kriesel

Bubbashrimp · 08-13-2006, 08:11 PM

I would like to make a kriesel but I do not know how to form the cylinder with a sheet of acrylic, 90's are pretty much all I can do. I think you use some type of oven but they are so numerous I dont know were to look. I have also thought about pounding metal tubing into the ground and filling it with charcoal, since acrylic is flammable and gives off lethal gases when heated I would like to stay away from this option and have an ability to control my work as much as possible. any help would be appreciated.

Bubbashrimp · 08-13-2006, 09:41 PM

How about if anyone has a kriesel? What size are the holes in the netting for the outflow?

Geoff · 08-14-2006, 10:12 AM

i also have been playing with the idea of building a Kriesel tank. i was planning on just using 1/8" thick acrylic and bending it it around a wooden frame. then glueing another 1/8" thick acrylic sheet over it to form a 1/4" thick tank. 1/8" can take quite a bit of bend, so unless you are thinking of doing a really small Kriesel this should work.

G~

VWD · 08-14-2006, 10:37 AM

Post pictures and plans if anyone is building one. I also like to try one.

Bubbashrimp · 08-14-2006, 10:59 AM

I am thinking of a 24 inch kriesel to raise blood shrimp past thier early stages in life.

Geoff · 08-14-2006, 10:47 PM

finding an oven that will fit a 24" anything in would be tough. it also needs to be heated fairly evenly in order to be really workable.

you should be able to do an acrylic laminat in a 24" diameter circle.

do not have any thin acrylic laying around right not to try.

G~

Bubbashrimp · 08-14-2006, 11:10 PM

I thought of a tube but those are about 3000 for what i want

Geoff · 08-15-2006, 08:57 AM

yea, i looked at that also. acrylic tubing in large diameters is very cost prohibitive.

if you really do not need to look in through the sides, than you could easily make it out of fiberglass. not near as pretty, but just as effective.

G~

Bubbashrimp · 08-15-2006, 11:30 AM

yeah you do not really need the bottom to be visable do you

Geoff, what do you think about using a laminated approach. cut a template and just stack them up.

Geoff · 08-16-2006, 07:44 AM

how do you mean laminate? i was suggesting a laminate earlier in which you bend the thin acrylic around a form to form the circular part of the tank. then glueing another piece directly to this one to form a 2 layer laminat.

are you thinking of doing a stack laminate? it would work fine, just a lot more work to cut out all of the curves. you would then need to glue them up using a brick stack method so that you would not have a seam going across the entire curved surface of the tank.

have you seen this thread?

yes, as your post count goes up more features open up for you. i believe polls occur at 100posts. almost there.

G~

Bubbashrimp · 08-16-2006, 08:13 AM

I was thinking more along the lines of cutting it out of the acrylic so that it would look like a cross section of a tube and work up as if the final piece were on its side. But a brick style would work as well...that WOULD be a lot of work wouldn't it. ONLY 33 to go!!! I have seen most parts of the thread, I also think that i am communicating with the same person over at reef central.

Acrylics · 08-16-2006, 09:41 AM

Bubba,

Possibly a dumb question for ya; why woud you need a kreisel for this application?
There are easier ways to build what *I think* you are looking for. Take any tank, put either perforated PVC or fairly rigid mesh into the corners such either; the mesh rounds out the corners, or creates an octagonal shape. The corners can be siliconed in as therre is no pressure on it. Put in a spray bar that blows accross one of the mesh screens (not into it and not away from it but parallel to it), this will create your laminar flow as long as the holes are consistent in size and direction. Drill a hole for outflow behind the screen on the end that you have the spraybar. Do this and you'll have just created what most pubic aquariums use as holding tanks for many species of small jellies, not display quality in appearance or flow pattern but effective for the purpose. For your application, you can use some macroalgae behind the screens, in the corners. You'll have dead spots in the flow pattern in these areas so take advantage of it by potentially using these as larval grow-out areas without predation - kinda like a refugium.
The ideal tank woud have the length:height ratio as 1:1 for good laminar flow but do the best you can.
Like I said over on RC, there are a million places to go wrong on these things and can get frustrating - esp if not *well* experienced with acrylic so I'm trying to give ya something effective without the frustration.
BTW, you can get the rigid mesh at a few aquaculture supply places such as Aquatic Ecosystems, use part #n3236 as an example of the stuff. Other online places may sell smaller pcs of it or ask around at local horticulture/mariculture supply houses. You'll want smaller holes in the netting - 1/16" or so which is common. One common brand to ask for is "Nytex" netting, or obviously - equivalent

HTH?
James

Geoff · 08-16-2006, 10:17 AM

Thanks James!!

always good to hear from you.

Bubba- doing what you suggested will work, but the cost of the acrylic will be expensive. circles take up a lot of room on a sheet. you can get very few on a sheet, than the sheet is useless. thick pieces of acrylic are also expensive.

G~

Bubbashrimp · 08-16-2006, 11:25 AM

I am just exploring all my options. Throwing things out there and seeing what people think of them. There is still a question that no one has answered as of yet. If I did have a plywood form what kind of method would i use to heat the acrylic?

Always excited to hear from Geoff and James...and anyone else too,
Bubbashrimp

Acrylics · 08-16-2006, 12:17 PM

Hi Bubba,

I know it's a PITA, but a large oven is best. Even pizza ovens work well, many fabricators use these things. I'd recommend not doing it with a heat gun - simply to inconsistent IMHO. You can make an oven chamber out of drywall and virtual any heating method will work from quartz tubes to standard oven elements to heat lamps.
If doing the pseudokreisel design, all you need is corners so you might want to do that at home. The gases (monomer vapors) released are not lethal nor combustible but rather irritating and about the worst that happens is nausea to those that are very sensistive. Not that I'm exactly recommending doing this at home but can be done - just be sure to keep all the windows open and mayhaps a coupla fans.
Either that or...
simply pay your local fabricator to heat up some acrylic on one of their existing forms. Virtually every fabricator that does any forming has some forms laying around that might work for you. Cheap & easy.

Hi Geoff

James