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My 1500L kitchen tank II
| Coating with polyester
is not very difficult, but much attention must be paid and an extra
helping hand for a smooth job is also needed. Old clothes and protective
gloves are also essential as this product can be rather messy. It's also
not the healthiest chemical to inhale, so whenever it's possible it
should be avoided to work with it indoors. We applied it outdoors, and
the smell was already quite penetrating. Small quantities of the mixture
were prepared each time because of the relatively short hardening time,
and all the fibreglass mats were torn in advance for easy use. 2 layers
were applied for obtaining a good solidity, and it took us about 3
hours. The window frame was a failure, as the fibreglass was not
flexible enough to be folded around the edges. We tried and kept on
trying, but every time we pressed on one side, an air pocket was formed
on the other side! Luckily the inner edges didn't show this same nasty
property. Time to let the whole aquarium get dry and rethink the whole
project again to solve this problem... This was in the middle of the
holiday season and all construction shops were closed, and we also had
Carli on a visit the next week, so I put the tank aside and didn't touch
it for weeks. There was plenty of time to ponder afterwards! |
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Mixing the chemicals together.
The mats seemed to disappear when they were fully
impregnated with the resin. All air bubbles were rolled out for maximal
strength.
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| Later on in August when
I reconsidered all options I finally got new inspiration! I stripped the
tank so only 3 boards remained with their polyester coating. The wood
window frame was going to be replaced by a stainless steel frame for
both the front and side window. This frame would be mounted in a
cut-away part of the existing construction. An extra advantage was the
clean inside of this frame compared to the wood. This would allow me to
glue the windows without further preparations. I went to the welder, and
it was at the end of September that I finally got my sandblasted
stainless steel frame. I started fitting it as soon as possible, as I
needed to hurry. Fall was about to begin, so I could use all remaining
warm days of 2003 for the final polyester works. A strip of polyester +
plywood was cut away on both sides to obtain the exact fit. The bottom
was sanded so no bumps in the polyester layer could cause instability.
Then I applied a good amount of polymer glue between the wood and the
frame to fix and stabilize it and started screwing all pieces together.
Fitting the frame. I paid much attention to this, as
it would reduce future tension.
Mounting the frame: hefty bolts were used for maximal rigidity.
Continued in next page |
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