How thick should my acrylic be?

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RabidWombat

Arachnopeon
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Jul 8, 2012
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Yes, I could use the Container Store stuff... but to alleviate boredom I think I'll make a few enclosures.

Does anyone have a suggestion of how thick the acrylic should be? Just at Home Depot, they've got 1/10", 1/8", and 1/4". Thinner = cheaper... which is always nice.

Thanks!
RW
 
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Steven Valys

Arachnobaron
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Aug 30, 2007
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It really depends on the size of the enclosures. the bigger the tank, the thicker the acrylic needs to be. Cheaper isn't always the way to go. Throw out some sizes so we know your plans.
 
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RabidWombat

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I'm in the process of drawing up some plans. I'm going to make both terrestrial and arboreal enclosures, for both juvies and adults. They'll probably range from 6"x6"x10" to 12"x12"x20".
 
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RabidWombat

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Jul 8, 2012
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Thanks Steven. I'll be going 1/4 or maybe 3/8. I'm with you, I like more decor than many.
 
J Morningstar

J Morningstar

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3/8th inch is more heavy duty than anything you'd need unless it was full of rocks and water. And like 50 gallons plus of water. I lkie to use 3/16 inch, it seems well for most lighter applications, get a good acrylic bonding agent, they are almost foolproof when used properly then scillicone the edges within.
 
J Morningstar

J Morningstar

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Sorry to "be that guy", mentioned it more because I felt bad for your wallet if you thought that thickness was nessarry...
 
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RabidWombat

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Jul 8, 2012
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Haha no worries. Yeah... I finished up my plans today and started pricing it out with 3/16 acrylic... dang.. Not any cheaper than buying one pre-made at the same size. We'll see if I actually go ahead and make any myself :)

Thanks for your input. I do appreciate you pointing out my error.
 
akpropst

akpropst

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May 2, 2011
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48
Also a note to using thinner acrylic, the doors will bow after a short period of time. On my 10gal upright tanks I use I believe 3/16 and the corners bow'd out almost past the tank edges in a few short months, they settled and still leave no gap but it bugs the hell out of me.
 
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MikeInNC

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 9, 2012
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I know there are other related threads, but thought I'd post my question here......

I've researched the web (no pun intended) and YouTube re: how to cut acrylic.

Some places mention that the edges need to be smooth for the thin fluid to work best when bonding ("welding") acrylic parts together.

Another place mentioned that smoothing acrylic edges may cause the acrylic to "craze" when the bonding fluid is used.

Naturally, this conflicting information leaves me completely confused!

So - If I were to buy 3/16 acrylic sheets, score the acrylic for a particular size I want, and then separate the sections - do I leave the edges alone, or should I buff, sand, torch the newly-exposed edges before bonding/welding with the fluid?

Thanks!

-Mike
 
poisoned

poisoned

Arachnodemon
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Apr 17, 2012
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690
Hey, I'm doing similar project right now. I went with 6mm (1/4").

I think edges should be smooth but not polished (transparent). It's also important to have it cut really straight. From my understanding edges should be sanded, but you have to be careful not to round them.
 
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RabidWombat

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Jul 8, 2012
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I was talking to one of my co-workers about doing this. It turns out he's worked with acrylic and glass a lot. Per his advice, it MUST be straight. It can be tough when scoring it. If you've got a table saw, that's the best (aside from laser cutting). But yes, it also needs to be smooth. He just sands it down. The smoother it is the better the bond will be.

Where are you all getting your acrylic from? For a 6x6x10 enclosure it's going to end up costing me $60+. For that I can just buy it premade.

---------- Post added 08-23-2012 at 03:57 PM ----------

I must have been doing my math wrong when I calculated the price per enclosure as being $60+. I just found that Tap Plastics will cut to size anything you need. They have a minimum line item order of $10, but the costs are pretty cheap. I broke out the price per piece for a 6x6x10 enclosure. It came out to be only about $17.50 per enclosure.

Here's the link: http://www.tapplastics.com/product/plastics/cut_to_size_plastic/acrylic_sheets_clear/508
 
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MikeInNC

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Jul 9, 2012
Messages
38
Thanks for the info, guys. I'm obsessing over a few designs of my own even though it'll be a long while before my GBB slings will need a large enclosure :)

I might purchase just a few small pieces of acrylic and practice making a couple smaller enclosures so I'll know if it'll be worth the effort or not.

Thanks again!

-Mike
 
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RabidWombat

Arachnopeon
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Jul 8, 2012
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Cool Mike! Well if you end up doing it soon, please update us. I'm not going to be able to do mine for a few weeks due to a few travels I'm going on.

I did find a program - Google SketchUp that I used to make some plans. It's pretty easy.. I watched two tutorials on how to use the program and and it's cake.

Also, I found this today - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYhfV7SvoRs&feature=plcp - This guy has a 6 part series on building a big aquarium. The stuff about the edges of the acrylic is really important. From some other info I found today, I learned that you should NOT polish the edges with a torch. Polishing with a torch gives you perfect edges, however if you do it and then bond the pieces the acrylic will develop a bunch of little cracks. You polish AFTER you bond/weld the edges.. if you want.
 
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MikeInNC

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 9, 2012
Messages
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RabitWombat (love the name, btw :D ) - Deal! I hope to have a mini-enclosure built no later than year-end......and a full-scale large enclosure built no later than then end of Q1 of 2013. I might even make a vid for YouTube (I have the background music figured out already - LOL).

The design is basically done and I'll be buying graph paper this weekend so that I can get the true dimensions worked out. After that, I'll order the pre-cut acrylic parts and get started on the mini versions/full versions.

I really hope to have the large enclosure built before the end of the year. The basic shape is easy. It's all the quirky "extra features" that I'm trying to get perfected in the design stage.

Like every hobby I get into, I go that extra mile (or, a bridge too far) LOL

-Mike
 
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