So if I got the fabric route... the one that most above ground outdoor pools use (frame with fabric), I won't be able to get any sort of clear material correct? It would be great to somehow get a semi-clear material that performs the same as the blue/white/etc.. fabrics companies like intex use with their cheap framed sets.
Clear Acrylic Bathtub - How to Build?
- Thread starter Swizzler
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Looking at the picture you posted it would not be that challenging to make out of acrylic and with welded seams it could look just like the picture but bigger (although that sink is glass). I've built lots of acrylic aquariums and the technique is exactly the same. I'd get the parts CNC cut and formed by an acrylic fabricator as it would be cheaper than ruining half a dozen lots yourself trying to get it right, and expect to pay around £2,000 for the parts in 30mm clear cast acrylic. It would need to be at least 30mm to keep the bowing down to a minimum as acrylic is a very flexible material.
It would need welding though. You could try and seal it using a compression gasket as most sealants will not bond with acrylic for very long, but the gaskets would be visible and really detract from the effect.
HOWEVER...
Don't do it because it will scratch horribly just trying to install it and it will only look progressively worse and worse with actual use. You'd throw it out within a year after growing sick of the sight of it (and knowing how much money you wasted on it).
Cleaning acrylic aquariums was mentioned earlier - if you use a microfibre cloth to wipe acrylic you will scratch it. Look at any acrylic aquarium with a torch and you will see it covered in circular scratches like the bonnet of a badly cleaned car. It is not so visible on an aquarium because they are lit from the inside, but with a bath or basin it would be lit from the outside too and all those scratches would be highlighted. Anything you touch the surface with would likely scratch it - clothing, finger nails, even a bar of soap would be slightly abrasive.
If you want that look then get it made out of glass and make sure it is listed on your insurance for when you drop the soap bowl and the safety glass turns into millions of little cubes...
A better option if you want clear sides would be to use glass panes inside a frame. That would let you double laminate it to protect against a breakage flooding the room.
It would need welding though. You could try and seal it using a compression gasket as most sealants will not bond with acrylic for very long, but the gaskets would be visible and really detract from the effect.
HOWEVER...
Don't do it because it will scratch horribly just trying to install it and it will only look progressively worse and worse with actual use. You'd throw it out within a year after growing sick of the sight of it (and knowing how much money you wasted on it).
Cleaning acrylic aquariums was mentioned earlier - if you use a microfibre cloth to wipe acrylic you will scratch it. Look at any acrylic aquarium with a torch and you will see it covered in circular scratches like the bonnet of a badly cleaned car. It is not so visible on an aquarium because they are lit from the inside, but with a bath or basin it would be lit from the outside too and all those scratches would be highlighted. Anything you touch the surface with would likely scratch it - clothing, finger nails, even a bar of soap would be slightly abrasive.
If you want that look then get it made out of glass and make sure it is listed on your insurance for when you drop the soap bowl and the safety glass turns into millions of little cubes...
A better option if you want clear sides would be to use glass panes inside a frame. That would let you double laminate it to protect against a breakage flooding the room.
I know exactly what the OP requires, I've seen it used as an aquarium for two whales!
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=s...ikejones.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F;600;253
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=s...ikejones.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F;600;253
Haha. Love you guys.
To save myself from the insanity of paying $2000 for a scratch-tub, i'm just going to get a "baptism" pool (yes.. they make those..??!) made out of fabric and sized correctly.
Unfortunately, I can't get a clear one... but It seems that this is pretty much the only option for a 45 inch deep pool at this size range.
To save myself from the insanity of paying $2000 for a scratch-tub, i'm just going to get a "baptism" pool (yes.. they make those..??!) made out of fabric and sized correctly.
Unfortunately, I can't get a clear one... but It seems that this is pretty much the only option for a 45 inch deep pool at this size range.
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Is the wife planning a birth or what?
Would the size you propose fit through the window ? Don't laugh, but it is a recognised method even if it does conjure up images of Laurel and Hardy
If so, then you could have something in one piece.
And have you considered slumped glass ? Though I suspect that isn't cheap either.
If so, then you could have something in one piece.
And have you considered slumped glass ? Though I suspect that isn't cheap either.
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