I hate silicone!!!!!!!!

[TReef04]

good evening everyone!

i have the need to express my frustration with all of the diyers. i know someone has been in my position before... i hate silicone! it got all over my hands, my new iphone four, and the sides of my fish tank glass. i went through one and a half rolls of paper towels, and had to buy two packages of it.... not to mention i had to buy another tank because the first time i tried to silicone the false wall in the back of a ten gal. it broke off and getting the silicone out of the tank is never happening for me.

again i just had to express the anger.. but what are your thoughts on siliconing? has it been easy for you guys? any tips on what i could do next time that makes it easy for me?

thanks

[Vegas.]

Silicone is a PITA! I'm not a noob with silicone by any means, however I always end up with silicone all over my hands, clothes, shoes, etc. I think I'm just messy by nature.

This helps:

Apply your silicone, run you finger over it and let it cure. Then you take a 1/8" piece of plastic and superglue a razorblade to it (this is your guide) and have at it. Make you cut's in the corners first then scrape off, for a perfectly clean line. Works like a charm. You will go through quiet a few razors.

I tried the taping off method and that just seemed to make a bigger mess for me.

[noahm]

Don't use too much. This probably the number one reason people get so much on their fingers when they smooth the bead. You really shouldn't have extra piling up as you lay the bead. I generally wipe my finger, give it a lick, and tool it in one smooth motion with my middle finger. cut the tip off so only about 3/16" diam comes out and cut it at an angle. Squeeze in one smooth motion as you move the tip along the seam. Practice caulking your outside windows or something to get the hang of it. A LOT of people have a hard time of it, so don't feel bad.

[j tavares]

I always have goop remover on hand for my hands, and let the silicone dry first then remove by a sharp single edge blade either way It is always a time consuming job so go slow and do not even try if you not able to give it full attention otherwise you will not like the End results. Thats why we have professionals who have all the proper tools and EXPERIENCE!

[badwrasse]

agreed dont cut half the tip of the tub off and expect to stay clean only a very small hole and dont mash the trigger of the gun with all your force, silicone is soft.

[uncleof6]

Most of the advice here concerns 'sealing', none of this advice applies to tank building, that needs to be a clear distinction. If you use a tube of silicone per panel of glass, you have only used a little bit too much.

The only way to keep silicone off yourself, and everything else, is tape and experience. How much to cut the tip, depends on the width of the seam needed, (for building or sealing) and the width of the seam, is determined by the particular silicone used. For consumer grade silicones, you need a wider bead, than with a higher grade silicone. In other words, you gotta use more of the cheap stuff. (the last applies to sealing)

Jim

[badwrasse]

dont really know how to say without sounding like a jerk but the grade out silicone has nothing to do with how much is needed. however the size of the tip vs how thick the glass is somewhat true but can be ajusted buy how hard you sqeaze the tube and or how slow you lay your bead. better a small hole (for newbees) than a big one so you dont use to much.

another option is just use gloves

[Vegas.]

You can't get a line this straight with you finger.
http://i755.photobucket.com/albums/xx195/dudefromdenver/DSC01458.jpg

[teesquare]

Agree w/Unc on his advice...
And just to add- Have denatured alcohol on hand to clean your hands with IMMEDIATELY after finishing a short task with silicone. Perhaps no more than 5 minutes after you get it on you, it starts to "set" and the alcohol is not very effective.
Lots of ( rolls ) of paper towels, and a trash can to put them in immediately will help ou stop "spreading the love" as well.
Lastly - think neat...You must be in charge, not the silicone.:thumbsup:

T

[jbird69]

Getting good with silicone is exactly that.... "GETTING" good. The only way is with practice. Ive used it almost every day for the last 25 years in my job and its second nature. There is a specific way I cut the tip that makes a perfect bead. That is, if the work surface allows me to make a smooth pass.

My best advice is to get a couple tubes and practice on something you can throw away. You will learn what you can and cant do to get a clean result.

Once youre comfortable, do it for real on the tank. And yes tape is good. Blue masking tape is a miracle of modern science (at least youd think that when you saw the price!) But it is worth it.

[jbird69]

You can't get a line this straight with you finger.
http://i755.photobucket.com/albums/xx195/dudefromdenver/DSC01458.jpg

You can with tape :)

[Halmotors]

A little trick I picked up when I was still doing aquarium maintenance was to take a potato and cut it so you've got the edge you want to impart on the silicone (angle or curve). Use that to smooth out the silicone.

[pskelton]

like the potato idea. will have to play around with that

[rbredding]

Silicone is not easy.. but you've got to love its uses and the quality of its bond..


as far as getting silicone on anything other than your hands... be VERY careful and have a trash can sitting right next to you so you can immediately throw the papertowels away..


as with the other posts.. tape is the way to go..


