Guess who's back..... Henry goes steampunk...

[AverageWhiteBloke]

Also Kudos for doing a test fill in what appears to be in the house. 😀

Lets just say, imperfections is part of the kitchen table DIY process and only attributes to the Vintage style.

That'll do, I can remember a school trip to Notre-Dame Cathedral and the tour guide saying that on every Cathedral there is always something that isn't uniform like a window smaller than all the rest, it was based on nothing is perfect except God so an imperfection was built in. I suspect it started as an Architect covering up a balls up and Architects after that used it as a plan B just in case but there you go. You could claim you did this deliberately on religious grounds. 😉 I use the same excuse at work if something doesn't look right (then change it anyway) See also working Sundays, I don't do them for the same reason. It goes against my beliefs and forcing me to work Sundays is therefore a religious hate crime...sometimes works. 😀

 

[zozo]

You could claim you did this deliberately on religious grounds.

That's a nice one i'll keep that one in mind.. But in the end i think nobody will notice, as said 2 hob filters, place one at that corner.. The only one seeing it i guess will be Dady in Law.. 🙄 I reckon him to be an envious nitpicker looking for something to criticise.. I don't mind, also on religious grounds.. 🙂

Took some rocks from the garden mission bathtub and a piece of it's wood.. To have a play with some black gravel..


It will be something like this.. 2 slightly elevated islands.. Between te rocks a Nymphaea some low crypts aruond it. And some Java ferns on the wood and also some crypts around it.. I think it's going to be C. Wendtii green left and brown right to contrast the green Java. And leave it like that to grow in. experience crypt wendtii nice low staying crypt making runners like a champ in a low tech. I guess that's the perfect plant for this.

 

[zozo]

Also Kudos for doing a test fill in what appears to be in the house. 😀

Yes also thought that was an Evil Knievel act.. But after a throughly visual inspection i couldn't hold the urge.. It cracking open i din't realy believe.. Looking at it, i though if so it will only drip. So took my chances. And got lucky..
Thanks.. 🙂

 

[zozo]

After doing some thinking on the bulging and the bracing part.. And than i also came up with another "what if" scenario.. 🙂 The tank has quite a surface area it will evaporate some water.. What if the owners don't like it and want cover plates. Once it is up and running with the above idea it will quite a hasle to fix it properly.

So i skipped the fancy stuff and went for a Euro Bracing? As it is called in English?.. 🙂 So got me 2 x 110cm x 3cm glass trip and brace the tank over almost it's intire lenght.



I dotted the first strip in this morning 5mm bellow the top rim... Tomorow it will stand on it's own on the cured kit dots.. I kept a 2mm open gap with tooth picks.. Than i can cut off the excess dots and put the kit in via injection method into the gap....


I made this choise, since cross bracing which is easier to perform, but i would needed 3 braces and that doesn't look as good.. Actualy i would liked it not braced at all.
But as said, if the owners decide after a month they wont it covered, they can put cover plates on it without much trouble. The standard acrylic hooks for cover plates on the market are not realy a beatifull option for 4mm glass and sinck in way to deep. And a bulging tank with straight cover plates gaping, makes it even more obvious it's bulging.

So for several practical and easthetic reasons Euro bracing it is..

 

[OllieNZ]

Euro brace is the correct term in english
How about adding antique finish brass angle on the outside of each corner (for looks only)

 

[zozo]

Euro brace is the correct term in english
How about adding antique finish brass angle on the outside of each corner (for looks only)

That could be an option. Thanks for the idea. A 5mm corner profile has 4mm internal, should fit perfectly on the glass. Also thought of brass corner protectors.. But i leave that to the final owners. it's something that can glued on later. 🙂 The Lady of the house was already worrying i would take it to far when i optioned the planted centre cross brace. They just want the rest as basic as possible.

She also got a bit worried and carried away by that scaped picture from above i also sended to them with an optional plantlist... I guess she tought i was going to deliver it like that.. And she said that she has a different vision and wants to do it her own way, she only wants the tank and i need to pull some brakes... I had to explain i was nothing more than just playing with some rocks and gravel and my own curiousity.. 🙄 She is without a doubt the Boss!!. He's the oil driller.. 🙄

 

[Edvet]

Just make sure she sends pictures

 

[zozo]

Just make sure she sends pictures

I suspect it's going to be the average girly fancy goldfish tank. With a and a shipwreck. She wants it minimalistic and maintenance free as possible and start easy.. I told her it's 90 litres easiest is to start with sufficient planting. Minimalistic is something we do not have much decicions in. It is rather counter productive towards maintenance . But i get the feeling 'm talking to deaf ears. 🙄 When i said, ok just do it your way and learn it the hard way, she got a little angry that i was kinda critizing her vision. This babe isn't bending a fraction of an inch.. Well silence is golden in this case. She doesn't get it yet and thinks more plants is more work..

 

[Edvet]

Make sure she gives plenty light😎

 

[zozo]

Make sure she gives plenty light😎

That's the point, making a light for this thank was my idea. she actualy doesn't see the need of it. And she doesn't know if she wants it. Than i told again, "It's not about what you want!" It's about what a fish tank with plant needs to be healthy. And again it was recieved critizising her vision. The 25 litre tank she has now also is not lit and this goes OK in her idea with some elodea and a half dead echinodorus.

