Acrylic lid

[Scots_art]

Well as all the fish on my stock list for the upgrade are potentials for carpet surfing ,, i will be making a lid for my open top tank , but making it from clear Acrylic , and instead of using over priced plastic netting ( here in the UK ) i will be using some "" leader material "" that i use when fly fishing.
as it is extremely strong , clear , and very thin.


I am just trying to figure out what i can use that will bond the Acrylic to its self , as i know there is an Acrylic bond available in the UK but it is extremely expensive for small projects depending on where you get it. I tried asking on the UK forum i am on but as usual the post has been ignored.

I know in America you have a liquid for bonding Acrylic together , but from what i have seen here on UK forums the stuff is illegal to ship into the UK unless you have documentation for it along with other papers and then you are charged a lot for shipping on it lol.

so stay tuned for a DIY mess pmsl :^::^:

 

[clownster]

What about Aquarium safe silicon? Can you get that in the UK? That is what I used to glue the baffles in my sump? Just a though.

 

[BL1]

What about Aquarium safe silicon? Can you get that in the UK? That is what I used to glue the baffles in my sump? Just a though.

Silicone doesn't bond to acrylic.

 

[Scots_art]

yes we can get it in the UK but it does not bond well to Acrylic and flexes to much.
many have used it for Acrylic and suffered as a result .

i have found a company that make there own Acrylic bond and its 500ml and costs very little .
the other stuff we have in the UK is Tensol 12 and that is 500ml but can cost over £25 in my money , where as the company that makes there own is only charging £7 for 500ml lol.

 

[Steveg229]

If the pieces that you are gluing do not need to be water tight, than you can use EMK, (ethyl methyl ketone). It is a liquid solvent and I have personally used it for several different acrylic applications that didnt need to be water tight. It is pretty inexpensive compared to most acrylic solvents.

 

[BL1]

If the pieces that you are gluing do not need to be water tight, than you can use EMK, (ethyl methyl ketone). It is a liquid solvent and I have personally used it for several different acrylic applications that didnt need to be water tight. It is pretty inexpensive compared to most acrylic solvents.

Does it dry completely clear?

 

[Steveg229]

Does it dry completely clear?

Yes, it does. Just make sure that your pieces are cut square and they fit perfectly. The same rules that apply with the acrylic solvent. Also, I have found that taping the pieces together snuggly works best. If you use clamps, barely snug the clamp, or the the clamp will cause internal cracks in the joint. A little goes a very long way with this solvent as well.

If you look at my build thread, I built the custom filter sock holder, and bubble tower(different thread) using EMK.

Drying time is about the same as acrylic solvent. I always waited about an hour before handling, but 24 before using.

note: might be called MEK, (methyl ethyl ketone) same product though

 

[Scots_art]

Well i got a rough price from a company who said they could do it , send it all out flat pack and i would need to put it together my self , they would include the solvent.
but it was going to cost £110.

i have priced all materials i would need from 1 store and it comes to £30 to make it my self lol.