I had 2 55 Metaframes. I paid 30 for one, the other my brother in law gave me years ago.
I just got another 55.
And a 10
And another 10
And a 2.5 or 5 not sure.
They need work, but they were free.
I love Metaframes.
I do to. Growing up we always had a 55 gal. complete with the stainless hood ect.
Right now i only have a 2.5 gal with a light
I have a 28/3o gal fully restored...stainless light hood and all..nice and shiny.... ;D
I have 5, 10, 20 Standard, and 20 Long.
Dennis
They made a lot of 15's too.....
Jon what did you seal the slate with?
A friend, and I, used a 3M black sealer, I believe?.....I can't remember the name...I'd have to check..??..but it's had water/fish in it with no issues, and no leaks...
Quote from: Mugwump on November 01, 2014, 06:55:49 AM
They made a lot of 15's too.....
I'll have to check the ones I think are 20 standard..... maybe they are actually 15's. LOL
I also have a wood grain 20 long that has the MetaFrame name embossed on it.
Dennis
Quote from: BallAquatics on November 02, 2014, 08:41:40 AM
Quote from: Mugwump on November 01, 2014, 06:55:49 AM
They made a lot of 15's too.....
I'll have to check the ones I think are 20 standard..... maybe they are actually 15's. LOL
I also have a wood grain 20 long that has the MetaFrame name embossed on it.
Dennis
Probably made after they were bought out by Mattel.
Let the games begin.
So over our Christmas vacation at work I was planning on finishing the carpentry for the roof over the back half of the fish house. My body disagrees however. So here I am looking around for something I can handle. And there they are. The Metaframes. Just sitting there on the front porch of the fish house. Waiting patiently for the time I get around to putzing with them.
So I grab the heat gun. An ink knife I have from when the fish house was a print shop and some patience.
To take them apart you need to look at how they were put together. You can't just start taking panels out, you'll break the glass. These tanks are put together with the front and rear panels in first. Then the sides. Last the slate. Taking it apart is the reverse. But with a ton of patience. Start on the slate with the heat gun. Start working the blade of the knife in between the slate and the frame. DO NOT TWIST THE BLADE!!!
Keep working the heat and the blade around the frame. You're going to be melting out the old asphaltum. After you have gone around a couple of times hit the inside around the perimeter of the slate. On two tanks so far there is a little ridge that prevents it from sliding out easily. Then go back to the outside and just keep working it. Try twisting the blade ever so slightly and see what is giving and what isn't. When it starts to come apart push it slowly out. Remember it is hot so use gloves. Once the slate is out the side panels are next. The procedure is the exact same but is quicker.
The important thing to remember is you need to be assertive but not to forceful. You don't want to mangle the frame.
Once all the panels are out you need to clean the frame. I'm using the heat gun and ink knife but am going to try acetone or lacquer thinner or maybe mineral spirits. I'll see which works best.
I've got to say these guys were pretty smart building these tanks. Taking them apart to fix is really pretty easy. I fear with silicone it will be a bit more difficult.
Coming up next will be getting it back together. And on the next ten I'll try for pictures. Maybe.
I am going to get Dow Corning 795. It is supposed to stick to slate and Disney uses it in their large tanks. So I've heard.
Nice..please keep up with the tutorial, and the pics when you can.......your descriptions are really good....... ;D thank you..
Here is what I started with. All the tanks have cracked glass. This particular tank also has the slate free floating so that part will go easier.
One glass panel and slate removed
The 5 gallon with all panels and slate gone. All that's left is cleaning and reglazing.
Quote from: GraphicGr8s on December 30, 2014, 11:03:03 PM
Here is what I started with. All the tanks have cracked glass. This particular tank also has the slate free floating so that part will go easier.
Brings back great memories. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
It's neat to watch it done in steps too.... ;D
This is interesting to follow. Thanks for sharing it...
Worked on the 10 gallon for a little while. It's just a frame right now with a lot of the sealant still there so I took mineral spirits to it. Slow going. Patience is surely recommended now. I managed to clean 90% of the frame. All that's left is a few stubborn spots and the channel on the top frame. Let's see when I get time to finish. BTW temp was very nice outside while I was working on it but the skeeters are ferocious.
