Can I save this cracked acrylic tank?

[wednesday13]

wednesday13

for the 2nd drill, would I have to drill this end of the crack on the front panel as well?

View attachment 1554923

Ehhh i dont think so… it looks like that crack came forward and went back towards the inside of the tank. If u can see a point on it tho most definitely hit it with the drill. It seems like it doesnt matter under neath a patch but it does. Had a guy one time not listen and just patch over a 1-2” crack. He chased that crack for over a year with additional patches and it ended up running 18”+ before he just gave up and sold the tank. So it cant hurt to drill. The patch will cover the hole anyway. You can see it better than i can. Even a 1/8” drill bit can work if u hit it dead on

 

[Drools77]

wednesday13 yep I have some scrap pcs as I was going to build the sump for this one and will follow your directions!

I just ordered a 1” thick 12 x 12 sheet to cut and place across underneath the center brace. I gotta measure again but I think it’s around 6-8 inches in the middle so I’ll cut to size with 12 inches long panel to patch it across the middle underneath and use the remaining to patch the top. Of course after the drilling at the end of cracks are done.

 

[phreeflow]

I learn something new everytime wednesday13 posts about acrylic. Good stuff.

Yep wednesday13 is a great resource and very generous to share his time and knowledge

 

[wednesday13]

wednesday13 yep I have some scrap pcs as I was going to build the sump for this one and will follow your directions!

I just ordered a 1” thick 12 x 12 sheet to cut and place across underneath the center brace. I gotta measure again but I think it’s around 6-8 inches in the middle so I’ll cut to size with 12 inches long panel to patch it across the middle underneath and use the remaining to patch the top. Of course after the drilling at the end of cracks are done.

Awesome… glad to hear u were already diving into a bit of acrylic work on the sump. This will be a good stepping stone for ya . I learned most of what i know now by years of trial and error fixing broken tanks i aquired cheap then fixing them again when i failed . If ur keeping that side as the front def. Flip it up to work on so the solvent doesnt run down the front pane. Only way to get the solvent marks out is sanding/buffing and thats a whole nother animal i do not enjoy myself.