First plwood tank build started..... with pics

[joey02]

I checked out your vid, nicely done. The stuff's got some great properties and I cant wait to play with it as well. The fact that it's somewhat scratch resistant yet malliable is really neat. If this works out are you planning any other tanks in the future? Your rays are going to love it...

I sure hope the rays like it!
Yes, i do have plans for a much bigger tank in the furture. i was first doing it on a small scale(but a tank that i can still use for a long time) and then i will do a larger size. somthing around 700 gallons.

Well I spoke with one of the Guys from Liquid Rubber just a few mins ago... Great Guy, I have directed him towards this build and hope that he and the others from Liquid rubber will enjoy the outcome, I have also informed him of my "larger" scale test which I would like to perform to see how well it handles the deeper water pressure. Should we see the same great outcomes that we have so far I beleive that we might have a new more realistically priced version of the other types of products which are currently available as well as the simplicity of a paint on product since alot of people are always unsure of using more complex 2 part systems or fiberglassing.

I really can't wait to hear tonights update from Joey

Thats great news, i wonder if he will join the forum and offer any advice/info.

Im glad this stuff has gained alot of interest.

I just came upon this tread. i am looking forward to see how it works out. And the ray look great.

thanks, i love that ray! the tank is being made because of her.

I am waiting to see some testing with Silicone and how well it bonds to it.

I took that piece of plywood that i first tryed this stuff on and gobbed on some silicone, and some wood glue, just to see how each sticks. should be interesting. i'll update on that tomorrow.

 

[joey02]

I coated the top brace last night. today i gave the tank a third coat. I could of done the tank in one thick coat, but i feel the thinner multiple coats is better instead of one thick coat.(any thoughts on that?)
I am really liking how easy this stuff goes on so i wont mind doing the 6-8 coats i think i'll get out of the 2 gallons. Since it goes on brown and drys black, its also very easy to see what you need to get, or what you missed. as you can see in the pics below, the seams get an extra coat each time. they are still a little brown in the pic.

so i have around 5 coats at least left to do, and maybe as many as 7 more.

not much progress in terms of it looking any different, but i'll keep at it.

 

[basslover34]

Considering this product is used on roofs as well... I am going to say that without a doubt in my mind that Silicone isn't going to be much of a problem

 

[Rivermud]

Most roof coatings call for one to two thick coatings.. I however do not see any issues with either plan and it is elastomeric and you don't experience the micro bubbles you do in other types of paint and or epoxy.

 

[spaulding]

how about doing a test on glass to see if you can just seal it using the same product.

 

[necrocanis]

how about doing a test on glass to see if you can just seal it using the same product.

I'd almost promise you that it would work on glass, but not certain for acrylic.

 

[joey02]

I will use GE I silicone to seal the glass to the rubber. I tryed to rip of the silicone with my hands today and couldnt get a grip on it to get it off. i used plyers and i ripped it off. When i ripped it off the silione came off with the layer of rubber and some of the wood came up too. so it looks like GE silicone I bonds very well to zavlar.

 

[basslover34]

From my understanding through their documentation, it's a product that sticks to everything almost...Acrylic is actually listed on one of their lists of surfaces

 

[Grog]

Good news regarding the silicone test. Even though it's not a chemical bond the porosity of the rubber may allow a good seal. If for some reason it doesnt seal well in a full tank test, a butyl rubber caulk might do the trick. How this bonds to glass i dont know. I had read, possibly in another thread, that applying liquid rubber over silicone that was used as a crack seal in plywood was not a good idea and didnt work well. Anyone perusing this thread please provide any illuminations you may have regarding these products together....I guess we'll find out soon enough. Looks like a great diy,tank building weekend coming up in the northeast..can't wait!

 

[Thalan]

Even if this stuff isn't as cheap here in the US I think the ease of use has me sold as long it works well, which so far seems like a yes. Keep us posted.