PineSong Posted May 21, 2022 Share Posted May 21, 2022 I’ve had this hunk of wood soaking for months with a bucket full of water holding it down, to no avail. I know I could drill into it to attach it to slate but I don’t want slate if I have an alternative. I’m wondering if anyone has had luck just making a few drill holes so water can more easily penetrate to the center of the wood? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd Duck Posted May 21, 2022 Share Posted May 21, 2022 (edited) I tried cutting this piece of wood hoping to expose more surface area. I was planning to cut it anyway to fit the tank. I trimmed a bit off both the bottom and the top. Used the top as part of the whole feature. Still floating months later. It got drilled, alright, and fastened down to a slate piece because I got tired of waiting for it to sink. Started soaking February 3, 2021, I don’t remember for sure when I cut it but I'm pretty sure it was around April 3, 2021 when I have pics of it wet in the tank pre-cutting for ideas on arrangement. It was finally attached to slate July 31, 2021 when I just couldn’t stand the tank being empty anymore. I fit the slate to the pieces so there would be minimal slate sticking out around the wood and I could plant right up the wood. Edited May 21, 2022 by Odd Duck Add pic 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Burke Posted May 21, 2022 Share Posted May 21, 2022 In not sure the holes will do much good. But if you drilled a large hole in the bottom and filled it with lead, or something heavy, then seal it with epoxy you might be able to sink it w/ out slate 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PineSong Posted May 21, 2022 Author Share Posted May 21, 2022 Deep sigh. I was hoping it was a brilliant idea, lol. It’ll be a couple weeks until I can get to the stone yard for slate and of course I wanted results now! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd Duck Posted May 21, 2022 Share Posted May 21, 2022 I ordered a set of slate charcuterie boards from Amazon. I am the embodiment of impatience at times. 🤣 I have attached them to 3 different wood pieces now. First in this 14 G cube, then in my 100 G nanofish tank when I got impatient and cut loose the rocks I had zip tied to the wood and it floated despite almost a year submerged, then most recently in the 100 G angelfish tank. Still have about 1.5 pieces left of the 4 piece set. I’m sure it would be cheaper from a stone yard but it was in the middle of COVID and I wasn’t going anywhere. My pieces are very thin and easy to drill. They’re thin enough I had to double layer it for the wood in the nanofish tank. But they were easy to shape to size. 🤷🏻♀️ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PineSong Posted May 21, 2022 Author Share Posted May 21, 2022 I would never have thought about charcuterie boards! That’s genius. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd Duck Posted May 21, 2022 Share Posted May 21, 2022 On 5/21/2022 at 3:39 PM, PineSong said: I would never have thought about charcuterie boards! That’s genius. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. I searched for black slate. 🤷🏻♀️ Search for whatever color slate you want. I don’t know if you’ll easily find other colors. I have some lighter colored slate pieces in my nanofish tank that would disappear pretty well in the sand in the angelfish tank, but that tank’s slate isn’t in the sand. I have black sand in the 2 tanks where the slate is buried and wanted to use the black to “disappear” at the side in the angelfish tank, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Burke Posted May 21, 2022 Share Posted May 21, 2022 On 5/21/2022 at 2:16 PM, PineSong said: Deep sigh. I was hoping it was a brilliant idea, lol. It’ll be a couple weeks until I can get to the stone yard for slate and of course I wanted results now! I struggle with instant gratification too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stef Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 Hi @Odd Duck, what kind of mounting hardware did you use? Stainless? Any washers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd Duck Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 (edited) On 5/22/2022 at 7:08 AM, Stef said: Hi @Odd Duck, what kind of mounting hardware did you use? Stainless? Any washers? I used stainless, no washers, but the widest heads we had on hand. I was afraid flat tops would tend to split the slate so I used what’s called pan head sheet metal screws where it has a somewhat domed head, smooth edges, and very flat underside of the head. We drilled the slate no wider than necessary to pass the screws through, then pre-drilled the wood with smaller pilot holes. Edited May 23, 2022 by Odd Duck Add pic 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now