+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 12

Thread: Roughing up Plastic Canvas

  1. #1
    Banned
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    2,710

    Roughing up Plastic Canvas

    Made a YouTube video of the best way to rough up Plastic Canvas.

    I have done this now over a dozen times and it works awesome. Thanks to Srusso for explaining it to me.

    Use the Darice brand #7 Mesh material. There are 2 different types of this product available, the normal kind and one marked "extra stiff". The normal kind roughs up quicker but tends to rip a little easier if you rough it up to much, and it gets a little flimsy. I prefer to use the Extra Stiff material, it takes a little longer to rough up, but once it's rough it still retains the shape and stiffness.

    Use a saw blade with really sharp pointy teeth. Time for a Monty Python quote. "Death awaits you all, with nasty sharp pointy teeth!"


  2. #2
    kerry's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    1,406
    Kewl, thats the best way I have found to rough up a screen too, I am glad you made a video of it. I use a big wooded clamp to hold it down as well.
    150G. Reef/Mix
    125G. 3 Regular Oscars/1 Jack Dempsey
    75G. 20+ Africans
    40G. Fish/Reef. Algae Scrubbers on ALL my SW
    10G. SW Fish/Reef.
    10G. SW Hospital/new fish quarantine/pod breeder tank
    6 stage RO/DI system 200 GPD.

  3. #3
    Banned
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    461
    I've used a oscillating multi-tool with a metal saw attachment to do this and it works really well.

    But I wonder if the type of roughness that a saw type thing can produce is ideal?

    What looks or feels rough to us is not necessarily that rough at a microscopic level.

    Glass seems very smooth to the touch but houseflies can walk up a vertical pane because the hooks on their feet can attach to the microscopically small imperfections on it's surface.

    I wonder if algae might attach to surfaces in a similar way?

  4. #4
    Banned
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    2,710
    What I started doing is pre-roughing the screen with a wire brush attachment for my drill at low speed with the screen partially clamped down. This takes the "shine" off the screen - deep into the squares also. Then I do the rough-up with the saw blade manually, the first step makes the 2nd step easier. I've been told my screens are way beyond expected for roughness.

  5. #5
    Banned
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    2,710
    PS I'll try to take some shots with a microscope next time I'm at the local Marine Biology dept.

  6. #6
    Banned
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Uk! England
    Posts
    1,212
    Floyd - do you bother re-roughing a screen when it's matured, growing well ?

  7. #7
    Banned
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    2,710
    I don't. I did once on the older T5HO scrubber, but I didn't notice any difference. The biggest difference I noticed on that one was when I cut 6 inches off the width.

  8. #8
    Banned
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Uk! England
    Posts
    1,212
    Thanks, my screens as smooth as a babies butt (after 13 months of cleanings) but growing fine. I hoped this would be the case.

  9. #9
    Banned
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    2,710
    yeah IMO once the algae grows and attaches to the screen, and esp when it fills in the holes, that becomes the anchoring point. Roughing up is still important for the first probably 3 months of the screen though...

  10. #10

    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Indonesia
    Posts
    122
    What I learn is to make rough screen is for embed microbubble on screen.
    so the screen has CO2 stay on there to make atrract algae attach on it.

+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts