quite a perdicament

[balistidae]

About a year ago i siliconed a small piece of glass to the underside of my overflow. I did this to maintain a small amount of water in there because i had an eel and didnt want him drying up in the empty overflow. Now the time has come to set up my sump and i cant get the darn glass off the bottom. I tried sliding a utility blade through but it only snapped off between the two pieces. So now i have no idea how to get this piece off without damaging the tank...any ideas?????thanks alot, Greg

 

[tizzo]

Am I getting this right?? Are you working vertical?? Like you don't have much room on each side? Is the overflow currently off the tank? Dry, is what I mean. If all of this falls into place< I can only think of 1 (maybe) solution. Well actually2 but I assume you don't wanna buy another overflow...
Can you break out as much glass as possible, then use a drill bit like a grinder (or if a Dremel tool will fit), kinda sweep the bit back and forth to "grind" away the silicone?

 

[balistidae]

its an internal overflow and the glass is underneath the tank on the bottom. I have to get to it through my stand. I think i am going to try sliding some fishing line through it....anyone else have an idea??? thanks, Greg

 

[squidd]

So you "blocked off" the overflow (weren't using it) and just wanted to have some water in there in case the eel jumped in...??
Single edged razor blades are the "thinnest" blade and "should" work, but its hard to get any "leverage" on them (especially if your working "under" the tank)
Try an Exacto knife where you can get some leverage or pressure to get between the two pieces...
Exacto also makes a "chisel" front blade that you can "push" in a couple of spots to get started and then "cut" the silicone out with the regular blade...
Once you get a corner or edge "started" try a thin blade (flexible) putty knife to pry between the two plates....
Any of these tools will give you a 'handle" on the situation and more control over your destiny...(wow, that's profound...don't get me started on Dremel tools.... )
Any way your "bottom" piece is probably tempered and much thicker than your "cover plate" so don't be afraid to "push" a little..the thinner glass will "pop" before the bottom piece...
(Famous Last Words... )

 

[balistidae]

haha i dont want any famous last words...i will have to look into the exacto knife setups i think. I just tried a guitar string and some fishing line but they snapped relatively easy...

 

[osufarker]

exacto makes a blade that is flat on the end. it is great to push down and "cut" the silicone. I repair tanks often and that is a what I use to get me started.

 

[balistidae]

thanks for all the ideas guys..i made one last try with a very thin putty knife before i went and bought the exacto and it worked great!!! Now on to the plumbing. Greg