homemade reservoirs pictures

[voigts]

I use a custom made 5" round res which works very well and has a look that I am still pleased with.



I had to add a barb coming out of the back of the top of the res instead of using the top barb to go to the fillport because of spacing and was able to eliminate the little bleed screw shown on the bottom pic in the front of the res (I need to take some updated pics).





I have also made a rectangular res out of acrylic which was a pain to make and get all of the cuts straight enough to glue.

I also have used PVC to make a long tube res for a couple of systems for a friend, and they are cheap and effective. I mounted them to the outside back of the cases. The barb going out of the res I placed in the very bottom of the end cap, and the line going into the res I placed a few inches from the top so that bubbles would rise. I used a simple PVC screw on cap for the top and then painted the thing black to match the case.

 

[fhanderson]

 

[El<(')>Maxi]

I use a custom made 5" round res

Nicely done!

 

[voigts]

Nicely done!

Thank you

It was worth the work.

 

[skahtul]

This was really easy.
I simply threaded the top and bottom for the input and output and then glued the parts together.

 

[mewisemagic2]

they all look neat

 

[El<(')>Maxi]

Thank you

It was worth the work.

Damn I just noticed your case lol, thats nice too!

 

[MaVoK]

I use a custom made 5" round res which works very well and has a look that I am still pleased with.

NICE!!!! Well Done!

 

[iamsexyrob]

here is the one in my case...

and the process to make it...

 

[WeldZilla]

Hey PVC is a very inexpensive and easy way to go. you don't have to worry about galvonic corrosion when using pvc.
Here is a pic of my tank

Another nice thing about pvc it is easy to paint to match your system.

 

[mewisemagic2]

they all look great,you people are great craftsmen

 

[MaVoK]

These are all too cool. I have to try it. Are you guys using an epoxy of some sort to join the plexi? I think I remember seeing that you can use a solvent that melts and bonds it, but I may be mistaken.

 

[voigts]

These are all too cool. I have to try it. Are you guys using an epoxy of some sort to join the plexi? I think I remember seeing that you can use a solvent that melts and bonds it, but I may be mistaken.

For acrylic, you want to use Weld-On #3 (http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=131&PHPSESSID=200711181921161899267166) or the tap acrylic cement (same thing only the Tap cement only comes in 1 pint containers which is a lot). You use this with a syringe (small bd-25/2) as it flows like water. You have to tape the joints on the outside with something like blue painters tape to keep the solvent from leaking all over the place. Its called solvent welding using the capillary method.

You also have to make sure not to machine sand any joints as if you heat up the acrylic in sanding and then try to weld it, the acrylic will spider crack. Any joints that will have solvent on them need to be sanded by hand or in some way as to not heat up the acrylic.

 

[MaVoK]

Thanks. This will be a great way to avoid my In-laws during Thanksgiving!!!

 

[Mycobacteria]

Just my experience...

Leave the waxy paper on the acrylic as long as you can it helps prevents scratches when your working with it.

I use the capililary method its very neat and looks spot on if you take the effort and time to do it right. That also means takin your time to cut the acrylic so fits together nicely and edges and smooth.

The glue I use is acetone. I often chuck some shavings of acrylic into the acetone and let the acrylic shavings disolve. This way the glue is a bit more thick and easier to work with.

When you work with acrylic take your time otherwise things will start to melt or crack. That means drills on low speed make sure tools are sharp so it cuts easy and doesnt heat up as much etc etc.

Leak testing is important when im finished makin a res I like to hook it up to a vaccume cleaner. This puts lots of stress on the joints and gives lots of negative pressure inside the res. Then I go along each of the joints and see if the "acetone glue" can be sucked into any of the joints thus sealing up the res once and for all.

 

[voigts]

Just my experience...

Leave the waxy paper on the acrylic as long as you can it helps prevents scratches when your working with it.

I use the capililary method its very neat and looks spot on if you take the effort and time to do it right. That also means takin your time to cut the acrylic so fits together nicely and edges and smooth.

The glue I use is acetone. I often chuck some shavings of acrylic into the acetone and let the acrylic shavings disolve. This way the glue is a bit more thick and easier to work with.

When you work with acrylic take your time otherwise things will start to melt or crack. That means drills on low speed make sure tools are sharp so it cuts easy and doesnt heat up as much etc etc.

Leak testing is important when im finished makin a res I like to hook it up to a vaccume cleaner. This puts lots of stress on the joints and gives lots of negative pressure inside the res. Then I go along each of the joints and see if the "acetone glue" can be sucked into any of the joints thus sealing up the res once and for all.

Good points. I likewise leaktest thoroughly but in my case I hook it up to the kitchen sink with a waterbed fill kit adapter and crank it up to almost full faucet pressure (full pressure is about 55psi) for at least an hour. I even tap the res around a bit also while testing under pressure. If it doesn't leak under that kind of pressure, it isn't going to leak.

 

[Captain Slug]

I'm working on making one out of 2-1/2" PVC rod using a manual knee mill and a manual lathe. I'll have pictures up in a week or two.

Why not buy some Lexan and make one thats better and possibly cooler looking than some of the factory jobs?

Polycarbonate won't hold up against antifreeze. PVC, Delrin, Nylon, or Acrylic are preferable options. Acrylic and PVC being the easiest to work with since they readily accept solvent cements.

 

[hypertek]

Im rebuilding my setup and will make a 2' pvc pipe reservoir , since its going to be mounted externally at the rear of the case, I got a mag3 on order, im thinking of mounting that at the bottom underneath the reservoir....

 

[MaVoK]

I want it to be clear, so acrylic looks like the way to go. is there a thickness that is better? Is there any specific type or brand?

 

[Captain Slug]

I want it to be clear, so acrylic looks like the way to go. is there a thickness that is better? Is there any specific type or brand?

Cast is preferable to extruded, all of the brands are the same. And as for thickness I would recommend a minimum of 3/16", but 1/4", 3/8", or 1/2" are even better.

This company has a bunch of locations in the Northeastern US and they sell their offcuts per pound: http://www.piedmontplastics.com