Thanks for the update...watch those skeeters...
I have a buddy that has a few few of these. I did not know if they were worth messing with. He said I could have them.
Quote from: JR on January 12, 2015, 07:04:50 AM
I have a buddy that has a few few of these. I did not know if they were worth messing with. He said I could have them.
..grab em... ;D....see if he has the 'original' metal stands too.....the scrolled ones can be worth big bucks.....
I dont know about the stands but he has the tops with them
Quote from: JR on January 12, 2015, 08:01:00 AM
I dont know about the stands but he has the tops with them
the Stn Stl tops are superb...I'm lucky enough to have one for mine....works too.. ;D
Quote from: JR on January 12, 2015, 07:04:50 AM
I have a buddy that has a few few of these. I did not know if they were worth messing with. He said I could have them.
It all depends. Me? I like the look and it's a simple spare time project. Or when I really don't feel up to doing other things. If they cost nothing then it's the time you invest and some glass and silicone. And with Petco's $1/gallon sale the glass is cheap.
How many does your buddy have? If the glass is intact then you can reseal it with Dow 795. My tanks have broken glass and it is easier (and smarter) to take them apart then to try a repair. If the glass wasn't cracked I'd have tried a reseal though.
Mike has 2 55s a 20 and a 5 the 5 has a broken glass on the side.
Quote from: JR on January 12, 2015, 02:48:16 PM
Mike has 2 55s a 20 and a 5 the 5 has a broken glass on the side.
Heck if it wasn't so far I'd grab them. I've learned quite a bit so far. Of course the real test is when I put them back together.
The tanks with the glass intact should be a fairly easy reseal all on the inside. That is if they even leak. One of my 55's I tested outside with no leaks. Bring it into the kitchen and of course it's a different story. I wanted it to be a dirted tank so I put the dirt, planted it, and filled it. That's when it started leaking. After a few days the leaks stopped. I imagine the dirt sealed it up.
The Dow 795 is supposed to adhere to the slate. If so you can just do a normal reseal. If you don't want to trust that method cut a piece of glass for the bottom and seal glass to glass. Just don't let that piece of Americana go to the dump.
Going to NY any time soon?
So I've been getting the first 10 gallon frame spotless. And Although it's not perfect it is ready for reconstruction in my opinion. So from another forum I got the brilliant idea to harvest the replacement glass from new tanks from Petcos $1/gallon sale. I started the harvest tonight. Let's just say once I finish these tanks up I won't be harvesting glass for my tops anytime soon. 2 hours and I still managed to crack a piece on the bottom. And the Metaframe is wider than today's Tetra 10 gallon tanks.
Next project I'll go with virgin glass.
So I just wanted to see what the 10 would look like with the new glass. So I put the harvested glass in without silicone. Real nice. The best part is the top frame has a channel to hold the glass. Anyhow I put the glass bottom in just to lock it all in place. Me likey.
Now to get some acetone to clean the silicone remnants off and get it done. I'll rebuild the one ten and the five in one shot. Then the other ten and the 55.
I also, by accident found an easier way to get the tanks apart.
Quote from: GraphicGr8s on February 01, 2015, 06:31:45 PM
So I just wanted to see what the 10 would look like with the new glass. So I put the harvested glass in without silicone. Real nice. The best part is the top frame has a channel to hold the glass. Anyhow I put the glass bottom in just to lock it all in place. Me likey.
Now to get some acetone to clean the silicone remnants off and get it done. I'll rebuild the one ten and the five in one shot. Then the other ten and the 55.
I also, by accident found an easier way to get the tanks apart.
..just drop em ????
Makes it a bit hard to reuse the glass Jon. I was using a snap blade type knife. I was cleaning out the silicone making room for the snap knife and the single edge blade just fit right in between the panes. Went pretty fast after that. Five minutes before the discovery I was using 40lb test mono. Single edge is way faster.
Quote from: GraphicGr8s on February 01, 2015, 06:55:02 PM
Makes it a bit hard to reuse the glass Jon. I was using a snap blade type knife. I was cleaning out the silicone making room for the snap knife and the single edge blade just fit right in between the panes. Went pretty fast after that. Five minutes before the discovery I was using 40lb test mono. Single edge is way faster.
