The Tenecor® Pico DIY Drops March 2nd, 2024

[tbrown]

I

First render iterations. Notice the full bottom. Again, this design is not going to be everyone's favorite but it will make fabrication so much easier and with much better outcomes. The bottom panel will probably also be black.

I would say yes to the bottom being black if it's going to be a full base - putting it on a stand will look odd with a clear base under the "gap". Also, id prefer the back were black as well but that's just me being picky. I definitely like the look.

 

[Tenecor Aquariums]

I take that as a personal challenge sir now I might have to buy one

Did you see the post about frag rack Fridays

I

I would say yes to the bottom being black if it's going to be a full base - putting it on a stand will look odd with a clear base under the "gap". Also, id prefer the back were black as well but that's just me being picky. I definitely like the look.

new renders coming in a bit

 

[Jim Gomoll]

Do I need to glue on the little circle to make the return whole smaller for this to fit?

No need to glue on the adapter ring.
Fluval Spec XV Nozzle screws into the supplied bulkhead.

 

[Mhamilton0911]

On small tanks like this adding black vinyl is so easy. Use the "water slide method" (YouTube it!) for applying large decals or window tinting. Use a water spray bottle with like one drop of plain baby soap or dawn, and spray the heck of the spot to apply and the sticky back of the vinyl, you're able to position it perfectly, but work quickly. Then burnish (with a credit card wrapped with a soft cloth, or a burnish tool meant this) all the bubbles and water starting from the center outward, trim edges if needed. When it's dry it's on there. I've applied vinyl to my small tanks, the rolls I use are typically 12"x 24". For larger tanks, I use 5% window tint, it comes in larger rolls and easy to find.

 

[Minifoot77]

Did you see the post about frag rack Fridays?

So I have to wait till friday?

 

[Tenecor Aquariums]

So I have to wait till friday?

that's not a thing yet. I am still in the doghouse for tying up all the machine time for the last pico diy.

 

[Mhamilton0911]

 

[Minifoot77]

that's not a thing yet. I am still in the doghouse for tying up all the machine time for the last pico diy.

Can I add that one with a r2r drop code when the codes come out?

 

[tbrown]

Can I add that one with a r2r drop code when the codes come out?

Th doghouse?

 

[Minifoot77]

Th doghouse?

Not in my house!!!

 

[Tonycass12]

Decided to run a few tests today to check my methods, test adhesion between acrylic and abs with weldon 16 and weldon 16 vs weldon 4 to see how they compare. I used the top cutout and the 2 spare chunks sent with the kit as well as a cutout from the abs tub im attaching an overflow to.

I started with using masking tape to tape the cutouts to the side of the holes they came from. This way I figured I get a nice long outside seam to work on and the tape allows me to just fold the chunk back when applying the weldon.

APPLICATION
I applied weldon under each of the bars. 1 got a single bead of weldon 16 right under the bar. The 16 is easy to apply and wasn't very runny for me. Almost comparable to something in between a gel and regular super glue consistency wise out of my applicator bottle. I folded the bar back ontop of the bead and gave it a little pressure to spread the weldon out below it. The other bar I folded back and applied the weldon 4, it's much more runny and was much more difficult to control coming out of the bottle. I was able to get a nice coat down below where the acrylic would fold onto with just a little runny slop onto where the inside of the corner made by the bar would be. I can see how it would be very easy with weldon 4 to make a mess of things. For the sake of testing I also decided to run a short bead of weldon 16 down an inside corner to see the results and I used the 16 ontop of the bar and attached a chunk of abs to it. The abs I applied pressure to for 3 minutes while the 16 began to cure and harden.

