Flower's Sump/Fuge Build

2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by acrylic51 http:///forum/thread/380517/flower-s-sump-fuge-build/380#post_3315636
Wish I did......What are you planning on putting in that? Sounds like someone is ready to upgrade already to a 240 gallon????? I have to go see my buddies tomorrow anyways....want to use their shop for a couple things.....
Nah, I'm just teasin. I think I'll save the next larger upgrade once we get into a house. For now, where we're at serves it's purpose untill we get there. It's pretty sad when you look at houses online searching for one that has a good layout that would allow for a great in-wall aquarium and fish room
. I'm excited though, I make my last payment on the work truck this month so that should help speed things up on my build. Did manage to get some work done this weekend. Have a 3 day weekend next week so the plan is to get all of the doors done...updates will follow.
Again, nice work on the sump!!!
 
al&burke

al&burke

Active Member
Hi Everyone, looking really good Shawn, nice work. One little trick that I use when making templates - use strips of scrap plexi - 3/8" thick or thicker and just double stick tape them to your work. As with your bracing lay it out then stick your strips where you want the material to stay, I usually rough cut the holes out with a jigsaw very close to the layout. Just a little tip you might want to try. Also using denatured alcohol on plexi do you ever get small cracks where the plexi has been machined, the only reason I ask I usually use just normal drug store alcohol (or a cheap bottle of wiskey, just kidding) and found that if you put too much on you get very small fissure cracks, if you are not carefully.
Anyways looking good!!!!!!
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Al&Burke I have seen the trick with double sided tape, and every time I get to the store I out it on the list, but somehow get a little side tracked what I'm after.... Notes don't work either. I usually can't findthem once I get into the store.
As far as the alcohol I've never had any issues with stress cracking.... I guesssomehas to do with the quality/grade acrylic your using. I did find out this pastwinter that you can't do it with the mirrored plastic..... I know now it wasn't acrylic!!!! LOL. I just drill small starter holes to get my bit into, saves on material waste if you are squeezing pieces. For my gig sump however, I did use the holesaw trick to cut my radius and then just took the time and lined everything up... Thanks!!!!!!
 
al&burke

al&burke

Active Member
The acrylic I was using was cast acrylic - 1/4" thick - top quality - but I used regular rubbing alcohol, I was wondering if the denatured alcohol did not cause this cracking. Just thinking out load.
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
No idea.....I did it on my own sump build and the seams were spotless, but that is more in the prep work.....I did a project last Christmas, and assumed it would be fine on all, but dang!!!!!
Did it craze...... What major brands acrylic do you carry in your neck of the woods Al??? I prefer to use Polycast or Spartech.
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Waiting.......Patiently........Your work is incredible Corey!!!!!
I need you for a neighbor.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///forum/thread/380517/flower-s-sump-fuge-build/400#post_3315647
Nah, I'm just teasin. I think I'll save the next larger upgrade once we get into a house. For now, where we're at serves it's purpose untill we get there. It's pretty sad when you look at houses online searching for one that has a good layout that would allow for a great in-wall aquarium and fish room
. I'm excited though, I make my last payment on the work truck this month so that should help speed things up on my build. Did manage to get some work done this weekend. Have a 3 day weekend next week so the plan is to get all of the doors done...updates will follow.
Again, nice work on the sump!!!
 
monsinour

monsinour

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/380517/flower-s-sump-fuge-build/400#post_3315820
This is what stinks about this.....we have some great people on here...and everyone is so far away :(
I would love to be able to call someone and say....hey come check out my set-up.....what do you think I could do better.....YA KNOW
well, move out of the sticks and into a place that has people around it. I am sure you will find someone then. LOL
 
monsinour

monsinour

Active Member
Heres an OT question for Shawn, what would it cost me to have you build me a tank? Say a tank that is 6' by 18" wide by 12" high? Just looking to see what it would cost. I am no where near ready for a second tank. Heck, gotta move into a new house before I can have a second tank.
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Monsinour.....Your not that far from me....Well not close either, but not a bad drive....Prices of that stuff varies...Depends on what exactly your after, and material choice; being thickness, cross bracing needed...A lot of things can factor into the cost.
 
