40B Vertical Conversion Build Journal

[Mentat]

Since you are going with a custom made front door/ventilation set-up, myself would do that part first. Once got it working; then you can direct energy to inside stuff Paul .

[DigitalPunk]

That is exactly what I am doing now lol. Once I was satisfied with the egg crate layout I took everything out of the tank and started working on the door, Bottom glass and screen. I call the portion I did first with the egg crate :Stick Building". All the pieces are loosely fit together so I can get a sense for how I want it. Then they are removed and put aside until I am ready to do a final assembly for the tank skeleton.

I siliconed the bottom (new bottom) of the tank yesterday afternoon. Last night I siliconed the bottom glass into place. The Piano hinges, clasps, and knob arrived today. I did another round of scraping on the tank to make sure the silicone was gone, cleaned the area and the hinges with alcohol, allowed the alcohol to evaporate for 45 mins. Then epoxied the hinges to the tank. The back aging says this stuff sets in 30mins. I am going to let the epoxy set for 24 - 48 hours before I mess with attaching the door to the hinges. Once the door is in place and has cured for 24 - 48 hours I will start working on the screen for the top. I won't install the screen until the insides of the tank are done, but I want to get it built and test fired before I spend any money and time on the inside of the tank.

A few pics Nothing citing, but work is being done lol.

Cutting frame off of tank





Bottom glass siliconed into place



2x 12" piano hinges.



Knob, and 2x Locking clasp thingies.



Gorilla Glue 2 part epoxy - 3200PSI rated - Clear



Hinge installed and curing. It is already firm to the touch, but I will let this it and harden for 24 - 48 hours.




I also modified the piece for the top land a bit to make it look less like a triangle. Put a 3 inch wall around the top to hold the soil in place. Also cut and attached some pieces to make the bottom look more jagged.