30 minutes after applying the abs cutout. Everything is solid at the moment. Sorry for not knowing the proper terms so bare with me on this next part. The 16 bar looks the have not gotten the best adhesion. I can see what almost looks like webbing between the bar and the base. Im tossing this up to just running a fine bead down below the bar, I feel like it just wasn't enough and flipping the bar over on it spread it out below the bar but just didn't have enough volume to coat the whole space. I also has some squeeze out the edges and harden in an unsightly way. The 4 was surprising. I honestly can't tell over most of the bar where the 2 parts meet! Near the ends I can make it out as well as where the tape was at. The spots I didn't get perfect I think again were due to going light and the reaction from the solvent/tape/acrylic side. You can see the lines where the solvent made marks where the tape was in this photo.

The thick line to the right is the area I'm talking about where the tape was. The this line to the left is the back seam on the outside of the corner. Look at how clear that inside seam and joint came out! I'm happily surprised since I thought I went too heavy with how runny the 4 is. I has one spot that ran out onto the base and wasn't covered by the bar and it seams the solvent evaporated without leaving a noticeable mark.

My abs cutout has fused to the acrylic but I'm not going to try to stress test any of these parts until tomorrow afternoon.

Hope this info can help some others out who are just learning as you gowlike I am.

Cheers!

 

[OutColdCRNA]

I found that using a 3 milliliter syringe to be far easier for the application of the 4 as opposed to the squeeze bottle. No stray drops and more precise control.

 

[Naekuh]

I found that using a 3 milliliter syringe to be far easier for the application of the 4 as opposed to the squeeze bottle. No stray drops and more precise control.

thats the 32gauge needle right?

My friend told me to use 4 and the 32 gauge after practicing on some spare arcylic, because its far easier when you can control the wicking action on the 4 and have it fast set.

 

[OutColdCRNA]

thats the 32gauge needle right?

My friend told me to use 4 and the 32 gauge after practicing on some spare arcylic, because its far easier when you can control the wicking action on the 4 and have it fast set.

I believe it’s a 25 gauge that came with the applicator bottle.

 

[tbrown]

Decided to run a few tests today to check my methods, test adhesion between acrylic and abs with weldon 16 and weldon 16 vs weldon 4 to see how they compare. I used the top cutout and the 2 spare chunks sent with the kit as well as a cutout from the abs tub im attaching an overflow to.

I started with using masking tape to tape the cutouts to the side of the holes they came from. This way I figured I get a nice long outside seam to work on and the tape allows me to just fold the chunk back when applying the weldon.

APPLICATION
I applied weldon under each of the bars. 1 got a single bead of weldon 16 right under the bar. The 16 is easy to apply and wasn't very runny for me. Almost comparable to something in between a gel and regular super glue consistency wise out of my applicator bottle. I folded the bar back ontop of the bead and gave it a little pressure to spread the weldon out below it. The other bar I folded back and applied the weldon 4, it's much more runny and was much more difficult to control coming out of the bottle. I was able to get a nice coat down below where the acrylic would fold onto with just a little runny slop onto where the inside of the corner made by the bar would be. I can see how it would be very easy with weldon 4 to make a mess of things. For the sake of testing I also decided to run a short bead of weldon 16 down an inside corner to see the results and I used the 16 ontop of the bar and attached a chunk of abs to it. The abs I applied pressure to for 3 minutes while the 16 began to cure and harden.

30 minutes after applying the abs cutout. Everything is solid at the moment. Sorry for not knowing the proper terms so bare with me on this next part. The 16 bar looks the have not gotten the best adhesion. I can see what almost looks like webbing between the bar and the base. Im tossing this up to just running a fine bead down below the bar, I feel like it just wasn't enough and flipping the bar over on it spread it out below the bar but just didn't have enough volume to coat the whole space. I also has some squeeze out the edges and harden in an unsightly way. The 4 was surprising. I honestly can't tell over most of the bar where the 2 parts meet! Near the ends I can make it out as well as where the tape was at. The spots I didn't get perfect I think again were due to going light and the reaction from the solvent/tape/acrylic side. You can see the lines where the solvent made marks where the tape was in this photo.

