Glass Overflow color...

TriniStylez · #1 09/27/2007, 12:26 AM

Im just about to build my overflow and was wondering what the best way to make the glass black? I had never really though about this...

I can't really afford to spend too much on that right now though. Is there a paint thats safe? Im guessing not. What do you guys do?

I have heard of covering it with black acrylic. How is this done? Is there something else besides acrylic I could use and how would it be binded?

Thanks!

Keelay · #2 09/27/2007, 01:34 AM

Almost any spray on enamel will work. Most have suggested Krylon here. And mostly suggested to make white pvc look black or another color. Dunno about the adherence for enamel to glass.

TriniStylez · #3 09/27/2007, 02:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Keelay
Almost any spray on enamel will work. Most have suggested Krylon here. And mostly suggested to make white pvc look black or another color. Dunno about the adherence for enamel to glass.

Are these safe INSIDE the tank though?

Solitaryensis · #4 09/27/2007, 02:51 AM

Is buying smoked glass an option? If its not, i would personally not go the paint route and just cover the inside with acrylic. Just cut the pieces and silcone them in.

TriniStylez · #5 09/27/2007, 03:08 AM

Yeah Im thinking I may just do that. I already had the glass cut and ready to go but I had forgot about the color...or lack of it!

I hate to change to acrylic but it might be the easiest or best anyways.

Chrsnwk · #6 09/27/2007, 08:07 AM

limo tint

BeanAnimal · #7 09/27/2007, 08:19 AM

You can get smoked glass for a few more bucks. It really does not matter though. The overflow will soon be covered with coraline, zenia, GSP or whatever else you let grow.

hebygb · #8 09/27/2007, 08:40 AM

I take it this is an internal overflow. Just a thought... you could paint the inside of the overflow with a black epoxy paint. I am thinking this will be VERY stable. You may be able to get the typical marine resin often used in plywood tanks and tint it black. This would still enable you to confidently scrape, blade, scrub on the portion that is in the tank.

TriniStylez · #9 09/27/2007, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by hebygb
I take it this is an internal overflow. Just a thought... you could paint the inside of the overflow with a black epoxy paint. I am thinking this will be VERY stable. You may be able to get the typical marine resin often used in plywood tanks and tint it black. This would still enable you to confidently scrape, blade, scrub on the portion that is in the tank.

Is there a certain brand you can recommend? I am not too familiar with these products?

TriniStylez · #10 09/27/2007, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Chrsnwk
limo tint

Is this stuff expensive? How long does it last?

hebygb · #11 09/27/2007, 10:28 AM

epoxy becomes as hard as glass, and epoxy paint is what is used for boats. This material is extremely durable, and in your application would last as long as the glass. It is more expensive than paint, but if you have ever seen a painted window, it never lasts forever, especially if under the usual forces of scraping, rocks, substrate etc. You can buy it, and the dyes at any marine store as well as some hardware stores in the paint department. Even HD.

TriniStylez · #12 09/27/2007, 10:40 AM

I think will cause a huge debate and Im not after that but what about Krylon Fusion? I just did a bunch of searches and it sounds like a LOT of people use it in their tanks and have have no side effects. Anyone have long term experience with this? This would help me paint a little bit of PVC too.

TriniStylez · #13 09/27/2007, 12:27 PM

bump

hebygb · #14 09/27/2007, 01:20 PM

In most cases, Krylon Fusion is used on the outisde of the tank (as a background color). This area gets little wear and hopefully less water. Your overflow will be constantly in water. Also... painting PVC is easier than glass because of the "tooth" in the surface. Despite feeling as smooth as glass, PVC has a texture that will hold paint better than glass. IMHO and Exp.

ctreefer · #15 09/27/2007, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BeanAnimal
You can get smoked glass for a few more bucks. It really does not matter though. The overflow will soon be covered with coraline, zenia, GSP or whatever else you let grow.

Ditto that. I went through the same debate and ended up letting nature do its thing and am happy in the end. It took less than 1 year if I recall to cover the overflow area. My growth was slow because my levels were off.

this is what it looks like now (or at least recently)

[IMG]

[/IMG]

This was after about 6 months:

IPT · #16 09/27/2007, 02:49 PM

I have the smoked glass but want a clean look (no Coraline). What I am thinking about doing is getting some plastic light cover material and cutting it too size for the inside front panel of my internal overflow. I'll paint that black with the Krylon (I believe it bonds to plastic and becomes inert like the epoxy does to glass). Then I'll tack that to the inside of the box with a couple dabs of silicone. From the front it will be black and I can scrape the front part in the tank clean of coraline. The sides will be just smoked so I can monitor water flow and level. Any thoughts on that?

TriniStylez · #17 09/27/2007, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ctreefer
Ditto that. I went through the same debate and ended up letting nature do its thing and am happy in the end. It took less than 1 year if I recall to cover the overflow area. My growth was slow because my levels were off.

this is what it looks like now (or at least recently)

[IMG][/IMG]

This was after about 6 months:

Well this has convinced me! I honestly couldn't find the overflow until I saw the older pic! Great looking tank.

Thanks, that makes things easier.

hahnmeister · #18 09/27/2007, 08:58 PM

Glass Cages and some other mfg's put glass in first, and then make acrylic covers to slide over the glass. This way, you have clear overflows if you want, and the removable covers provide layer of protection for the glass.

IPT · #19 09/28/2007, 03:08 AM

Thats sort of what I was thinking. Only the front will be permenant but the sides just smoked. What do you think of plastic sprayed with Krylon vs the more expensive acrylic?

hebygb · #20 09/28/2007, 08:03 AM

just to throw in some perspective... We spend hundreds... thousands on tanks, then nickle and dime a solution to disguise an overflow. A custom cut piece of acrylic (any color) is $15-50. This is an investment in your tank and should be a quality that you are willing to, and want to, live with for years. Just my opinnion.

BeanAnimal · #21 09/28/2007, 08:37 AM

I certainly do not think my overflow is nickel and dimed... but that is just my opinion

I would rather not have "acrylic" covers or other (what I consider) silly solutions. The overflow is coast to coast, covered with coraline, xenia and GSP and It does not detract at all from the tank.

Lets add to your "perspective".... You would not happen to have powerheads or other equipment visible in the tank would you?

hebygb · #22 09/28/2007, 08:55 AM

I wasnt implying that it was... I am just pointing out that we all, myself included, spend a lot of money on a tank, and then in many cases find ourselves making decisions based on comparative pennies to our systems. It was a generalist comment that, was to serve as a reminder that these tanks are an investment, and don't short sheet it by trying to save a couple of bucks on a piece of plastic. Again, I am all about DIY, and I support your original post... smoked glass is just a couple of bucks more.

BeanAnimal · #23 09/28/2007, 09:06 AM

I am sorry if the post came out different than it was intended...

It was meant to be light hearted, as were the comments about "perspective".

Sorry if they did not come across that way.

mr.wilson · #24 09/28/2007, 09:43 AM

Smoked glass is often cheaper than clear glass when you're buying cutoffs. It's used for office windows and furniture, so small pieces are useless in the industry. Just make sure you don't use a metallic (mirrored) glass. Also make sure it isn't laminated as this will affect the silicone bond.

You can also check out the DIY forum for various methods of coating the overflow with concrete mixes. http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...hreadid=993625

Hey BeanAnimal, you need to clean out some of your fan mail so I can send you a PM. Thanks

Andystl · #25 09/28/2007, 09:47 AM

I made my tank RR by drilling it and building an overflow. I painted the inside of the overflow black with Krylon Fusion paint. It works fine, looks great and was very cost effective.