Repurposing Acrylic

[tigé21v]

I have an acrylic tank that blew a seam.
Before I throw the tank out, I was wondering if the acrylic can be re-used for a project?
I'm not sure if the acrylic can be cleaned up to the point where I'd be able to get a good weld, or how acrylic cuts after having one side exposed to water for years.
I'd be using it to make an "insert" for my Rubbermaid sump. So looks aren't too important. I could use a thicker formula of Weld-On. And if it did in fact start to leak, it would just leak into the sump.
It was a 4'x2'x 1' tank. I'd hate throwing all that acrylic out if I could've used it for something else.
TIA

 

[Crabs McJones]

I have an acrylic tank that blew a seam.
Before I throw the tank out, I was wondering if the acrylic can be re-used for a project?
I'm not sure if the acrylic can be cleaned up to the point where I'd be able to get a good weld, or how acrylic cuts after having one side exposed to water for years.
I'd be using it to make an "insert" for my Rubbermaid sump. So looks aren't too important. I could use a thicker formula of Weld-On. And if it did in fact start to leak, it would just leak into the sump.
It was a 4'x2'x 1' tank. I'd hate throwing all that acrylic out if I could've used it for something else.
TIA

Itd be worth a try. If it doesnt turn out you were just going to throw it away anyway right

 

[dbl]

I believe acrylic absorbs water when submerged to some degree. I assume it "dries out" when removed, but I don't know what effect that has on it. I would think it would be fine given enough to dry out but I don't know that as fact. I know @Floyd R Turbo and @cromag27 have helped me with acrylic questions so maybe one of them will chime in.

 

[Turbo's Aquatics]

It will cut and weld just fine. Acrylic does absorb water, it takes about 16 weeks to reach full absorption, then 16 weeks to “dry out”. This really only matters when you are trying to re-use panels to build a new tank, put a new top/bottom on, etc. If you’re cutting it up to use one panel in a Rubbermaid sump, no problem. You might have issues trying to get it to bond however, they are dissimilar materials. I’m not sure what would be needed

 

[Turbo's Aquatics]

After re-reading the OP, sounds like you’re making a box insert, not binding acrylic to the Rubbermaid material. In that case, should be fine

 

[tigé21v]

Itd be worth a try. If it doesnt turn out you were just going to throw it away anyway right

That's kind of where I am with the idea.

It will cut and weld just fine. Acrylic does absorb water, it takes about 16 weeks to reach full absorption, then 16 weeks to “dry out”. This really only matters when you are trying to re-use panels to build a new tank, put a new top/bottom on, etc. If you’re cutting it up to use one panel in a Rubbermaid sump, no problem. You might have issues trying to get it to bond however, they are dissimilar materials. I’m not sure what would be needed

Thanks for the input. I wasn't sure if the acrylic would become more "brittle" after prolonged exposure to water, and whatever UV exposure from the lighting over the tank.
Do you have suggestions for disassembling the tank? I'm kind of leaning towards ripping through the seams on a table saw.
16 weeks to glue? Or to work at all? If I were to cut the panels before the 16 weeks were up, would there be shrinkage?

 

[Scotty Buttons]

I use a angle grinder with a metal blade to cut acrylic. Can be kind of messy but it cuts well and doesn't crack.

 

[cromag27]

table saw. if it’s just an insert i wouldn’t bother waiting until it dries out.

 

[tigé21v]

Ok, I think I finally should have time this weekend to cut this tank apart. Going to use a table saw.
I'm wondering if there is a way to protect the acrylic from scratching (any more than it already is)? Right now, I'm leaning towards trying to tape maybe Kraft paper to it, unless someone has a better idea.
Honestly, it's not that big of a deal, as it will end up in the sump. But if there's an easy way to protect it, why not?

 

[red13]

What about painters tape instead of the craft paper. Might be easier to keep in place.

 

[lapin]

You can tape the tank or tape the saw. Teflon tape works really well but it is a bit costly. Use a fine toothed blade in your saw. A little searching will get you a good blade.

