Looking for Acrylic

those prices are ridiculously high. the price for 3/8" is almost triple what I can get it for.  When you figure in all the tooling and supply costs it might be a lot cheaper just to have me build one for you.  Let me know.  check the commercial/sponsors forums for some examples of projects I have going on.  There will be more updates to a few of those threads in the coming week as I will be finishing 2 sumps this weekend and starting a few more projects ASAP.

 

No place that will be open on the weekend. At least not a place where you can get any cell cast (preferred) or a quality domestic extruded. You have to go direct to the suppliers for that, like Regal in Waterloo or Des Moines or Sabic in Cedar Rapids. Also there are certain types/brands that you really should only use. If you are set on making it yourself, I can give you all the advice you want /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default//emoticons/smile.gif

 

A word of caution - the expert tank makers, specifically James Steele of Envision Acrylics ("Acrylics" on RC) recommends using only Plexiglas-G (Arkema/Atoglas brand name) or Spartech Polycast for making tanks. You can also use the 'general purpose' grade cell cast stuff from Arkema, it's the same as Plex-g just no print on the mask. I would doubt that the estreet stuff is either of those manufacturers because they list it as "Plexiglass" with 2 "s"s.

Plexiglas is like Kleenex, people call all acrylic plexiglas but all is not and there is a difference. For instance, make a tank out of Chemcast GP and you risk it falling apart, literally, a few months later. This is why several tank makers using it went out of business, and why the best tank makers won't touch the stuff. Similarly Cyro Acrylite GP is now made in China for anything under 1" and it isn't the same anymore, hasn't been truly tested long-term, and tank makers won't touch it anymore.

For sumps, probably fine. But you just never know. The true test of a sump's strength is how it holds up under maximum stress, which would be when you have a power or pump failure and it fills up. And that is the one time when you definitely don't want it to fail.

Just sayin...

 

That looks like it's made in indonesia, so I would have to ask someone about it's quality. Like I said though, the tank makers that have been around for decades will use nothing but Arkema and Spartech products and there is a reason for that.

IMO what this comes down to is pretty simple: you can get the stuff that you know is good for less than you can get it online with shipping, and that includes driving to go get it in CR.

 

Personally I won't make anything out of 1/4", the cost difference really isn't that much and the tank/sump isn't the place you want to skimp considering how much $ you have invested in the rest of the system. You *can* make it out of 1/4", and if the seams are good it will hold, it will just bow like mad, which adds stress over time to the seams and you might start to notice them pulling apart years down the line. Adding baffles in the right places would reduce that, or a top eurobrace. If you look at stock sumps like eshopps or others like them they generally do 1/4" or 3/16" so yes it can be done. I just prefer to overbuild, then it will definitely hold under extreme conditions and last much longer.

 

Good source for tube stock!  Thanks for the link!
Still, 2x the price of Sabic in CR.  Just trying to help you out B-Rad!

 

Jeff Erickson 319-365-1460 they don't have the CR location up on their website yet.

http://www.sabicpolymershapes.com/polyshapes/PShapes/branchlocator/branchus.jsp