[ShadowBeast]

I have two glass braces siliconed to my 40 gallon breeder tank but they keep coming off. does anyone know how to keep them on?

 

[jedimasterben]

How long are you letting the silicone cure?

 

[ShadowBeast]

How long are you letting the silicone cure?

I belive the last time was for two days, but that was a couple of monthes ago now all of a sudden the brace is weakening.

 

[jccaclimber]

Sounds like a surface prep issue. That or bad silicone. That stuff normally sticks pretty well.

 

[iKine]

Remove all the old silicone, clean the glass with vinegar and some newspaper (I find that works the best for getting glass clean). If you can, sand a bevel into each end of your glass brace to get more surface area for the silicone to grab hold. Lather, rinse, and repeat for second brace.

And also make sure you have 100% silicone.

 

[Rich Conley]

Also, remember, LESS IS MORE here.

Glass-to-silicon-to-glass is stronger the thinner the silicon layer gets. If the silicon is thick, its not going to be strong.



Is the brace sitting on top of the tank, or inside the tank? If you're trying to silicon it in a manner where there's shear, (IE, brace is sitting on top of the glass), its never going to work.

 

[ShadowBeast]

Also, remember, LESS IS MORE here.

Glass-to-silicon-to-glass is stronger the thinner the silicon layer gets. If the silicon is thick, its not going to be strong.



Is the brace sitting on top of the tank, or inside the tank? If you're trying to silicon it in a manner where there's shear, (IE, brace is sitting on top of the glass), its never going to work.

It's on the inside and thanks for the advice.

 

[jcgd]

Use acetone to get the glass clean. Clean, clean... no residue at all.

 

[jasonpatterson]

I have better luck cleaning glass just using very sharp blades. I use one for the bulk silicone scraping, then a brand new blade just for cleaning down to the glass. If you're persistent it all comes off.

 

[Da Plant Man]

I use a dremel. Problem solved.