What is a Uniseal and.....

[Daisy]

Where can I find them?  Carlos has mentioned a uniseal several times in his tutorials and I'm wondering what they look like. Hubby is working on a barrel similar to what Carlos built and needs to know what they are.   

[Joyce]

I have no idea what they are. 

First thing that comes to mind is a one legged (flippered) seal. 

[Esther]

http://www.uniseal.co.nz/

It is made to work on a curved surface.

[finnpond]

 
Hi Daisy...  Here's a link to Aquatic Eco-Systems site and they sell Uni-Seals...  They're not necessarily for curved surfaces...  They are used in place of regular bulk-head fittings and don't require gaskets, screws, caulking, etc., etc....  Just cut a hole and friction fit the Uni-seal into your container then lubricate the pipe and slide (actually this takes a little effort) it into the uni-seal....

I have about 10 of them in my system and they work great...

www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/8600

Take Care...   Dave

[happyoutsidegirl]

Thanks Dave, Great site. I even found JB Weld to repair an old leaky stock tank I'm going to set up on my deck for Lillies. Hopefully Tropicals?

[GAJen]

Esther I knew you'd know....!

[Johns]

Here's my blog on uniseals:

Uniseals are available at reasonable cost (Way cheaper than bulkhead
fittings) from Aquatic-Eco-Systems.  If you are going to be a pond hobbyist
you really need one of their catalogs.  All their stuff can be ordered
online, but having one of their  catalogs to look at is in itself
entertaining and educational. See their uniseals at
http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/8600/cid/2009 .

Incidentally, uniseals seal because of the interference fit.  For example,
to connect a 4 inch PVC to a 55 gallon drum, (you WILL need a hole saw kit,
see Harbor Freight at
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=36222  for
the best deal on those) you obtain a U400 uniseal and cut a 5" hole in the
drum.  Insert the uniseal (it will fit sloppy, but don't worry, that will
soon change).  AES (AquaticEcoSystems) recommends using Windex as a
lubricant, but my experience is to get some SILICONE GREASE.  Before
attempting to insert the pvc, you will need to chamfer the edge of the pipe.
You can do this with a rasp or file.  Lubricate the pipe with the grease and
push into the uniseal (This WILL take some effort, but perservere and you
WILL be successful).  Try not to push the pipe further in than you want,
beause pulling it out to where you want it can be problematic.

[Esther]

JB Weld, I love the stuff. I have fixed refrigerator shelves in our duplexes where I was too cheap to buy a new refrigerator and they were so old that I couldn't get replacements with JB.

I have glued handles back on a silver sugar and creamer with it.

I have a cheap awl that the handle was a plastic ball. Well eventually the top started cracking away. So I put a piece of dowel inside the ball, filled the rest of the ball with JB and screwed a round head screw into the dowel. That thing will never crack apart again.

I had ordered 2 sets of crystal goblets from QVC. When they arrived, two of the stems had broken away from the underside of the top part but not smoothly. I ground off the rough edges of both with the bench grinder and put JB inbetween the two parts and carefully propped them in place. I use them as candle holders now when I set a pretty table, using the crystal goblets.

I used JB to hold the hoola hoop piece together that I use for a feeding circle for the fish.

I have an old sprinkling can that was leaking in the seam. JB Weld fixed it.

That is just a start to the stuff I've fixed with JB Weld. By the way, it can be runny the first few minutes so keep an eye on it. I use my heat gun that I use for embossing cards when I rubber stamp to help it heat up and do it's chemical thing. I mix it with toothpicks on a piece of cardboard and use the toothpicks to apply the glue and also push the glue back where it should be if it runs. Once it hardens, it is HARD and holds up under most any circumstance. If you have applied too large of a blob, and before it gets real hard, just cut away what shouldn't be there. And if it gets too hard, sand it down. Paint it to match what it's fixing.

Love that stuff.

[Daisy]

Wow THANKS!!!!    I knew I could count on you guys! Your the best. 
Isn't that why I come here?   

[karen J]

Esther, I love JB Weld too. 

Daisy, If you're interested, I have one or two extra Uniseals. I was not pleased by their performance on curved surfaces, but was moderately pleased by their performance on straight surfaces. If you are interested, postage only required.
Gosh, I can't even remember what size I have... either 3" or 4"...!

[Daisy]

Hi Karen...thanks so much for the offer but he's looking more along the lines of 2" I believe. If its any different I'll let you know tho. 

[Shawn]

Just got in my Uniseals today (redoing everything the right way this time) for my barrels and went to harbor freight... The hole saws were on sales for $4.99 and picked up a couple of underwater lights while I was there!!  So glad it is getting to be the time of year to play again!!

[Bonnie]

We used the Uniseals on my stocktanks...

They make life much easier!