The thick line to the right is the area I'm talking about where the tape was. The this line to the left is the back seam on the outside of the corner. Look at how clear that inside seam and joint came out! I'm happily surprised since I thought I went too heavy with how runny the 4 is. I has one spot that ran out onto the base and wasn't covered by the bar and it seams the solvent evaporated without leaving a noticeable mark.

My abs cutout has fused to the acrylic but I'm not going to try to stress test any of these parts until tomorrow afternoon.

Hope this info can help some others out who are just learning as you gowlike I am.

Cheers!

I wonder on the 16 if it's because you "squished" too much to or too hard? The directions say to bring them into "gentle contact" with each other for several seconds to allow them to soften and then use pressure while the two parts are still wet?

 

[Naekuh]

Yeah he says definitely use the 32 gauge for precise precision and control.
And the 4 won't be a problem with how fluid it is.

My acrylic Guru friend says watch this video..


lol...

 

[Tonycass12]

I wonder on the 16 if it's because you "squished" too much to or too hard? The directions say to bring them into "gentle contact" with each other for several seconds to allow them to soften and then use pressure while the two parts are still wet?

So the reason I think it was due to going light is I can see where the weldon stopped pushing across the joint. This is a shot from the base up into the bar.

You can see the weldon looks to have a good bond to the bottom of the joint, but near the top it may have gotten pushed away as the parts folded togeather. I feel like if I went heavier it would have been a better bond but would definitely had made the inside edge more messy. I had very little of the weldon make its way out of that joint.

 

[Tenecor Aquariums]

Decided to run a few tests today to check my methods, test adhesion between acrylic and abs with weldon 16 and weldon 16 vs weldon 4 to see how they compare. I used the top cutout and the 2 spare chunks sent with the kit as well as a cutout from the abs tub im attaching an overflow to.

I started with using masking tape to tape the cutouts to the side of the holes they came from. This way I figured I get a nice long outside seam to work on and the tape allows me to just fold the chunk back when applying the weldon.

APPLICATION
I applied weldon under each of the bars. 1 got a single bead of weldon 16 right under the bar. The 16 is easy to apply and wasn't very runny for me. Almost comparable to something in between a gel and regular super glue consistency wise out of my applicator bottle. I folded the bar back ontop of the bead and gave it a little pressure to spread the weldon out below it. The other bar I folded back and applied the weldon 4, it's much more runny and was much more difficult to control coming out of the bottle. I was able to get a nice coat down below where the acrylic would fold onto with just a little runny slop onto where the inside of the corner made by the bar would be. I can see how it would be very easy with weldon 4 to make a mess of things. For the sake of testing I also decided to run a short bead of weldon 16 down an inside corner to see the results and I used the 16 ontop of the bar and attached a chunk of abs to it. The abs I applied pressure to for 3 minutes while the 16 began to cure and harden.

30 minutes after applying the abs cutout. Everything is solid at the moment. Sorry for not knowing the proper terms so bare with me on this next part. The 16 bar looks the have not gotten the best adhesion. I can see what almost looks like webbing between the bar and the base. Im tossing this up to just running a fine bead down below the bar, I feel like it just wasn't enough and flipping the bar over on it spread it out below the bar but just didn't have enough volume to coat the whole space. I also has some squeeze out the edges and harden in an unsightly way. The 4 was surprising. I honestly can't tell over most of the bar where the 2 parts meet! Near the ends I can make it out as well as where the tape was at. The spots I didn't get perfect I think again were due to going light and the reaction from the solvent/tape/acrylic side. You can see the lines where the solvent made marks where the tape was in this photo.

The thick line to the right is the area I'm talking about where the tape was. The this line to the left is the back seam on the outside of the corner. Look at how clear that inside seam and joint came out! I'm happily surprised since I thought I went too heavy with how runny the 4 is. I has one spot that ran out onto the base and wasn't covered by the bar and it seams the solvent evaporated without leaving a noticeable mark.

