I'm building a coffee table with an inset glass top and various water-
sensitive items under the glass. Ideally, I'd like to seal the insert
with some sort of gasket material, so that the glass can still be
lifted out, but liquids spilled on the surface won't make it into the
innards of the table.

I've considered sealing it up with silicone - but aside from failing
the removable-glass test, it also fails the easy-to-make-it-look-nice-
even-if-you-have-limited-spreading-sticky-sealants-and-not-making-a-
mess-of-it skills.

Any suggestions?

For bonus points: I'd like to allow the legs to hinge up into the
body for easy transport. I've googled up some solutions like this:
ww.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=5817 But as you can see from the
reviews, it seems like those hinges don't provide for much stability.
Are there better solutions?

meeotch wrote:
I'm building a coffee table with an inset glass top and various water-
sensitive items under the glass. Ideally, I'd like to seal the insert
with some sort of gasket material, so that the glass can still be
lifted out, but liquids spilled on the surface won't make it into the
innards of the table.

I've considered sealing it up with silicone - but aside from failing
the removable-glass test, it also fails the easy-to-make-it-look-nice-
even-if-you-have-limited-spreading-sticky-sealants-and-not-making-a-
mess-of-it skills.

Any suggestions?

You might consider spreading a _very_ thin coat of clear silicone caulk
on the surface where the glass will rest and letting it set completely
before dropping in the glass. If done carefully, you should have a good
seal and still be able to lift out the glass. An old credit card with
one end cut off square should allow spreading just enough to provide a
good seal.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

On Nov 8, 11:36*pm, Morris Dovey wrote:
meeotch wrote:
I'm building a coffee table with an inset glass top and various water-
sensitive items under the glass. *Ideally, I'd like to seal the insert
with some sort of gasket material, so that the glass can still be
lifted out, but liquids spilled on the surface won't make it into the
innards of the table.

I've considered sealing it up with silicone - but aside from failing
the removable-glass test, it also fails the easy-to-make-it-look-nice-
even-if-you-have-limited-spreading-sticky-sealants-and-not-making-a-
mess-of-it skills.

Any suggestions?

You might consider spreading a _very_ thin coat of clear silicone caulk
on the surface where the glass will rest and letting it set completely
before dropping in the glass. If done carefully, you should have a good
seal and still be able to lift out the glass. An old credit card with
one end cut off square should allow spreading just enough to provide a
good seal.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USAhttp://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

A trick I have used successfully is to cover the wet silicon with a
taut strip of clear food wrap. Lower in the glass, let the whole thing
set up and trim afterwards.

On Nov 8, 11:20*pm, meeotch wrote:
I'm building a coffee table with an inset glass top and various water-
sensitive items under the glass. *Ideally, I'd like to seal the insert
with some sort of gasket material, so that the glass can still be
lifted out, but liquids spilled on the surface won't make it into the
innards of the table.

I've considered sealing it up with silicone - but aside from failing
the removable-glass test, it also fails the easy-to-make-it-look-nice-
even-if-you-have-limited-spreading-sticky-sealants-and-not-making-a-
mess-of-it skills.

Any suggestions?

Mor-tite might be just the ticket.
http://www.energycircle.com/store/we...aulk-gray.html
Very easy to apply, is already a uniform cross-section so it will
spread out uniformly under load, easy to remove, won't harm most
finishes, etc.

It won't be 100% watertight - for that you'll have to caulk it in
place or provide some drainage holes so the water won't sit.

For bonus points: I'd like to allow the legs to hinge up into the
body for easy transport. I've googled up some solutions like this:
ww.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=5817 But as you can see from the
reviews, it seems like those hinges don't provide for much stability.
Are there better solutions?

Probably, but I don't know what you're storing under the top, whether
the stuff is fragile as well as water sensitive, whether it's mounted
or free to slide around when the top is tilted, etc. You may want to
look at a separate top and base, with the folding legs attached to the
base. That way you won't be manhandling your valuables while you're
setting up the legs.

R

"RicodJour" wrote:

Mor-tite might be just the ticket.

That's a product name I haven't heard since I worked in a hardware
store in the 50's.

Sold a lot of it this time of year getting ready for those northern
Ohio winters.

Lew

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions so far. Some more browsing has
turned up a few other ideas:

Silicone weatherseal: http://www.buy.com/retail/product.as...ingid=45643901
liquid electrical tape: http://www.plastidip.com/industrial_...cal_Insulation
"strip-n-stick" silicon tape: www.cshyde.com/Tapes/Data/stripnstickinfo.htm

The first one probably isn't as squishy as I'd prefer, and the second
one would be harder to build up to a decent thickness. That last one
looks like a good candidate - but finding a source for it in NYC will
be a trick.

mitch

On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:08:59 -0800, meeotch wrote:

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions so far. Some more browsing has
turned up a few other ideas:

Silicone weatherseal:
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.as...ingid=45643901 liquid
electrical tape:
http://www.plastidip.com/industrial_.../Liquid_Tape_-
_Electrical_Insulation
"strip-n-stick" silicon tape:
www.cshyde.com/Tapes/Data/stripnstickinfo.htm

The first one probably isn't as squishy as I'd prefer, and the second
one would be harder to build up to a decent thickness. That last one
looks like a good candidate - but finding a source for it in NYC will be
a trick.

mitch

Give cshyde a call. They could probably give you the name of a local or a
online retailer.

Paul T.



--
The only dumb question, is the one not asked

On Nov 9, 3:08*am, meeotch wrote:
Thanks to everyone for the suggestions so far. *Some more browsing has
turned up a few other ideas:

Silicone weatherseal: *http://www.buy.com/retail/product.as...ingid=45643901
liquid electrical tape: *http://www.plastidip.com/industrial_...ectrical_Insul...
"strip-n-stick" silicon tape: *www.cshyde.com/Tapes/Data/stripnstickinfo.htm

The first one probably isn't as squishy as I'd prefer, and the second
one would be harder to build up to a decent thickness. *That last one
looks like a good candidate - but finding a source for it in NYC will
be a trick.

Must be some nice stuff you're putting in there. A 10 yard roll of
that last tape is $40. Any foam weatherization tape sold at the Borg
would work - doesn't have to be silicone, does it?

R