Removing silicone and resealing

Hi Guys

I bought a old tank and the silicone was left dry for about a year or so and i need to redo it, whats the easiest way to remove it from the tank so that i can reseal it?

 

I've heard of people taking strong cotton and slicing it down the sides. No idea if that will work.

 

Just use a knife or screw driver to scrap it off carefully without scratching or damaging the glass. Did it with my nano..

 

Apparantly an old tape measure. There was a thread about it but I'm on a tablet so difficult to search.Sorry, this is for splitting the panes apart

 

or maybe a razor blade?

 

Get razor blades and cut through the silicone, and then take some strong fishing line and pull it through between the glass.
It takes some time but it was the easiest for me

 

I was thinking of using a soldering iron to melt it off alont with a stanley knife...

 

Use a stanley knife but beware of blades breaking. Start by removing all glue from the corners, and then proceed to pushing the blade between the glass. Try looking for spots where the glue joint is thick. I normally try to cut it from top to bottom. Once cut from top to bottom on both sides, you can start bending it open, and cutting the bottom joint. If you have the Stanley in a joint, and the joint is too tight, leave the Stanley in to wedge the joint, and use a second knife to work on the glue. Takes a lot of time and force, but is actually very easy. By the way, heat will not work. Cutting is the only way. Also, the thicker the glass, the better. 3mm tends to crack very easy.

 

Good Luck! I did it about a month ago. CHAOS! The taking off of the silicone was the easy part. But I am not a very handy person ( ten thumbs) and the reapplying of the silicone to get it neatly done was a disaster! Had to redo it three times! HAHAHAHAHA. I am sure there must be tools to use to apply it smoothly to the corners!

 

Being in the construction industry, removing "overspilled" silicon seems to always fall onto my clients snaglist, and I can honestly tell you after many various methods, tools, and manpower, there actually is no "easier" way than the next. It all boils down to what tools you have on hand, and what works for you.

When people ask me what's the easiest way.... patience! That's the easiest way. If you are having a day where your patience is in short supply, leave it for a better day.

 

When I redid the seam on my Tank I found the stanley blade to be too thick, I used an exacto knife these blades are thin and super sharp, then see if you can get a can or 2 of patience from zoom as slow and steady will win the race in this one.
you can find the exacto blades and knives (holder) at craft stores I think they are actually called "#11 exacto knife", I bought mine from a radio control hobby shop but have also seen it in Hyperama on occasion.
What I initially did was to remove the excess silicone on the glass first (the seal for a better lack of description) and then proceeded to run the blade between the panes to remove the seam (glue layer) as I found this removed loads of resistance compared to just gutting though the whole lot at once. I also used duck tape to keep the panels together once I started cutting through the seam but applied it with a bit of a gap over the seam to allow flexibilty. Once I got all the panels apart I used the a new blade and scrapped away the silicone from the glass. On the bottom panel I did bend the loose panels out the way and then bribed the better half to help hold it in place with a bit of upward force to stop the blade from being piched. Fianlly I used a cloth and acetone and lots of elbow grease to clean the glass and try and get a clean surface for the silicone. On the bottom seams being right handed I cut on the inside of the class that was being bent slightly forward leaning over the glass using my left hand to to hold it "up" from left to right. I found this way that the blade did not get pinched very readily. One word of warning please wear safety googles the tips on these blades are supper hardened and when they snap they go flying.

 

correction it was not the orange stanley knife but those carpet knives also made by stanley that I initialy tried... sorry