BettaObsessed Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 I have a divided tank which I am trying to take the divider out of. I have managed to remove the silicon from the back and most of the bottom of the divider but the front and the rest of the bottom are wedge right against the tank glass. I was able to get a knife blade in to loosen the other bits but trying to get a knife into the bits that are still stuck is chipping the glass. I have just read that heating the silicon makes it easier to remove but I am wondering if this will work if I can't get anything in there to scrape it off? I can move the back end of the glass slightly but I don't want to push it too hard. I don't want to snap it in case I want to use that piece again to redivide the tank. Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUSS8 Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 Using a heat gun and a sharp long blade and maybe just try slicing thru it. Might be easier with two people ? One to heat and another to cut with the blade ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6ftaquaman Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 A heat gun and a stanley knife should do the trick or you could get a small painters scraper instead of the knife and try that. Just be warned if you have never used a stanley knife before it can be dangerous if you dont understand the way it is designed to be used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BettaObsessed Posted September 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 Hmmm, I'm thinking this is not going to be easy. There is only one of me so that puts out the 2 people solution. I was hoping to get it loose enough that it would kind of pull out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6ftaquaman Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 Should be easy enough to do by yourself. Heat gun in one hand, knife or scraper in the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 Mineral turps can also soften the silicone a little. It's going to be slow going but if you're patient you should be able to make enough cuts until you can pry it off without breaking anything. Or slicing your hand off. :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BettaObsessed Posted October 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 Thanks all. Got it out today. I had my eldest son hold the hairdryer while I tried to scrape it out. This got a little more out than I already but not much. It was only the front side that was still stuck so I turned it onto its front and poured nail polish remover along the join. Let it soak for a few minutes, gave it a wiggle and out it came. It took a little of the bottom silicone with it but there is still silicone along the join. I wiped out the nail polish, rinsed the tank quite a few times and set it up. I now have one happy axolotl swimming around in an 80L tank instead of a 20L (which I mistakenly had thought was 40L) :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts