How to clean off excess silicon?

[s3xtcy]

Hey there, I have just reconstructed my old tank, there is silicon for africa, inside and out, the outside stuff I know I can just scrape off with a sharp stanley blade, the internal silicon is what im being slightly more cautious about... how do i go about cleaning off the excess silicon inside, without stuffing the seal I have just made? How do i make the bead inside super tidy and professional looking?

Any help or suggestions would be greatly apprecciated.

Also what can I safely clean up the outside with? obviousally I scrape off the excess with a blade, but what about small smudges, smears, etc, is there some liquid (similar to turps or meths or something) thats safe enough to use?

Cheers for any help

[Barrie]

people need to think of it as you would paint

If you were painting you windows would you simply throw a bucket of paint at the side of the house?

You should have masked up the inside at the very least and carefully removed it straight after you have made the tank, before it starts setting.

A NEW stiff backed RAZOR blade is the best.

The surface of the glass is full of small indentations and the silicone will/has set in those so a 100% clean is next to impossible but the stiff back razor will remove 90%

Best thing is to remember next time

[alanmin4304]

If you do not use excessive RTV you do not need to remove it.

[s3xtcy]

lol, first time ive ever put a tank together, so thought i was being nice, used not tooo much, and turns out i used ALOT, how long should I leave it before i start trimming off the excess? Cheers

[Carlos & Siran]

I learn't that lesson when I redid our tank, I thought it would be a simple job of just trimming the excess off after it cured, but no, it didn't really work, next time I'll mask it first like Barrie said.

[Barrie]

as its too late now, wait for a few days then use (not the caps and italic) a new STIFF BACK RAZOR blade

[Sophia]

my tank came with lots of excess silicone - we could only find double sided blades at the supermarket so we wrapped them with masking tape to make them stiffer and safe, and got the silicone off with that. A helluva lot of work but worth it compared to what it would have looked like. Masking the tank first is definitely the way to go

[tbunting]

or when he silicon is wet spray it with soapy sray and smooth with ur finger it works trust me u dont need a lot and just wait until the next day and wash out any saop that might be in there iv done it works i use this methoad of cleaning silicon eavery day.

[maoripho3nix]

I had similar problems in the 2nd hand tank I just got. Looks like the previous owner had used silicon to stick the background to the tank. I started off using the blade as suggested which got rid off 99% of it off the glass, just need to remove the residue. When using the blade I would suggest spraying some soapy water on the glass to help smooth the blade over. However in your case I'm guessing there is a lot. I went to the big orange shed (mitre10 mega) today and asked if they had anything that removes silicon sealant, and they do. Sorry I cant remember the name of it though, was too busy looking at the price which was $27. Prices might vary at different dept stores. The staff member assured me it can be used on glass. But not sure what it leaves behind after cleaning it all off.

HTH

[Barrie]

or when he silicon is wet spray it with soapy sray and smooth with ur finger it works trust me u dont need a lot and just wait until the next day and wash out any saop that might be in there iv done it works i use this methoad of cleaning silicon eavery day.

this is the way that we clean glass showers and most joined glass but it still leaves a small amount on the glass that in aquaria, as time goes by, turns blue or white.

Safest way is to mask as it then removes the silicone before touching the glass.

All cleaners that are known to the glass trade will only clean 99% so the same problem remains, the small amount left behind discolours as time goes by

[burrowssj]

At my work we use shaving style blades to cut away the silicone(get at bunnings for like 10$ a pack) for a tank you could empty it completely an use a ruler to make a straight edge cut into the silicone(not to hard you don't wana scratch the glass) from there use the blade again on a flat angle on the glass to remove the excess, do this a few times an it should be almost gone.We use turps to remove old silicone an it works fine but im not sure how safe it would be on a tank, at the least you would wana wash it a couple of times an allow it to dry an washing again then refilling an draining a few times an let it sit between washes, IF you do use turps always test the tank with a guppy or platty before putting your 100$ fish in there but im pretty sure the turps disolves anyway but I personally wouldn't use the tank with out cleaning it an allowing it to dry multiple times.

when I removed silicone off showers that leak an need to be resealed i get the blade running basically flat on the glass but with just enough angle to take off the silicone fully, it works very well but you need a thin sharp blade(for best results dont use a craft knife blade they are not thin) I can actually remove 99% of silicone with these blades by just going over an over the spot an the remaining .01% is removed with mineral turps

if you want next time I clean some glass il take a quick vid of how to..

alternately you could take all the silicone off an clean with turps an reseal it yourself with a chalking gun? the wet excess is easily removed with a rag or if you don't mind a small lump you can mask it up,iceblocks sticks an soapy water is a good way to practice getting those lines perfect

hope this helps

[Barrie]

I agree that to remove 99% is easy, its the 1% that is not possible

Turps is repelled by silicone, its not a solvent for it, The Turps creates and öily smear that the silicne wont stick to and (like soapy water) is why less silicone residue is left on the glass

Masking without a doupt is the best way

Most people are not looking at the residue as they say it dosnt bother them but it turns white or green as time goes on and to me, it dosnt look as good as it could

Burrowssi, try using a spray bottle next time with water and a couple of teaspoons of sunlight detergent

[CodKing]

As a painter of almost 10 years I toatally agree with the sunlight liquid! That stuff is fantastic And the thin razor blade is by far the best, as burrowssj says any other blade is just too thick.

3M masking tape (blue) is the best when using acetic cure products. It's not cheap but does an amazing job as it doesnt distort when pulled tight. Dont stretch the tape, keep the masking edge straight and use some kind of flat blade to make sure the tape has 100% adhered to the glass surface for a perfect job!

Black silicone can also be very attractive if it's done right. I find it adds a nice border the the front of the tank. Not so effective if you want the tank to be viewable from multiple sides.

If extreme measures are needed, gun wash or thinner no.12 (resene), will strip anything off anything! Just look for Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) or xylene in the ingredients list. These are particularly dangerous chemicals! If you happen to have the right protective gear or can get a hold of a respirator and the correct hand protection this may be an option. I did hear of some concern about selling these products to the general public but I think you can still get them.

[Barrie]

MEK is a great product for sure

I suppose Im looking at a 100% clean not a 99% so maybe Im a bit fussy with my wants and needs but to me its a year or 2 down the track when the slight smear of silicone shows and looks really bad.

I agree with you about the blue as well as it comes of by far the easiest of all tapes

[wellmax]

A product that I have use to desolve and soften silicone is "ADOS SOLVENT" can be obtained at Bunnings. Regards