advice on drilling 1/4" acrylic tank for a 1" bulkhead

[tomtoothdoc]

need advice on how to drill a 1/4" acrylic tank for a 1" bulkhead....here comes the catch... in situ!!! i want to install an additional drain to the algae tank. it has a 1/2" drain but i want to increase the flow through rate to tumble the algae....chaeto, ulva, dragon's breath.

1. what bits do i need and where to get it?
2. is 1/4" acrylic too thin for a 1" bulkhead?
3. any expected problems drilling with water in the tank? i will drain the water down to 6" from the top...the bulk head would be about 2" from the top.

details on how to from someone who had done it is greatly appreciated.
personal experienced please....not the i read it somewhere.....

thanks, tom

 

[James983]

1- Get a hole saw at Homie dont borrow one unless its new.
2- You may get away with 1" Bulkhead in 1/4" acrylic but I would consider 1/2"
3- Drilling with water in tank will make a lot of acrylic dust go in the water and will freak out your fish if you have any.

Don't apply any pressure to drill while drilling, let the bit do the work. If you will drill through anything thick consider heat and keeping drill level. It's actually pretty simple working with acrylic.

 

[lfsmarineguy]

Use heavy tape on the area you are drilling in and use the pilot bit for the hole saw. The tape will help stop any chipping along the edge of the hole. Don't push like James said, you'll end up cracking the tank if you force it, just let it happen. Don't use a bit with huge teeth, you'll get a cleaner hole with a smaller tooth bit and make sure it's the right size for the bulkhead.

 

[tomtoothdoc]

1- Get a hole saw at Homie dont borrow one unless its new. ok...will do.
2- You may get away with 1" Bulkhead in 1/4" acrylic but I would consider 1/2" it has a 1/2" already but i need to increase flow through put.
3- Drilling with water in tank will make a lot of acrylic dust go in the water and will freak out your fish if you have any. will tape the inside to minimize the mess...no fish just algae and glass shrimps

Don't apply any pressure to drill while drilling, let the bit do the work. If you will drill through anything thick consider heat and keeping drill level. It's actually pretty simple working with acrylic.

thanks for the tips.

 

[tomtoothdoc]

Use heavy tape on the area you are drilling in and use the pilot bit for the hole saw. The tape will help stop any chipping along the edge of the hole. Don't push like James said, you'll end up cracking the tank if you force it, just let it happen. Don't use a bit with huge teeth, you'll get a cleaner hole with a smaller tooth bit and make sure it's the right size for the bulkhead.

thanks for the tips.
what happen if the rpm is too high....and too low?
will pick up the bulkhead and bring it to hd to size the hole saw.

if the worst happened...say i get a crack line, what should i use to patch? would a 1/8" acrylic do the job or should i get a 1/4".
what do i use to glue the acrylic pieces? i've heard of weld-on but could not find it at hd or locally. any suggestion?