monsinour

monsinour

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by acrylic51 http:///forum/thread/380517/flower-s-sump-fuge-build/400#post_3316057
Monsinour.....Your not that far from me....Well not close either, but not a bad drive....Prices of that stuff varies...Depends on what exactly your after, and material choice; being thickness, cross bracing needed...A lot of things can factor into the cost.
I go to harrisburg atleast once a year, usually in september for the Groom expo with the wife. We were just there actually. Its about a 5 hour drive and I contemplated making that drive just to go the the LFS that is in Lancaster PA to pick up a tank and stand from them. I am sure you know the LFS that I am refering to. So, would I make the drive to come and get the tank, you bet I would.
Materials, well I would imagine that the tank walls would have to be 3/4" thick on a tank of that size right? I would also imagine that there would have to be atleast 1 cross brace along the top. Having it drilled with 1 or 2 corner overflows and all that. Think of it this way, what would it cost me to have you make a tank for me that you would want to keep for yourself?
@ flower : depending on where you are in illinois, and if I were closer, I would volunteer to make the drive out to your place to set up all this stuff for ya. I like driving over the road and long road trips are actually fun for me, when I drive solo. Besides, it would give me an escuse to drive through columbus to maybe catch a buckeyes game.
Edit : the main reason I am asking about the tank is I wanted to know the price difference between building it myself versus purchasing a new tank. If the price difference is substantial, then I might tackle it and try to make it myself. If the price savings is not that much, then i would just go ahead and purchase a tank.
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
On the last update I had shown that I had laid out the top eurobracing for the sump.....I had talked alittle about router bits.....I prefer to use Freud bits, but they can't get a bit pricey, and I don't keep the greatest track of my bits....Those cabinet doors I cut apart for the pattern??????
I had originally planned to make a cabinet specifically for all my router stuff, and they would have made a nice display cabinet for my bits and such, but no biggie, I can always fab up new doors.....Anyways here's a little more on the bits used.

These are straight cut bits....I like to use them in the router table to clean the edges up on the acrylic before glue up or are also excellent at cleaning up the edge of wood as well. I also used these bits in the router table to cut the teeth for overflows, and the teeth on Flowers bubble trap in the sump.

This is a flush trim cut off bit. They are double fluted, and you would use this bit, when you leave overhang on the project like I did on the bottom of the sump. The bearing on the bottom would ride against the side of the sump as you move the router giving you a clean flush cut.

This is a 1/2" shank double fluted flush trim bit.....Depending if I'm using the hand held router and thickness of the material I'm working I'll opt to step up to the 1/2" shank bits. I prefer to use the 1/4" shank only cause of cost, but find the router runs smoother for whatever reason on the 1/2" shank.....

This is a straight cut/pattern bit. It's very similar to the 2nd pic I posted, the difference being that the bearing is on the top of the bit. This is really nice if your doing a pattern and your pattern is laid on top of your actual work piece. I used this to cut the top/eurobracing on the sump. If you remember the pics I posted about how I created the jig and sandwiched the acrylic between my MDF base and the pattern on top. the bearing would ride against the pattern, and the cutting edge would be on the work piece below...
That is just a small sample of bits, to do the job....There is more work to come!!!!! Nothing like the smell of acrylic being routed.....How about it Al
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Monsinour......Yes I know TFP very well.....they know me on a first name basis unfortunately......I'm usually there 3-4 times a week......
Acrylic prices will vary and fluctuate, depending on certain things in the economy......I have a hard time putting a price on DIY vs store bought....Anyone can buy and setup, to me the real creativity and joy is when it's all finished being able to sit back and admire your work, and knowing the total ins and outs of how it all works and goes together....3/4" material would work, but you'd be surprised what 1" looks like, and the possibility for cross bracing could be negated, but again there is a price, and depends how wild and crazy you want to get. The tank regardless would be eurobraced just depending how wide depends if you actually need cross bracing or not!!!!!!!
Ok.....Here's a bit more for the updates.....I've been working on the baffles for the sump....We came to a conclusion to move the baffle spacing to 3/4" instead of the traditional 1".

Sorry about the poor quality pictures, but not a photographer by any means.....this is the start of the baffles being cut and worked by hand; with a hand scraper, to round it over......Looks a little rough, but it will go through a good sanding process and before it is glued into place will be wet sanded with 1400 grit sand paper.....

As you can see the baffles have been wet sanded and actually start to take on a little gleam.....I'm in the mock up stages which I check for fit, and start to level the surface out for glue up.

A little better shot.....Needless to say I ran out of shims from cutting them up and the little 1 playing with them, so the pry bar gave me just enough lift to snug things up to where I was happy with the fit.......Again you see I like to keep the square in place during all phases to assure myself everything is square. The scrap strips of wood are for spacing between the baffles. We had originall discussed going with 1" spacing, but decided to go with 3/4" spacing and the wood was exactly 3/4" thick and was perfect.....

This is the future acrylic builder.....
She is the reason pop was short on shims and had to use the pry bar.....Now how could I get mad at a face like that????


Baffles installed and glued!!!!!!

