COMAS Meeting February 9, 2008-Minutes

The February meeting was held at UCO and started at 7.30pm. There were approximately 65 people in attendance. This month’s topic was the first installment of “Reef Keeping 101”, which included working with glass & acrylic.

President Paul Whitby reviewed the rules of Frag Program and the general guidelines for people receiving donated coral frags who have lost corals during the recent ice storms.

Tim VanWagoner had brought several containers of coral fragments for those who wanted to sign up and receive a coral fragment.

The Photo of the Month submissions have been somewhat low recently, and increased member participation is encouraged. Remember, there is a $25.00 gift voucher to the winner of the contest each month.

Club Treasurer Stephanie Kohl was available for those who have not received their membership name tags, and those requiring membership renewals.

Topic of Meeting:

This month’s presentation by Kevin Bekkelund was titled “Reef Keeping 101: Working with Glass & Acrylic.” Additional instructors included Travis Stevens and Paul Logan.

Kevin Bekkelund discussed the general overview of tonight’s meeting. The presentation was divided into several stages, each with sub-topics; working with glass, working with acrylic, working with silicon.

Kevin Bekkelund demonstrated some of the techniques of glass cutting.

Materials required are; a straight edge, marker, glass, and a glass cutting tool.

1. Clean the surface, but only along where you plan to score.

2. Draw a line using a straight edge on where you are planning to cut.

3. Score along a straight edge with the glass cutting tool in one continuous motion.

4. Grasp each side of the cut; apply minor pressure to snap the glass along the score line.

5. Use fine sandpaper, emery cloth or a sharpening stone, to remove the sharp edge.

Kevin also gave a demonstration on installing glass baffles in a sump.

Materials required are; cut & sized glass baffles, caulking gun, silicon, water, paper towels, dish soap, and tape.

1. Clean the contact areas of the glass to be installed in sump.

2. Mark the area in the sump for glass baffles to be glued (sides and bottom).

3. Apply a masking tape border about one-quarter to one-half inch from the edge of the glass (along the entire contact area) to be installed.

4. Apply masking tape inside the sump, allowing for the width of the glass baffle and the one-quarter to one-half inch width for the seam.

5. Apply a bead of silicon along the bottom of the sump for the glass baffle to adhere to.

6. Install glass baffle, pressing firmly in silicon on bottom of sump.

7. Apply a bead of silicon along the contact edges of the baffle (both sides).

8. Use soapy water to smooth silicon bead along all contact areas.

9. Remove masking tape while silicon is still wet. This will prevent tears and rough edges.

Note: Use type 1 silicon only, type 2 silicon has mold inhibiters which will kill the beneficial bacteria in your tank.

Kevin’s final demonstration was using a heat gun to bend acrylic. A form can be made in order to have the acrylic piece conform to it. One applies even heat across the length to slowly bend the acrylic piece to the desired angle. Patience is the key to this process. When the acrylic gets hot enough to bend, it is very soft and may bend to an undesirable angle without a form. Acrylic can and will burn if too much heat is applied in any one spot for a long period of time.

Paul Logan gave a demonstration on glass drilling using a hole saw. The recommended type of hole saw is a diamond coated hole saw with a drill bit located in the centre. This makes drilling the hole much easier. Without the drill bit located in the centre, one must start the hole cutting at an angle, until enough glass is cut to position the drill upright. This keeps the bit from walking and scratching the glass while making the cut.

Materials required are; hole saw, glass to be cut, marker, tub of water, water pump, & hose.

1. Clean the surface.

2. Use the bulkhead as a guide to trace the outside diameter onto the glass surface.

3. Place adhesive tape on the back side of the glass to be cut. This helps prevent the glass from chipping when the hole saw cuts through.

4. Use a water pump & hose to have a constant stream of water flow over the area of your work. This keeps the saw cool and removes any fine glass dust away from the work area.

5. Secure the glass to be cut so as not to move around.

6. Let the hole saw do the work, do not apply force to make the cut. Too much force will result in broken glass. 

Travis Stevens gave a demonstration on glass cutting using a rotary tool (Dremel).

The use of a Dremel Tool takes somewhat longer to cut out a hole compared to that of a hole saw. The type of diamond bit required depends upon the thickness of the glass to be cut. Diamond drill bits come in many different sizes and shapes and are primarily of two basic styles, blunt nose bits and core drill bits. The blunt nosed types used in this demonstration are the ball point bit and the cylindrical bit. The techniques are similar to that of the hole saw as far as using water to cool the bit and keep the area clean of debris.

Materials required; Dremel, diamond drill bits, glass to be cut, tub of water, water pump, & hose.

1. Clean the surface.

2. Use the bulkhead as a guide to trace the outside diameter onto the glass surface.

3. Use a water pump & hose to have a constant stream of water flow over the area of your work. This keeps the drill bit cool and removes any fine glass dust & debris away from the work area.

4. Secure the glass to be cut so as not to move around.

5. Do not force the bit to cut the glass; this does not speed up the process. Just let the bit do the work and gently pass around the hole taking a small amount of glass out at a time.

A demonstration of acrylic gluing was shown to the membership. Acrylic glues come in different thicknesses. Thin cements make very clean joints because they work into the joint by seeping into small spaces, but won't fill any large voids. Thick cements will fill voids, but do not flow into a joint as well as the thin cements. Acrylic cements should be allowed to completely cure for approximately six to seven days. The areas to be glued must be cleaned completely.

Cutting and drilling acrylic have heat issues to deal with. Heat can cause the acrylic to melt or crack. When using a drill bit to cut acrylic; use drill bits designed for acrylics. In addition, allow the bit to cool off in order to prevent the acrylic from melting. Normal hole saws can be used if attention is paid to the heat issue. A wood block on the backside of the acrylic to be cut will reduce chips and provide support.

The demonstrations were well received by the membership.

Lori Patterson won a $25.00 gift voucher for the January Photo of the Month.

Kevin Bekkelund won a $25.00 gift voucher to Aquarium Oddballs.

John Stone won a complete set of Reef Additives.

Steve Ohlmer won a $25.00 gift voucher to Aquariums in Edmond.

Glenn Stamm won a frag of Plate Coral.

Terrell Johnson won a frag of Zooanthids.

(my apologies for any mis-spelled names of winners, vendors or types of coral)

Meeting adjourned at 9:00pm