the 130 DIY

Marcus - Sad story!  If I were in your shoes, there's no way I would accept a partial reimbursement.  How many hours did you spend making the tank?  Time is money my freind - even if it's spent on a hobby.

I noticed as I read through this thread that the conflict was based more on a misunderstanding than a mistake, so now that it's aged for a week, I thought I might explain why. My intent is to help a little so that we all understand buying acrylic sheet a little better. That way, no one has a problem like this in the future.

Marcus mentioned in another thread that Regional Supply told him that the cell cast sheet comes bigger than 48". That's right, it does! They all do. The reason is to allow for saw cuts. For example, out of a standard-sized 4' sheet, you can get 2 pieces that are a full 24" long. If the piece were really just 48", then you'd end up with a 24" piece and a 23 7/8" piece because the saw blade is about 1/8" typically. A 2x4 is 1.5"x3.5". You just have to know that or measure it.

A 4' piece was ordered, so they cut off the end of a 4'x8' sheet. That's just how it works. The vast majority of their customers know that, expect it, and plan for it. Given the reason for the extra they give you, many of Regional's customers probably actually need that extra bit. For that reason, that they offered to cut the pieces down to 48" for free really was a nice thing for them to do.

When I was shopping around for acrylic sheet last year, I came across one distributor that did warn about the extra bit they give you and that all their cut-to-size pieces are rough cut. They charged an extra $5 per cut for an accurate cut.

Since Marcus was able to make the extra size work, the fatal problem ended up being the failure of the Weld-On 40 seam. The salesman at Regional was honest and said he didn't know anything about #40. He suggested following the instructions on the package, which is reasonable. Marcus did, it didn't work, and IPS admitted to the fact that their instructions were wrong. For that reason, it seems like the blame for the ultimate failure of the seams should be placed on IPS. I think they should have been the ones to reimburse him for everything.

So essentially, because the cuts were "correct" for what's standard in that industry, and no incorrect information was given by Regional Supply, it really says a lot about them that they gave him most of his money back. From their perspective, it was really bending over backwards.

If you go to the Reef Central DIY forum, there's a huge thread about acrylic fabrication. Every question you could possibly have is answered there. There are at least 2 professional acrylic workers over there who help people (AcrylicMan and Acrylics). They both agree that Weld-On 40 is NOT the right cement for hobbyists. They recommend #4 possibly mixed with up to 20% #5 to slow down the set time and give you more time to adjust the pieces to make sure everything is square and flush. Weld-On 40 requires a bevel cut and has more stringent environmental requirements, among other things. Even though solvent welding requires a smoother edge, it's much easier for a hobbyist with garage tools to create a reliable seam. The "pins method" which BananaTropics used on his acrylic tank, and which is described in great detail on Reef Central, works very well! If you take the time to make the proper jigs, it's also extremely easy.

-Tom

Yes, the "pins method" worked very well for me. If anyone is interested in doing a DIY acrylic project, I still have solvent (Weld-on #4 and #16), jigs, and applicator bottles if anyone needs to use them.

 

tomason, I took Regional a diagram of the sizes that needed to be cut.  The offer from 49-3/4" down to 48" should not have been a coutesy.  The diagram should have been followed corectly.  But I agreed to keep the pieces so its my fault.  The other thing about the "honesty" of the salesperson at Regional is that when I took the material back, the manager told me that "of course they need to be cut at a 10 deg. angle".  Well, I should not have to ask who the expert is.  The manager also told me that they were unable to cut it at a 10 deg angle.  Their manufacturing show can do it but its a separate company and that's how they stay in business and its a trade secret.  I don't care anymore about this tank, its done and I want to move on and buy a glass tank. 

BananaTropics wrote: Yes, the "pins method" worked very well for me. If anyone is interested in doing a DIY acrylic project, I still have solvent (Weld-on #4 and #16), jigs, and applicator bottles if anyone needs to use them.

what are the "jigs" you refer to?  I have all the rest...

Drizzy, here's a picture.

They have a small notch removed where the two pieces of acrylic come together to prevent solvent from being sucked under the jigs. The clips I used (in picture) only cost about $1 at HD. Still have them if you would like to use them.