This is the current status of the sump build....Please excuse the mess and all the wood blocks on the table....I have to lift the sump up and be able to kneel down and get my arm and glue bottle up inside the sump to glue the eurobracing into place.....As you can see I had to use a ton of shims do to the multitudes of wood I have blocked underneath it to give me enough clearance underneath.
 
u mike

u mike

Member
no need to explain why there is a mess, a quality piece of work says it all !!!! really shaping up looks better every post.
Quote:
Originally Posted by acrylic51 http:///forum/thread/380517/flower-s-sump-fuge-build/400#post_3316071
Monsinour......Yes I know TFP very well.....they know me on a first name basis unfortunately......I'm usually there 3-4 times a week......
Acrylic prices will vary and fluctuate, depending on certain things in the economy......I have a hard time putting a price on DIY vs store bought....Anyone can buy and setup, to me the real creativity and joy is when it's all finished being able to sit back and admire your work, and knowing the total ins and outs of how it all works and goes together....3/4" material would work, but you'd be surprised what 1" looks like, and the possibility for cross bracing could be negated, but again there is a price, and depends how wild and crazy you want to get. The tank regardless would be eurobraced just depending how wide depends if you actually need cross bracing or not!!!!!!!
Ok.....Here's a bit more for the updates.....I've been working on the baffles for the sump....We came to a conclusion to move the baffle spacing to 3/4" instead of the traditional 1".

Sorry about the poor quality pictures, but not a photographer by any means.....this is the start of the baffles being cut and worked by hand; with a hand scraper, to round it over......Looks a little rough, but it will go through a good sanding process and before it is glued into place will be wet sanded with 1400 grit sand paper.....

As you can see the baffles have been wet sanded and actually start to take on a little gleam.....I'm in the mock up stages which I check for fit, and start to level the surface out for glue up.

A little better shot.....Needless to say I ran out of shims from cutting them up and the little 1 playing with them, so the pry bar gave me just enough lift to snug things up to where I was happy with the fit.......Again you see I like to keep the square in place during all phases to assure myself everything is square. The scrap strips of wood are for spacing between the baffles. We had originall discussed going with 1" spacing, but decided to go with 3/4" spacing and the wood was exactly 3/4" thick and was perfect.....

This is the future acrylic builder.....
She is the reason pop was short on shims and had to use the pry bar.....Now how could I get mad at a face like that????


Baffles installed and glued!!!!!!

This is the current status of the sump build....Please excuse the mess and all the wood blocks on the table....I have to lift the sump up and be able to kneel down and get my arm and glue bottle up inside the sump to glue the eurobracing into place.....As you can see I had to use a ton of shims do to the multitudes of wood I have blocked underneath it to give me enough clearance underneath.
 
al&burke

al&burke

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by acrylic51 http:///forum/thread/380517/flower-s-sump-fuge-build/400#post_3315818
No idea.....I did it on my own sump build and the seams were spotless, but that is more in the prep work.....I did a project last Christmas, and assumed it would be fine on all, but dang!!!!!
Did it craze...... What major brands acrylic do you carry in your neck of the woods Al??? I prefer to use Polycast or Spartech.
Plaskolite - made in Zanesville, OH - Just some very minor craze, wasn't anything major I was just more carefull with the amount of rubbing alcohol I put on.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member

Shawn,
Wow, I knew you were busy when you weren’t online but I missed you. I love your little future builder, I’m surprised you any shims at all, I would give them to her for toy blocks just to see her smile..LOL
I go to work and there was nothing going on, I come home and I have tons of posts to go through. I’m lost on the bits, but in the end I decided it’s all very complicated. The sump looks awesome..way too pretty to stick under the cabinet, I will have to keep the doors open to show everyone.
Monsinour,
It’s way too far for you to drive to put some plastic hoses on. If I put it together myself I know I can handle it if trouble arrives later. So it’s best I learn how everything works. However I would love for you to visit, my doors are open and we can talk fish over a nice dinner.
I will warn you that if you turn out to be a serial killer using the internet for stalking chubby old ladies, my dogs will eat you, and they will never find your body…LOL That’s what I told Loopy101 , he brought his Mom along. I don’t know if she was to protect him or put my mind at ease.
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///forum/thread/380517/flower-s-sump-fuge-build/400#post_3316082

Shawn,
Wow, I knew you were busy when you weren’t online but I missed you. I love your little future builder, I’m surprised you any shims at all, I would give them to her for toy blocks just to see her smile..LOL
I go to work and there was nothing going on, I come home and I have tons of posts to go through. I’m lost on the bits, but in the end I decided it’s all very complicated. The sump looks awesome..way too pretty to stick under the cabinet, I will have to keep the doors open to show everyone.
Monsinour,
It’s way too far for you to drive to put some plastic hoses on. If I put it together myself I know I can handle it if trouble arrives later. So it’s best I learn how everything works. However I would love for you to visit, my doors are open and we can talk fish over a nice dinner.
I will warn you that if you turn out to be a serial killer using the internet for stalking chubby old ladies, my dogs will eat you, and they will never find your body…LOL That’s what I told Loopy101 , he brought his Mom along. I don’t know if she was to protect him or put my mind at ease.

That is funny Flower.....

Couldn't agree more Corey!!!!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///forum/thread/380517/flower-s-sump-fuge-build/400#post_3316086

I love it when a plan starts coming together!
 
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