Underwater Video Camera / Camcorder Housing for less than $50

Step 8 Sealant time

Before starting this step, a few words of caution about the sealant. First, the marine sealant is VERY sticky and VERY hard to clean up. Make sure you follow the instructions on the tube carefully. Second, you will have vastly more sealant than you need for this project, so if you have other projects in mind where you could use a waterproof sealant/caulk, you might want to line them up and do them all at the same time. I speak from experience: I wasted 90% of the sealant by not using it immediately, as it sets up within 48 hours, even with the cap on the tube.

First, I put a bead of sealant around the inner edge of the PVC fitting. I carefully placed the lens into the opening, and then put a second bead of sealant around the outer edge of the Lexan. This process is the part I would do before putting the PVC fitting into the jug, as it would be easier to seal and place the lens. I'm not the best at caulking, and I made a bit of a mess.

I then sealed around the edge where the PVC met the outer shell of the jug. This didn't have to be cosmetically perfect - just sealed. I did a fair job on both counts.

Lastly, I sealed the spigot in the lid by filling the spigot with sealant. While this didnt leak when I tested it the first time, I figured it was safer to fill this in, and besides, I had more than enough sealant to work with.

In order to ensure that the lens seal was tight, I put weight on it and let it set overnight. This required more improvising, and I ended up putting an old prescription bottle on the lens, and balancing a light sledgehammer on top. I was careful not to put anything on the lens that would touch the sealant, as this stuff is sticky and hardens to the point that it's impossible to get off.