary action.

4) Room temparate is important, you can go higher just they harden faster as the catalyst reacts quicker.

Let me know if any questions.

 

[Vested]

Thanks for the reply! That ketchup bottle idea is great will try and find some, hopefully this isn't a stupid question but what do you mean by break the bubbles while you pour? I think I read someone saying to suck them up with a syringe but idk how well that would work or if its worth the trouble, I'm also then worried about it making bubbles when I pour into the ketchup bottle. And to double check, I should have it poured in the final place before the 10 minute mark?

 

[Hari Haran]

So it takes 2-3 minutes to mix, then transfer to ketchup bottle which takes another minute then pour, when pouring make sure you keep the bottle upside down so all the bubbles are at the top so when you pour you hardly see any bubbles until you get to the end you will see air and liquid coming out together just wait few seconds and pour again, you will waste some of the weldon but hardly see any bubbles unless you want to get every last drop in the bottle, usually pouring takes few minutes so you would have 5 minutes to break any bubbles you can use any sharp object just take it slow.

If you are worried about messing up start with rear bottom egde of the tank.

 

[Vested]

Aaah ok so break the bubbles after its poured that makes more sense, thanks again. I just ordered some mixing cups and ketchup bottles!

 

[TheWolfman]

Where did you order the wo40 from in need to do this as well and can’t find anything larger then a quart. I need a gallon kit for my tank. Also do I need to buy the two parts separately or do they come together?

 

[Vested]

TheWolfman I got mine from this website https://theengineerguy.com/weld-on-40/ I also called him before to ask the same kit question and he told me it comes with both parts. Unfortunately they only sell pints or packs of 12 looks like, I think there may be some shipping issues doing anymore than the pint.

 

[TheWolfman]

Thanks for the link. I’ve been hunting around and can’t seem to find a gallon kit. One guy I was referred to will only sell a case of 4 and you need a tax Id to purchase or a case of the pints. It’s really frustrating that I can’t just buy what I need. A gallon kit is a third of the price of a case of the pint kits.

 

[Vested]

Thanks for the link. I’ve been hunting around and can’t seem to find a gallon kit. One guy I was referred to will only sell a case of 4 and you need a tax Id to purchase or a case of the pints. It’s really frustrating that I can’t just buy what I need. A gallon kit is a third of the price of a case of the pint kits.

Totally get it, weird how hard it is to get this stuff.. Goodluck! Ill let you know if I find somewhere that sells a gallon kit.

 

[Vested]

Ok just did my first pour! You weren't kidding about the fumes lol, everything has worked perfect though so far (fingers crossed) at first I had a lot of bubbles and I just poured anyways. The bubbles about 15 minutes in are almost completely gone on their own just sitting in the seam!