I agree, those single edge blades are handy....nice catch.....
So I've been under the weather since yesterday. While not feeling 100% I was pretty stir crazy. So I started putzing with the 10 gallon Metaframe. Got it put back together. Not very pretty right now. I will have a bit of excess silicone to cleanup. I didn't get all the stainless covered with the black silicone. Note to self to use a putty knife to spread it around. It also took a bit more than I figured. I am pretty sure however it will hold water without a problem. I WAS real careful when I sealed the inside corners.
nice.....now tidy it up and do a test fill with water...
Quote from: Mugwump on April 20, 2015, 05:50:23 AM
nice.....now tidy it up and do a test fill with water...
Maybe I'll wait however until the silicone is fully cured?
Stole a few minutes today to give the cleanup a try. Outside cleanup is easy. Single edge razor works wonders. Inside will be a little more time consuming but should not be hard at all. Just patience and finesse to get the lines straight. This was a learning lesson that while not perfect is acceptable. Until OCD sets in. I can already see buying the release agent and doing this one over. Must fight the urge. Planting heavy will cover the misses on the silicone. (not structural at all.)
Got a line on another Metaframe. 10 gallon. $8 for that, a regular ten, a light and a corner filter. Yeah Baby!
Quote from: GraphicGr8s on March 03, 2016, 03:15:41 PM
Got a line on another Metaframe. 10 gallon. $8 for that, a regular ten, a light and a corner filter. Yeah Baby!
Stn/Stl hood/light ?....wow!
Naw. No real hood as far as I can tel from the CL ad. I'm just stoked about the tank.
Quote from: GraphicGr8s on March 03, 2016, 07:02:00 PM
Naw. No real hood as far as I can tel from the CL ad. I'm just stoked about the tank.
decent price.... |^|
I have a 20 long that leaks and a s/s light for a 5 gallon. These bring back memories of my childhood. My dad had a 55 gal complete. Wish I had that now.
Quote from: ilroost on March 04, 2016, 06:19:46 PM
I have a 20 long that leaks and a s/s light for a 5 gallon. These bring back memories of my childhood. My dad had a 55 gal complete. Wish I had that now.
So long as the glass is intact and the slate isn't porous the fix is easy.
Get some Dow 795 silicone and reseal the inside of the tanks. The 795 is the only silicone I know that will adhere to the slate. That's what I will do to the tank I am looking to get tomorrow
we have several of the metal frame tanks ; not all by Metaframe..the most recent is a 100 gallon (72 x 18 x 18) that i got for $50.someone tried to drill the slate for an overflow.i will just patch over that.we have a 29 , 20H , 3 or 4 15s , couple of 10s , a 5 and a 2...i screwed up and missed a free 55..there are also 2 that came out of a 5 and 10 cent store that are odd sizes..one is 14 x 14 x 14....the other is 28 x 14 x 13.or something close to that..lol..the 14 cube is set up with some shrimp.
My father had 4-5 cube tanks back in the 70's,i thought they were 12'' but may have been 14'' like you mentioned.
Best i can remember his weren't stainless,but some kind of white metal.
Talked to the seller today and we'll meet tomorrow. She has a booth at a flea market so I will talk to her to keep an eye out for them.
And I got it. With the stainless light also. It's not a 10. Haven't measured it yet but maybe 7gallons?
Glass and stainless look decent. Bit of rust on the top of it but nothing major. Going to reseal with 795 and fill the sucker.
http://media.photobucket.com/user/airangel59/media/Metaframe%20Tank%20Project/Metaframesizes.jpg.html
...they were nice....we had some metal tanks with the 'crystal' bottoms years ago.....15's and 20's.....only have a few now...
The owner of a shop i worked at had one of those,or very similar.
Jewel Aquarium,made in Chicago.
Yep...a couple were the 'Jewel' tanks....nice tanks, never leaked either....
Hehehehe. So I was in New England this past week. Got another 3 Metaframes. One a 20 H. Not sure of the other two size wise though.
Brings me up to nine now I think.
What are the dimensions on the 20?
I'll try to get out to check on that Jon. Haven't had much time lately. And seems I can't find my get up and go.