My abs cutout has fused to the acrylic but I'm not going to try to stress test any of these parts until tomorrow afternoon.

Hope this info can help some others out who are just learning as you gowlike I am.

Cheers!

a little heads up on the tape. The solvent will attack the adhesive back of the tape and make a mess. It is best to avoid the area. again, this is why i like the tabs and notches. now, there is another option; silicone tape or vinyl tape. both will not react with the solvent. if you get clever with those tapes, you can turn the nonreactive sides onto themselves and tape up the pieces that way. Home depot sells silicone tape. around 6 bucks. no guarantees.

 

[Tenecor Aquariums]

Decided to run a few tests today to check my methods, test adhesion between acrylic and abs with weldon 16 and weldon 16 vs weldon 4 to see how they compare. I used the top cutout and the 2 spare chunks sent with the kit as well as a cutout from the abs tub im attaching an overflow to.

I started with using masking tape to tape the cutouts to the side of the holes they came from. This way I figured I get a nice long outside seam to work on and the tape allows me to just fold the chunk back when applying the weldon.

APPLICATION
I applied weldon under each of the bars. 1 got a single bead of weldon 16 right under the bar. The 16 is easy to apply and wasn't very runny for me. Almost comparable to something in between a gel and regular super glue consistency wise out of my applicator bottle. I folded the bar back ontop of the bead and gave it a little pressure to spread the weldon out below it. The other bar I folded back and applied the weldon 4, it's much more runny and was much more difficult to control coming out of the bottle. I was able to get a nice coat down below where the acrylic would fold onto with just a little runny slop onto where the inside of the corner made by the bar would be. I can see how it would be very easy with weldon 4 to make a mess of things. For the sake of testing I also decided to run a short bead of weldon 16 down an inside corner to see the results and I used the 16 ontop of the bar and attached a chunk of abs to it. The abs I applied pressure to for 3 minutes while the 16 began to cure and harden.

30 minutes after applying the abs cutout. Everything is solid at the moment. Sorry for not knowing the proper terms so bare with me on this next part. The 16 bar looks the have not gotten the best adhesion. I can see what almost looks like webbing between the bar and the base. Im tossing this up to just running a fine bead down below the bar, I feel like it just wasn't enough and flipping the bar over on it spread it out below the bar but just didn't have enough volume to coat the whole space. I also has some squeeze out the edges and harden in an unsightly way. The 4 was surprising. I honestly can't tell over most of the bar where the 2 parts meet! Near the ends I can make it out as well as where the tape was at. The spots I didn't get perfect I think again were due to going light and the reaction from the solvent/tape/acrylic side. You can see the lines where the solvent made marks where the tape was in this photo.

The thick line to the right is the area I'm talking about where the tape was. The this line to the left is the back seam on the outside of the corner. Look at how clear that inside seam and joint came out! I'm happily surprised since I thought I went too heavy with how runny the 4 is. I has one spot that ran out onto the base and wasn't covered by the bar and it seams the solvent evaporated without leaving a noticeable mark.

My abs cutout has fused to the acrylic but I'm not going to try to stress test any of these parts until tomorrow afternoon.

Hope this info can help some others out who are just learning as you gowlike I am.

Cheers!

I think you may not have had the surfaces soften enough before setting them. No need to squeeze or clamp too tightly with small parts like this. 4 and 16 set VERRRRRY slowly compared to 3. 16 also is a better void filler. 3 will not fill voids, 4, a little but not really.

 

[Jim Gomoll]

Make my own media caddy so the open rectangle media shelf support will not be uses as intended.
Since there already is a tab hole for this piece I'm going to put this piece in the display area.
Any guesses what its for?

Yup, a built in frag rack. Silicone in place, add egg crate grate, and cover with rubble chunks to look like rockwork coming out of back wall. What can you guys come up with????