Seal for DIY Calcium Reactor

[Wildcat]

Hello everyone! :wave:

I'm currently working on a design I came up with for a calcium reactor. I have one problem! At the top of the reactor I have two peices of acrylic that screw on each other but I need to use something to seal it, anyone have any ideas? I was thinking of using a pad of thin cork from the Plumbing Dept at Home Depot and cutting it to size, but I'm worried that it might not seal well. I would appreciate any help.

Thanks:thumbsup:

Wildcat

[Dman]

Wildcat,
What is the diameter of the reactor? You can get seals for water filters from Crappy Tire. They are a fair size and I beleve I have one hanging around.
Dman
:spin:

[Greg Moore]

You can see a reactor I made a year ago out of sheet stock on this link (not a fully built page).. www3.sympatico.ca/gdm and the seal I made for it is from silicon.

To try and make a similer seal is simple. It has a draw back that it doesn't actually stick to acrylic sheet well so sometimes you have to reposition it, however I have only had to remove the top 2 or 3 times in the year and the seal is holding up just fine. It is soft so it will conform to less then perfect surfaces and doesn't need much tension to seal.

Take the cap for your reactor and draw a thin line using a sharpie or other marker where the gasket is required. Find a dead flat surface (I used the top of a table saw but I except a section of a good counter will work fine). Cover that flat surface with a single layer of wax paper. Cut the paper carefully so there are no creases or wrinkles in it. Place round tooth pics (or something else similer thickness and consistant) around the paper outside of the planned gasket area. This is going to support your lid just above the paper. Now place an even bead (perfection is not required) of silicon, about 1/8" round, along the marker line you drew.

Then carefully flip your lid onto the tooth picks. This will squeeze the silicon down to a dead even thickness with a nice smooth flat surface. Allow it to cure for 24hrs and presto, a gasket built to size that seals great.

When you take your lid off later, don't be surprised if the gasket pulls off the lid in areas. This is not a problem if you are carefull not to break it.

Greg Moore