Habitat - Indoor :: question about silicone gel

[francinemarie]

how long does it take for silicone gel to dry? i'm too scared to touch my ATBA (i'm in the process of making it)

[BullDog]

Usually at least 24 hours, sometimes 48 hours. After 24 hours, if you can still smell it's vinegary smell, then it needs to cure longer. It should also tell you on the silicon tube.

Be sure to post pics when you're done!

[francinemarie]

Usually at least 24 hours, sometimes 48 hours. After 24 hours, if you can still smell it's vinegary smell, then it needs to cure longer. It should also tell you on the silicon tube.

Be sure to post pics when you're done!

oh ok, thank you! i won't forget. as i've been making my ATBA, i've also been taking pics

[francinemarie]

OMG, help! i didn't realize i bought Silicone Sealant instead of the gel . i looked it the 1st two pieces i glued together with the Silicone Sealant & it seems to be holding well. is there anything i can do? maybe reinforce the hold with a few drops of crazy glue?

[BullDog]

Does it say something like "100% silicone" or "Aquarium silicone"? Those are the two that are considered "aquarium safe". Anything else shouldn't be in the water. If it's not in the water, it should be fine...

[francinemarie]

Does it say something like "100% silicone" or "Aquarium silicone"? Those are the two that are considered "aquarium safe". Anything else shouldn't be in the water. If it's not in the water, it should be fine...

yea it does say 100% silicone. i'm using it to build my ATBA, so it won't really be touching the water. i just want to make that it will hold the ATBA (made out of egg crate) pieces together.

[BullDog]

That should be just fine.

[francinemarie]

That should be just fine.

oh ok, thank you. so would you say it should hold well too? or should i reinforce it with craZy glue after i have siliconed the ATBA together?

[BullDog]

That's hard to say...
I've done 2 atbas with egg crate, and on one, the silicone held no problem (it's up to about 7 months now without a problem), and the other one, the silicone just wouldn't stick to the egg crate and I ended up using hot glue instead. I would say once it has cured, if it seems stable, I wouldn't bother with the crazy glue.

[francinemarie]

That's hard to say...
I've done 2 atbas with egg crate, and on one, the silicone held no problem (it's up to about 7 months now without a problem), and the other one, the silicone just wouldn't stick to the egg crate and I ended up using hot glue instead. I would say once it has cured, if it seems stable, I wouldn't bother with the crazy glue.

oh ok, will do. thank you !