Custom Silicone Hinged Glass Top

Here is a simple and cheap custom glass top that I made this week. I am not a fan of the “sliding” tops that I purchased because:

- I will easily forget to close them fully
-The cut-able plastic piece will become dislodged from its normal position
-Feeders can easily get out through the cracks.

...So I came up with a silicone hinged glass top. All-in, cost me about 13$, and some time.

I used 2, 1/8” thick pieces cut from a glass shop, with one of the corners cut at a 45 degree angle to accommodate my pump cord. A good tip would be to take the maximum overall dimension of the tank top where the glass will sit, then to subtract ¾” off the front-back depth, and ¼” off the overall width. These measurement reductions accounts for the ½” silicone hinge, and a 1/8” bead to contour the outside edges. This bead will make a tight seal with the plastic frame attached to the tank. If you do not have the tank currently occupied, I would suggest putting a bead of silicone on the plastic top instead of on the edge of the glass, and ignore the 1/8” perimeter dimension. Also, if you plan on using thicker glass, use a larger gap distance for the hinge.

Setup is important. Ensure that both pieces are separated by ½”, and in-line with each other. I realize this is self explanatory, however, precision is KEY. I used electrical tape to hold the pieces together. If you are planning the 1/8” perimeter bead, then I suggest adding the tape around all the edges at this time also.

Next step is to apply a fine mist of water over the tape to help ease removing it later. Next comes the silicone. Try and apply it sparingly, but still make sure that the inner corners will be covered. Once the silicone is added, take a plastic card, a small piece of glass, or anything straight and stiff to spread out the silicone. In my experience, you will get a much smoother finish if you only make 1 good pass. So make it count! As you can see, I left small blobs near the edges of the glass to be removed later.





Once fully cured, flip the glass over, and slowly peel away the tape from the hinge and edges. Be patient, or the silicone will stick to the tape and take chunks with it. As far as I can tell, using the misted water didn’t make a huge difference, but it may have helped slightly. I received the mist tip from a glass worker, so I figured it would be worth a shot.



Next step is to cut the edges to the correct thickness using a razor blade, followed by a good cleaning and scrapping off the excess silicone ....



Then add some sort of sticky glass opener knob, and voila, your new 13$ top is finished!





Like a glove!!!