Silicone

[alisonb]

My bother has to replace the base glass on a large fish tank and must remove all the silicone - is there an easy way? I'll also check up on you tube :)

 

[Nesikep]

probably razor blades will work best to get the biggest stuff off, perhaps Acetone might work to get the traces that are left loosened off

 

[Ouachita]

Next to diamonds, silicone is forever :lol: what Nes said..... you'll have to go in manually

 

[alisonb]

Thanks, looked at a couple of you tubes aswell...no easy fix. One suggests heating the silicone with a hair dyer, seems like it can speed removal up slightly. Another suggests using 600 grit sand paper and water to remove leftover silicone without scratching glass. The rest say silicone remover, acetone etc. Wonder what turps would do, maybe try soaking it over night...

 

[Jogeephus]

If the tank is large enough I think those sharks with laser beams on their foreheads might do the trick. Other than that, a razor and elbow grease is all I know.

 

[lavacarancher]

Dow Corning makes a RTV solvent but doesn't work all that well, is a restricted product and is very expensive. Get a razor blade under it and work at it like mentioned above. There are two RTV products that I know about that does not contain acid, DC 3140 and 3145 when you get ready to reseal. The 3145 is quite a bit thicker but spreads easily with your finger if you wet your finger with a little soapy water. Put about two drops of dishwashing soap in a cup of water.

 

[Nesikep]

Oh, and apparently to get a nice bead formed on the new silicone, spray it with isopropyl alcohol then rub it with your finger.. My builder friend says it works amazingly well and does that when he seals around showers, sinks, etc..

Windshield urethane is MUCH stronger than silicone, and sticks like heck... it is black though and can quickly make a mess.. it sure works well though.. good luck if you break a panel though.. it ain't coming off..EVER