7 Replies

Very cool. A hair drier works wonders for getting the bubbles out

—Madts.

Tor and Odin are the greatest of gods.

I’ve heard that. A torch works well too. I rarely have to do it with the envirotex. Its soupy enough that the bubble float out.

Losing fingers since 1969

good idea. I’ve always just eyeballed small batches and measured the larger ones. This looks nice and accurate. Last few years I’ve just been using West System which comes with pumps but a small batch is quite large compared to what you are doing (and it is 24 hr so slow)

Angellos

>>(and it is 24 hr so slow)<<

Even the 30 minute one is too slow to handle. I make a spinner using a little motor I found. It rotates at 1 RPM and its just enough to keep the epoxy from forming drips. It helps keep an even coat as well. Obviously, that’s only good for small items.

Losing fingers since 1969

On that spinner, I took a lesson from the fishing pole builders and built myself a slow turning lathe. It uses a BBQ motor, which turns from 1 RPM to 15 RPM.

I use all sorts of home made chucks (quick builds on a wood lathe) and supports (e.g., those bed leg casters with two wheels side by side to support long sticks).

The slow speed keeps the epoxy from sluffing off before it hardens.

Back when I was in electronics, we used a slow setting epoxy and put our comb filters in a vacuum chamber to pull the air from things.

I ALWAYS seal wood, so it won’t blead air into the part of the epoxy making contact with it, which becomes trapped, as the epoxy hardens..

Now, we use pressure pots to squish the bubbles so the eye doesn’t note them. However, we still use vacuum chambers for resin work when we’re impregnating wood with the resin.

I tried the hair dryer and even my commercial version. Now I just stay with my propane torch.

PROJECT NUMBER 8,276.3:

1) Make a box, big enough to hold the gallon and 3/4 gallon jugs of 2:1 epoxy, the two half gallon 50-50  epoxy, maybe room for a future Alumalite purchase, one gallon of Titebond, and room for dispensers, like this.

2) Leave enough room to  line it with insulation, over which I would add sides, top and bottom.

3) Add one twenty watt bulb

4) Install a door 

5) Make use of that old analog thermometer to monitor temp.
I mix in small pill cups and use a small digital scale.  However, some epoxy is one to one by volume but not by weight.