 

[Turbo's Aquatics]

The paper is mainly for scratch prevention. It also helps the part slide across the table easier without catching on something, but as long as your surface is clear of shavings and it's flat & smooth, you're probably ok. Add a little spray furniture polish like lemon Pledge and not only will it slide with ease, it will also smell lemony fresh in your workshop

 

[tigé21v]

Finally got around to disassembling it. Ran it through a table saw. Each cut was more sketch than the last. You don't realize how flimsy 1/4" acrylic is until you start cutting away the joints. Not sure how good of an idea the table saw was, and I should've DEFINITELY had a second set of hands.
Sometime during the cutting, the seam that had initially started to leak on the side just totally gave way. I ended up being able to just bend 2 of the 3 remaining corner joints back a little, and they totally gave way. Not even really a snap. They came apart so easily, I'm surprised the whole tank didnt blow apart.The third took a little work, but I was able to split that one apart also.

 

[KrisReef]

Sounds almost like the original builder did not use the correct type of solvent if the seams were coming apart at the "glue joint?" If that is what you are describing, then the tank wasn't really bonded together like acrylic, as in becoming one-piece welded at the seams.

I have seen this kind of seam failure once before. I believe that (failed )tank was made out of a plastic, but not acrylic because the plastic never did bond when I attempted to re-weld two pieces with acrylic solvent. I threw it away. The solvent used to bond plastics has to match the plastics you are attempting to bond.

 

[tigé21v]

Yeah. Something wasn't done properly. I guess I'm lucky it lasted as long as it did.
I just went down and snapped a few crappie pics.
First two pics are of the joint that welded. That joint wasnt a clean break. (And even that joint doesn't look as if it were fully welded.)
Last two pics are an example of what the other three joint welds looked like.
Crazy, huh?
And it's definitely acrylic..... no denying that smell[emoji13] .

 

[Sits Unafraid]

neat! one thing from my personal expertise on the brown craft paper. In my occupation we only attach craft paper to the surface of the actual material we are working with. i.e acrylic, as brown craft paper is actually abrasive to acrylics and plastics, i would not attach it to the surface on which you are working, or a surface that you intend to slide it across. just to the material itself to protect it.
Ive recently had some experience using Weld on 16 versus the weld on 3 (water thin) and it is a very different material to work with. Im still finding bubbles in my seams. and micro leaks. Im not nearly as knowledgable about acrylic and materials used to bond it as many users, but if you are used to working with one... play with the other first on scrap materials lol.
Is the insert gonna be basically a Baffle or similar structure?

 

[lapin]

Ive recently had some experience using Weld on 16 versus the weld on 3 (water thin) and it is a very different material to work with.

Weld on 16 is like model airplane glue. If you are old, you remember what a mess that made.

 

[tigé21v]

The plan is to build a way to filter 100% of the water pumped.
Pump from the Rubbermaid to my fowlr, then to the corals, then to a rollermat, and finally to the skimmer before returning to the Rubbermaid
Not sure if it will work as intended, but since the acrylic is free, I may as well give it a shot.
A pic is worth a thousand words lol

 

[tigé21v]

Weld on 16 is like model airplane glue. If you are old, you remember what a mess that made.

I'll tell you how old I am... After cutting the acrylic, my basement smelled just like my childhood home used to after my mom waxed the kitchen floor ;Vomit

 

[Turbo's Aquatics]

Sometime during the cutting, the seam that had initially started to leak on the side just totally gave way. I ended up being able to just bend 2 of the 3 remaining corner joints back a little, and they totally gave way. Not even really a snap. They came apart so easily, I'm surprised the whole tank didnt blow apart.The third took a little work, but I was able to split that one apart also.

This is exactly what happens with capillary welds. Meaning, this tank was built by placing the 2 pieces of acrylic together and allowing the solvent to wick into the joint with the 2 pieces in full contact rather than using the pins method which allows you to let the solvent soak and "bite" into each piece before removing the pins and allowing both pieces to actually touch. The capillary method allows instant bonding, which is not actually what you want. And you witnessed exactly why. So if you see someone building a tank by placing the side and front/back panels on top of the bottom and welding the joints vertically, that's capillary welding and you should walk away and never buy anything from them and then tell your friends the same. It's a completely improper way to assemble an aquarium....it will usually hold water, for a while...