DIY Acrylic Lily pipes, Drop checkers, etc - Pic Heavy
 

I want to preface this post by stating that this is not an advertisement for custom pipe sales. Nor is it in any way intended to get PMs for custom work or sales in any way. This is purely for the informational value, and to help others who'd like to give this a shot.

Just wanted to share some of the lily pipes, drop checkers, etc, that I've made.
I had a video up here a while ago that was a basic walkthrough on how to bend acrylic tubing, but it somehow got deleted. If anyone is still interested in a brief walkthrough on bending acrylic tubing, for making lily pipes, filter hardlines, drop checkers, etc, let me know and I'll do another short video on the matter.

The basic process is mostly a matter of heat control and patience. I've tried fillers from sand, flour, to silicone tubing, and nothing seems to get quite the same results as bending the tube freehand.

I use a 1500watt heatgun that I've modified to sit pointing straight up(like a burner), and bend most of my tubing(6mm, 10mm, 13mm) on it's low setting. Heating about a two inch portion of tubing at a time, I make very minute bends, using my fingers to keep the hot tubing in shape.

For the lily cups, I get the end of the tubing hot and pliable, and then seal it off by pinching it with pliers.
I then heat a 2" section just behind the sealed end. Once very pliable, I blow a bubble in the tubing, and hold pressure until the tubing is cooled. I then cut the bubble diagonally in a hobby miter block, with a very fine toothed razor saw.

Here is some of the things I've made(for myself, and for others):

13mm Lily Pipe
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_x...0/DSC00121.JPG

10mm Hang-On-Tank Lily Pipe
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_x...0/DSC00120.JPG

13mm Clear Eheim replacements
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_x...0/DSC00083.JPG

10mm ADA style nano pipes
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_x...0/DSC00074.JPG

Hang-On-Tank Drop Checker
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_x...0/DSC00114.JPG

Another H-O-T DC, curved to match the ada style nano pipes
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_x...0/DSC00115.JPG

10mm nano pipes, in use on buddy Zeldar's tank:
http://i853.photobucket.com/albums/a...1/IMG_0534.jpg

Crazy 10mm pipe set I made for dxiong5, upturned intake so filter sponge will stay in place
(a design originally devised by msnikkistar)
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5283/...e5febe28_z.jpg

Aimable spraybar in 13mm for 7.5g cube that I made for beedee
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p...ve_front-1.jpg

Another aimable spraybar in 13mm for standard 10g, also made for beedee
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/c1d15754.jpg

That's about all the pics I have right now. If anyone has any questions, I would be more than happy to answer!

-Paul

Re: DIY Acrylic Lily pipes, Drop checkers, etc - Pic Heavy
 

pretty cool man

Re: DIY Acrylic Lily pipes, Drop checkers, etc - Pic Heavy
 

Very nice work. Where do you get the tubing from?

Re: DIY Acrylic Lily pipes, Drop checkers, etc - Pic Heavy
 

I get all my tubing from a place locally, called multicraft plastics. You can get the same stuff from TAP plastics online though.

Re: DIY Acrylic Lily pipes, Drop checkers, etc - Pic Heavy
 

oh you should make the how to video so we can all give it a go

Thanks
Elliot

Re: DIY Acrylic Lily pipes, Drop checkers, etc - Pic Heavy
 

Yes. Video please!

Re: DIY Acrylic Lily pipes, Drop checkers, etc - Pic Heavy
 

Ok. I will record a new vid. It might be a day or two, but I'll throw something together for ya.

Re: DIY Acrylic Lily pipes, Drop checkers, etc - Pic Heavy
 

NICE!

I'm paranoid about leaks and although I have no reasons to think that ADA's glassware can suddenly bust into pieces the prospect of having a filter shoot water out of a busted glass outtake makes me stay away from anything glass.

For a long time now I thought that ADA style outtakes would be perfect if made of acrylic.

You have done it! And without any air bubbles or weird look.

Nice!

Now, do you know if your lily pipe makes the vortex (sucking stuff from the surface when positioned just right)? And Does it increase the flow because of the shape of the "bulb" like ADA's does?

--Nikolay

Re: DIY Acrylic Lily pipes, Drop checkers, etc - Pic Heavy
 

I haven't tested the them very thoroughly. I am going to make intakes for both of the lily cuped pipes, and have someone test them out for me.

Re: DIY Acrylic Lily pipes, Drop checkers, etc - Pic Heavy
 

I am going to have to get some pics of my tank with the pipes you made me so you can show em. :) I love those pipes I got from you, great work. Video, walk through and divine intervention could not help me make them as nice as yours. I prefer to leave this kind of thing to the guys that can do it. I would inevitably burn holes in the carpet or worse the house burns down because the heat gun falls on the carpet catching it on fire and then the whole house is in flames. I don't think I can explain that off to my wife as easy as my ruining her vegetable strainer when I separated the soil for my tank. Matter of fact I am still in the doghouse for that stunt.

Before..

http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/3783/sn852265.jpg

After..

The intake is hidden on the left, outlet is in the middle in this pic and you can barely see the d/c in the front right.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/9066/day56.jpg

I moved it to the right side this morning as much as I could.