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View Full Version : Soooo I've got some pretty serious skills... Lol


emeraldeyes_bc
04/17/2014, 01:24 AM
Apparently silicone is not my thing lol
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/sassy_69/imagejpg1_zps13c56d3e.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/sassy_69/imagejpg2_zpsb6fd6bb8.jpg

:facepalm:

Reefer54
04/17/2014, 02:29 AM
bummer that is on the DT or is it the sump...i think its the sump

No big deal. get a rasor blade. remove what you want or all of it and start over. Next time, you can tape (painters tape, blue) straight lines so all you silicone is the seam, fill it by running your finger down and ensuring all air is out and the thickness of the applied silicone is sufficient. Then remove your tape, leaving nice straight good looking lines. THEN LEAVE IT ALONE. if you have a little spot or two that need attention or trimming, let the silicone set first. if you mess with it when it is wet, you WILL make it worse before you make it better and really wanna kick yourself for screwing up a good job.

Reefer54
04/17/2014, 02:33 AM
oh, and inside the overflow box or in between baffles that you cant really fit your hand or tape into, not easy. Think it through and do it in a planned manner so you have the least amount of silicone to risk touching. Doing one part at a time and letting it cure between parts so you dont screw it up is good practice.

but a dowel with the corner of a credit card on the end will make a great cornering device to reach in those hard to reach areas and fill the seam, caulking or siliconing the baffle or box prior to putting it in place is your only option in many cases and will have to be scraped later to give it the "clean" look.

RDM
04/17/2014, 04:55 AM
Well it could have been worse. Silicone sure smears a long way on glass. Once it dries you should be able to take a single side razor blade and clean it up some. One thing that I've found that helps is to make a small hole in the tip of the silicone tube and apply the smallest/thinnest bead I can to work with.

Breadman03
04/17/2014, 05:34 AM
Do you work for Glass Cages? ;)

(Glass Cages is known for their budget friendly tanks, but not their silicone work)

There is certainly some skill necessary to make silicone look good. I've never done any on a tank, but have used it on a tub. It may or may not have looked like a 3 year old had run amok.

Mrramsey
04/17/2014, 05:52 AM
Tip: as with using the tape I also use rubbing alcohol. Right after I apply a bead of silicone I dip my finger in rubbing alcohol and then wipe the bead to smooth it out. Any extra on the glass is easily wiped up with alcohol and a paper towel, while it is wet that is.

Jimmer12
04/17/2014, 07:36 AM
Another thing that works well for smoothing silicone is baby wipes. They take up excess silicone pretty nicely.

Art13
04/17/2014, 07:37 AM
If it holds water i consider it a success.

sponger0
04/17/2014, 09:58 AM
This can be cleaned off pretty good easily with water and wet rags while applying. When its dries, any excess can be cleaned up with a razor.

whosurcaddie
04/17/2014, 10:02 AM
If it holds water i consider it a success.

True that just scrape off the excess.

jerseygurl
04/17/2014, 01:02 PM
Wow...I assume vodka was involved!

Joe0813
04/17/2014, 01:06 PM
Atleast you have the patients to do it... I just go out and buy a sump. :)

webslinger
04/17/2014, 01:09 PM
A razorblade is your friend!

porksmash
04/17/2014, 01:25 PM
Get yourself a cheap caulking tool and you can get some really nice edges.

foundnemo11
04/17/2014, 05:54 PM
You did better than I did building a sump.. As long as it works who cares no one is going to see it.

hijinks
04/17/2014, 08:23 PM
Tip: as with using the tape I also use rubbing alcohol. Right after I apply a bead of silicone I dip my finger in rubbing alcohol and then wipe the bead to smooth it out. Any extra on the glass is easily wiped up with alcohol and a paper towel, while it is wet that is.


Really good advice with tape at least you can make the lines look professional

SW_nOOb_SC
04/17/2014, 08:31 PM
A guitar pick has served me well in the past for nice corners.

bnumair
04/18/2014, 12:26 AM
i take a dab of silicone on my finger and run my finger against the joints and comes out perfectly. There is a tool they sell for this in most hardware stores mostly in bathroom section for running silicone in showers and tiles etc.

emeraldeyes_bc
04/18/2014, 03:11 PM
Lol thanks for the tips :) I probably should have asked for those first haha
Haven't water tested yet.. I'm not too concerned with how it looks, I'll let you know if it was a success or not :p
Oh and FYI... This IS with wiping down a lot with alcohol before it dried lol I'm THAT awesome :p