(professionals even use tape on our jobsites when they are caulking expansion joints in new buildings)

[TReef04]

I do like everyones input. I appreciate it. So since I've created this thread, I must ask what silicone is reef safe? Any ingredients I should stay away from? I used 'dap' (I think that's the name) that said it was reef safe on it. But I saw a tube of black 100% silicone that I wanted to try. Any thoughts or recommendations? Thanks.

[uncleof6]

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1820787

[rbredding]

I do like everyones input. I appreciate it. So since I've created this thread, I must ask what silicone is reef safe? Any ingredients I should stay away from? I used 'dap' (I think that's the name) that said it was reef safe on it. But I saw a tube of black 100% silicone that I wanted to try. Any thoughts or recommendations? Thanks.



when It comes to things like that... (as I'm sure you'll see discussed in the thread linked above)... MORE THAN LIKELY.. any pure silicone without inhibitors will probably work..


but I always play it safe.. I get the All Aquarium Silicone Brand... it's only a dollar or two more if you get it online..

[uncleof6]

when It comes to things like that... (as I'm sure you'll see discussed in the thread linked above)... MORE THAN LIKELY.. any pure silicone without inhibitors will probably work..


but I always play it safe.. I get the All Aquarium Silicone Brand... it's only a dollar or two more if you get it online..

Not really true, and is very application dependant. 100% silicones are not created equal. This is not really a basis for choosing silicone. There are a LARGE number of silicones that may work. The wiser objective here, is to limit the choices to a few that are proven to work for the specific application. The line of thinking that anything will do, is in some cases a possibility, but it creates too much confusion, and it is really not helpful at all. There are hundreds are different flavors of 100% silicone.

Incidently, the AGA branded silicone, is a consumer grade silicone, and is low on the list at the same level with GE Silicone I. This is based on information in the product data sheets, not the MSDS. Although "100% silicone" is a criteria, there is more to it than that.

Jim

[JoeRonda]

You can with tape :)

What kind of tape do you use,jbird? I'm getting ready to do my panels in my 40 br and I want it to be real neat. Thanks
Joe

[jbird69]

Blue masking tape. I must divulge that Ive never caulked an aquarium. But Ive caulked most everything else ;)

[JoeRonda]

Blue masking tape. I must divulge that Ive never caulked an aquarium. But Ive caulked most everything else ;)

Ok, I appreciate the info on the blue masking tape. I'll try that. I just noticed on this reponse where you are from. Eastern TN ......Huh?

[Altpers0na]

my search fu is failing atm, but somewhere on here is an excellent video of an aquarium production facility quickly assembling tanks.

[jbird69]

I just noticed on this reponse where you are from. Eastern TN ......Huh?

Actually the state of Jefferson was a proposed state that never passed but many of us here call our area by the nickname. Its the land that consumes the very southern end of Oregon and northern end of California. I'm in southern Oregon :)

[Luckless]

For anyone that thinks Silicone is bad to work with, try Acoustical Sealant combined with someone who has never touched a caulking gun. That stuff doesn't skin over, doesn't harden, and only loses its stickiness when it has been combined with enough dust to fully coat it.


When working with silicone (at in least caulking tubes) my first tip is to not cheap out on your caulking gun. Buying cheap tools at the dollar store costs you more in the long run for replacement tools, lost time, and wasted materials.

Second tip, if using your fingers rather than a tool to smooth your beads (Such as in a corner) then dampen your skin. Now if you are licking your fingers to dampen them, then remember this: Keep track of which finger you have already licked and used! Don't lick the same finger twice. (Won't kill you, but wet silicone sure doesn't taste good, and I can't see it being overly healthy anyway.)

Third tip, take your time, but work smoothly and as quickly as you can. Going a little slower and steady is better than rushing it. (Mind you, this tip works for just about anything.)

[TReef04]

thanks for all the input. and after finally being happy with my work, its in! i taped off the side of the tank with electrical tape. and then ran a blade down it so it didnt peel the silicone off. it looks clean like i wanted it to. im pretty happy compared to the beginning of this thread. heres my work: (cant really see the silicone job. just what i was working on)

<a href="http://s962.photobucket.com/albums/ae103/football04/?action=view&current=IMG_0673.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i962.photobucket.com/albums/ae103/football04/IMG_0673.jpg" border="0" alt="wall"></a>

you could check out my build thread here if youd like.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1865722

[MSU Fan]

Tip #1, if you are going to use your finger, dip it in rubbing alcohol first - the silicone will come right off.

Tip #2: use the masking tape as mentioned, put the silicone on and then right after application (and smoothing) pull the blue tape - now you have that nice clean edge. DON'T WAIT for it the silicone to dry!

Tip #3: want that perfectly round bevel when you are done? Use popsicle sticks. :)