Mixing 2 part epoxy the right way
I use epoxy for all kinds of stuff and i have 2 kinds: 5 minute for quick gluing and 30 minute for more precise stuff and also for finishing.
The 5 minute stuff just gets a couple of squirts that look about the same volume. It’s sets so fast that there are always bubbles and it’s yellow. Looks horrible but does a great job for quick and dirty gluing.
The 30 minute one allows for a better mix and the bubbles can float out before it gets hard. Plus, i use envirotex, which is very clear. But mixing needs to be precise 50-50, especially for the small batches i make for finishing fishing lures. I just opened a new envirotex kit, which is why this topic came up.
I came up with the idea of using plastic syringes like the ones for baby medicine. I found some on amazon. Then i drilled holes in the bottle caps and used 5 minute epoxy to glue the syringes into the caps. I built up a good slump on each cap as quickly as i could then spun them in my fingers to keep the slump centered and to prevent it from dripping off. It’s a sloppy mess but they’re in there good. Once i had one leak all over my bench. That sure isn’t going to happen here.
I store the bottles upside down on a little holder i made. Easy access and ready to use. Just fill the syringes to the same level, then unscrew the caps and squirt into a mixing cup. Easy peasy epoxy squeezy. Perfect 50-50 mix every time.
Losing fingers since 1969
5 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.