I just make the light and if she doesn't want it can take it off again. I think that's whats going to happen. I like the Girl verry much, but this seems to be a case of a child that is criticized to much in her younger days.. She fighting against and blocking any form that can be enterpreted as personal criticize.. I'm not a shrink and probably to direct in my bob the builder word choices to get in. Trying to help, but this is beyond help, i guess she needs to fall first and standup again.. At least i'm helping Henry with more water to live in..

I guess if this tank is setup and running it's going to be pics of a dissaster. At least for the beginning. I hope i'm wrong..

 

[AverageWhiteBloke]

With a castle and a shipwreck.

What not a "no fishing" sign? disappointed.

 

[AverageWhiteBloke]

BTW, I was going to suggest siliconing two lengths of acrylic maybe 3" wide longways across the bending panel with holes drilled in bottom to form a terrestrial plant section so it was dual purpose as well as a stiffener but if things are getting complicated already maybe not.

 

[Costa]

Also Kudos for doing a test fill in what appears to be in the house

Agree. Real men test fill in the living room, with the wife present.

 

[zozo]

BTW, I was going to suggest siliconing two lengths of acrylic maybe 3" wide longways across the bending panel with holes drilled in bottom to form a terrestrial plant section so it was dual purpose as well as a stiffener but if things are getting complicated already maybe not.

If it were my tank i would have gone for such an idea.. Since that's not the case and they want is basic above the wood part.. They get it as basic as possible.. 🙂
So they can see afterwards what other bells and wislles they want or not.

The first brace is in..


Darn its difficult to get a very tiny 2mm wide kit seam over a 110 cm strip that is only 3cm wide, even with the use of masking tape. That's realy something you need to do daily to pull this perfectly off in 1 go and 10 minutes time.

I need to do some cutting and cleaning when it's cured. Maybe redo this one.. Well Rome wasn't build in a day. After 48 hours we know more.. Tomorow the other side. Second round new chances..


And i wonder what kind of (clamp) tool the professional builder uses for these kind of braces. Searched the net, but couldn't yet realy find any examples. They must have some kind of simple diy tool. Have to brainstorm about that one, can't be difficult.

 

[zozo]

I think i need to make me this.. That's the best obvious euro brace clamp/tool i can think of, to freehand a euro brace into a tank.

 

[Edvet]

 

[zozo]

Thought of that, but didn't like the idea of clamping 4mm like that.. And it needs an extra pair of hands around, with a +1 metre long brace.. Still wan't to able to do something all by myself with 2 hands only. 🙂 And create my own extra set of hands.

The other thing is with clamping like this, if you want some sufficient kit in between, than you need to kit the brace first put it on the glas and clamp it. Than still yu squeeze all the kit out again. To get a 1mm kit layer between the glas surfaces, which kinda feels a lot safer to me, than this is a no go. 🙂

 

[zozo]

🙂 Here they are.. The DIY Euro brace clamp left side.. Can be adjusted in height and angle..


Right side.. Not yet tested them on the strip still to be glued in.. And it needs a little rubber inside from an old bicycle inner tube..


This will hold it in place, no need for a lot of force..

 

[zozo]

And bracing left.. Still needs some masking tape..


But the clamps do perfectly, hold the brace steady in place with a 1mm gap.


And praise the glass cutter!! Looks like he sold me those braces in Opti White glas, without me asking. Coincidense?


And i asked the office clerck, the average price difference between normal blankfloated.. And it's only about 20%,
1m² 4mm blank floated = € 34,-
1m² 4mm opti white = € 40,-
So you now you are not paying for the glass when buying an opti white, you're paying for the idea, the name and hopefully the proper craftsmanship..

And stupid me, had to ask this before i ordered the glas last week.. I still had the other glas shop in my mind who told me it was double the price. So he definitively tried to rip me off on that one. The croock. 😡

Now i did spend € 31 on regular blank floated, could have had it opti white for a few euro's more..

 

[zozo]

So finaly, braces are in all the kit work is done.. Darn last seam was the best.. Always the same story, when you finaly get a hang of it, your done. Like learning a language, go on vacation to that country and by the time you finaly can speak a proper sentence the holidays are over and your back home with nobody to talk to.. 🙄

Anyway, tho some minnor imperfections i'm still very pleased with the over all results. 2 mm kit seam is not easy. More minimalistic, shows every little imperfection more clearly. Good thing the braces are optiwhite.. This makes them a tad less distractive from a distance and this is how a tank is viewed the longest part of the day.. And once it is up and running, i guess they don't realy matter anymore. Other things to look at.. 🙂 The tank not also looks less fragile it is realy much more stable like this if you touch it the whole tank shakes instead of feeling a wobbling glass panel.. Expect cover glas on top within a few weeks anyway.




Now time for the finishing tough.. The bottom panels wood rim, close the corner gaps and another coating.. And the light setup while this is curing. Almost done, took me longer than anticipated, get the darn thing off my dining table.. I want it back for myself.. 😀