Hinge ideas? How to prevent melting or rusting?

[ostrow]

I'm working on a polycarbonate cover for my tank, finally found a material that won't melt.

Trouble is, I want to have it hinged for ease of placing/removing/feeding, etc.

My experience with stainless and saltwater is that it isn't stainless.

My understanding of standard acrylic is it will melt or warp or both under halides.

So.... ideas? Is there something one can coat stainless with to make it more durable?

[troylee]

they make plastic hinge.....i cant see it melting what exactly are you trying to do????and why polycorbonate better known as lexan??

[therealfatman]

Titanium hinges.
http://www.ticotitanium.com/hinges.php

[ostrow]

Thanks therealfatman! Now I have to figure out where the heck to get those!

[ostrow]

Troylee under metal halides inside a canopy, regular acrylic will warp, and thin plastic hinges will melt, or at least warp so badly as to prevent the mechanism from working.

I'm not positive the polycarbonate will hold up better but many folks have assured me that it will. I wanted to go glass, but the shape I need is too hard/too costly to make. Well, at least, too costly until I have tried this route.

[hebygb]

There are companies that make acrylic hinges that you would attach like any other acrylic using weldon. I think that is a better match for your material than the titanium... regardless of how cool titanium would be.

There is a place in KC called Fantastik Plastik that sells the hinges.

http://yellowpages.examiner.net/Fantastik+Plastiks.327669.108955598.home.html

[ostrow]

hebygb ... they will melt.

[hebygb]

I thought you were using polycarbonate for your cover... if the hinges will melt, I suspect that your polycarbonate will as well, or distort greatly.

[ostrow]

hebygb you may be correct, but I'm told the polycarb won't distort or melt whereas standard acrylic will. I could be wrong, so it's a bit of a test. May have to test a piece first....

[troylee]

polycarbonate will warp worse for sure and worse than acrylic....i use both everyday for the last 15yrs and to top it off the water will cause more warpage than the light imo......the only advantage poly has over acrylic is a higher melting point which means combustion......take a scrap and put 4 screws in the corners of it on a piece of wood set it in the sun and in a hour you will have a waffle lol.....lexan, expands and contracts in enourmos amounts........your fighting a never ending battle here with either.......maybe i dont under stand you correctly first you said lids now it sounds like a canopy or are you gonna screw these hinges directly into your tank for lids????and glass is bad also under a metal halide ......please be more specific on what you are trying to do here.????? pics help to.......

[troylee]

let me ask you this what is the purpose of the lids????besides trapping heat and gasses in and light out??? and another thing to clean everyday so what light there is can penetrate .......why not mesh if a lid is nessacary??

[ostrow]

I have a canopy. I'm trying to fit covers inside. Fish have been jumping. Not happy hearing what you say here!

My other option (would still need hinges) is to cut out the center to make it into a frame, and put mesh over the opening. That was the original idea I had, but was under the impression the poly would hold up enough to use as a solid piece.

I have a 5' Oceanic tank. It has an 18" wide glass center brace. So I need covers for the two openings.

Not sure why you say glass is bad ... there is already a glass center brace and it is fine. Oceanic builds the tanks that way. Glass is more pricey, especially in the shape I need for one side (2 slots need to be cut out on the ends). Can't see why it would be a problem once made though.

But I really was hoping this polycarb cover would work. Sigh.

[ostrow]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14968961#post14968961 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by troylee
let me ask you this what is the purpose of the lids????besides trapping heat and gasses in and light out??? and another thing to clean everyday so what light there is can penetrate .......why not mesh if a lid is nessacary??

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1622782

[troylee]

if you have a halide directly above that center brace it will fail over time once it accumulates salt and the light gets it hot your flirting with disaster....go with a mesh top and use a window screen frame to make the lid looks nice and works the best for your application imo......or egg crate if the fish are not to small it will work...

[ostrow]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14969020#post14969020 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by troylee
if you have a halide directly above that center brace it will fail over time once it accumulates salt and the light gets it hot your flirting with disaster....go with a mesh top and use a window screen frame to make the lid looks nice and works the best for your application imo......or egg crate if the fish are not to small it will work...

Thanks. Well, I can't really see this. Oceanic tanks are all over the place, many with canopies and halides over them. The very few that have failed have not failed at the center brace. Every single one of those tanks has a glass center brace ... that is how Oceanic has always built them. Mine has been running for almost 4 years now.

As for the window screen frame, if you read the other thread you'll see I tried that. Can't make it secure in the shape I need. Gaps are inevitable and fish find their way through.

Guess I'll try cutting out the center to make a polycarb frame and put mesh in the center of that. Will see if it works.

Still puzzled on the hinge thing ... will try to ifnd the titanium I guess.

[troylee]

check into nylon hinges they might work....:) as for the glass centerbrace if you keep it clean so the heat does'nt attract to it there should'nt be any problems also depends on heigth of bulb and wattage etc. etc. etc.. if you have a 400watt bulb 3or 4" above it the and the cold water below spells for a disaster....i have saw alot of posts on here where it has cracked from the lights.fwiw......:)

[therealfatman]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14968325#post14968325 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ostrow
Thanks therealfatman! Now I have to figure out where the heck to get those!

I provided a link. The ship immediately, or will provide the name and address, phone number of the distributer nearest your home.

[ostrow]

In fact, they don't even have those. They have to be specially, custom made at $200 a pop. Or, at least that's what their Prez emailed back to me!