# Diy acrylic tank



## Jakemonaghan90 (Nov 30, 2008)

Does anybody have experience with bending acrylic? I want to make a tank but I was thinking it might be cool to bend the front peice of acrylic so that it was also the sides. This way I only bond the top/bottom/ and back.

Any thoughts?

I figure a wooden jig of sorts would make the bendin[/url]g easier...


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## I3lazd (Dec 29, 2008)

I have seen people lay it on a wood cast that is designed how you want it to bend then put it in the oven for about 15 min at 150 degrees


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## Hoosier Tank (May 8, 2007)

Thats depending on how big your oven / tank is.  
I have put bends in acrylic sheets at work by LIGHTLY heating with a propane tourch. It's very easy to get bubbles in the acrylic if overheated and this was for projects not nearly as precise as building a tank. The edge deforms a little and "rounds over" so it doesn't stay a flat crisp 90 needed for a glued seam. You would probably need to re-router the entire final shape to get a usable edge again.


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## jorgy (Nov 28, 2007)

I agree about the bubbles, it does not tke much heat from a torch. The company where I got my custom tank has a big walk in oven for large and very expensive tanks. Good luck


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## newfisher (Dec 20, 2008)

I had windows with simple and compound curves made from 3/16 inch thick acrylic. The process involved placing pieces to be bent over a felt-covered forms (a simple box with radiused corners in your case), placing heavy blankets over that for weight to force the bend, then placing all in a large, well controlled oven. The piece needs to cool slowly (my windows were allowed to cool in the oven) so stress does not develop at the bends, otherwise cracks may form.

Not sure that bending stuff thick enough for a tank would be a DIY project. I've learned that the bending takes experience, the right ovens are hard to find, and thick acrylic is expensive.


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## fishEH (Sep 15, 2008)

Try this link.




They have a lot of very informational videos.


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## One_Cich_Dude (Feb 2, 2009)

A heat gun (hair drier on steroids) is great for bending acrylic.

For 90 degree bends, lay the sheet on a table edge, and mask the sheet from about 3/4" back from the edge with a thick piece of wood.

Heat gently and slowly, keeping the heat gun moving so you do not produce bubbles. You're ready to bend when you see the sheet start to sag on it's own from gravity. If you do this outdoors, you can have a water hose ready to cool the part and set the bend. As soon as you have the bend at the angle you want, douse it with the hose to cool it so you don't have to wait for it to cool naturally.


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## Jakemonaghan90 (Nov 30, 2008)

YES! that was my thought exactly. I have a heat gun laying around from my guitar refurbing days...

I think ill try this out with my upcoming FBF project and see how it works. Ill post pics if anyone is interested.


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## I3lazd (Dec 29, 2008)

def. interested


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## I3lazd (Dec 29, 2008)

Whats the word on this are you starting your project soon?


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## Jakemonaghan90 (Nov 30, 2008)

Sorry to disappoint, but it might be a while. I work in my dads shop and he is primarily a woodworker. He wanted to refurb his shop so I have to help him. Maybe another week or two until we finish the grinder station. Then maybe I can get into the fbf.

For the sake of keeping this on topic, I plan on putting in reef style overflows. I also would love to cut hole in the bottom and plumb my ugjs from underneath but I can't think of a way to incorporate the ever important siphon breaks...

For anyone that has a wood shop, pm me if you want to see some cool shop ideas!


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## Stickzula (Sep 14, 2007)

If I were serious about making a nice, professional looking acrylic tank, I would invest in one of these. http://cgi.ebay.com/33"-Acrylic-Plexiglass-Strip-Heater_W0QQitemZ370163053352QQcmdZViewItem

Use it 1 or 2x and then re-sell it on ebay for a little less than the "new" price. Or if you have a source for cheap acrylic, you could make up a bunch of tanks and sell 'em for profit to pay to the heater.


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