Homebrew PCBs

On Mon, 22 Aug 2005 17:56:39 +0200, lcdpublishing  
<lcdpublishing@...> wrote:

>
> You are correct, many plastics will take on moisture which is why I
> was concerned about using that.  The glass worried me due to getting
> good seals with silicone. Did you use an "Under water" rated
> silicone, or just any old silicone adhesive?  Did you apply the
> silicone on the outside of the tank or the inside?  Inside could be
> a bit of a problem reaching in, so I was thinking of doing it from
> the outside - just cut the pieces so there is overlap to work with.
> Chris


hi,

yes, glass is very quick to cut once you figured out how to do it.
I was told there is a similar (scoring and breaking) method for plastic,  
but haven't tried it. sawing it is a pain.

I used plain ol' bathroom silicone, acetic acid cure (best for glass).  
clean surfaces well beforehand.
My first glass tank i glued inside and out, with huge beads. I glued the  
indside using a hose on the silicone applicator, and lots of time ;-).  
There wasn't any sign of deterioration or "creeping" after several years.

The tank i use now was made much simpler after reading up on aquarium  
making, put a thin bead on the edge of the glass plate, and press it  
against the surface of the mating part. This is considered sufficient for  
an aquarium. I decided to put a bead on all outside edges too. Make sure  
to go around the edge of the sideplates where they contact the base plate,  
because if you don't the etchant might leak in the gap along the edge, if  
your bead there wasn't perfect. Happened to me, i had a tiny leak because  
i didn't "fill" this gap  properly, and didn't run all the way around  
either. simple fix, drained it and spot-repaired. Most stable construction  
appears to me to be with larger-than-needed sideplates, so you get all  
"iniside" edges on the outside... (pretty poor description, huh?).


I am still planning to make pictures for you, but only have the chance in  
two days time.



ST