Bought my first poxy mixer.. Ive always used medicine cups with great success. I would measure mix and apply. With the epoxy mixer I have to place the epoxy in medicine cup and the transfer the unmixed epoxy to the epoxy mixer cup.Im concerned that Im not going to get all the unmixed out of the medicine cup which may lead to a bad batch. How do you do it.

Why not just put the epoxy directly into the epoxy mixer cup?

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Super Tight Lines......Don

Move to measuring with syringes. Draw epoxy from bottle to syringe, through hole in cap, squirt into mixing cup and mix. No transfer, nothing to clean.

The idea is to set your mixing cup into the mixing cup on the mixer. You want to use the same size and style cup that is on the mixer.

..............

Syringes are the way to go, With holes in the caps there is no waste. I store my syringes right in the bottle

Lol....I just figure that everyone has gone to using syringes, it is the best way to get your mix perfect every time.

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Super Tight Lines......Don

Maryann,

If you don't want to change cups, you can shim the cup on your mixer to fit your medicine cup. You could use a piece of styrofoam or closed cell foam that you find in packaging, anything lightweight to take up some space. Cut out a hole for your medicine cup and use it in your mixer.

The cup on my mixer is, I think, a 1 1/4" pvc end cap that is a tight fit on my mixing motor with a rubber O ring to provide a little friction. It works well with the medicine cups I use for mixing. You could swap out the cup for one that fits better as well.

I wouldn't be too keen on transferring unmixed epoxy from one container to another either.

Joe

Maryann,
If you don't want to shim as Joe V. suggested....

If you have a large supply of medicine cups like most of us do... and...

if your medicine cup is smaller than the epoxy mixing cup, just glue/epoxy one of your medicine cups into the epoxy mixing cup or directly to the epoxy mixer (Pac bay) and use that as the holder for your mixing cups.

It's easily removable if your cup sizes change.

Just place your mix in your normal medicine cup and place that mix into your glued medicine cup attached to the mixer.

Works for me.

larry

G'Day Maryann my system is very similar to Larry's except that I made a silicon mold of the outside of the mixing cup .This was because i was using a plumbing fitting with straight sides on my home made mixer & the mold stays in the mixer along with a mixing cup. I then use a new cup every time for each mix

Regards Baz

Bundeena
NSW Australia

thanks for all the info.G ives me lots to think abt

Maryann,
At the end of the day - do you think it is worth while using an epoxy mixer - rather than mixing by hand?

Roger

I like mixing by hand. I understand people use the mixers for convenience and for less bubbles, and that's their peraggotive. By mixing with my own two hands I know I get the sides/bottom/corners. I don't worry about bubbles as my technique after mixing usually deals with that.

I have repurposed a cheap rod dryer I bought off of an @#$%& site. The PVC cup attached to the motor was too big for my stack of mixing cups. I cut a length of cork tape and ran it on the inside edge of the PVC cup. Now, just a slight push and the cup is held tightly as it rotates.

For those folks who use mixers for finish - what do you do with the mixing rod, after mixing. Do you use up much finish that get wiped off the mixing rod after mixing?

Roger

Here's my complete system ...

Wipe disposable plastic mixing cup (one that fits mixer fully) with DNA, allow to dry at least a few minutes, wipe mini-tart pan as well.
Squirt 3cc of each part of epoxy into cup.
Drop mixing rod into cup.
Put cup into mixer, turn on and time for 5 minutes.
Remove cup and use spatula to get mixing rod out of cup, drop onto papertowel folded twice into 1/4 size.
Pour epoxy into disposable aluminum mini-tart pan, use spatula to encourage majority to leave mixing cup.
Set epoxy aside for 30 secs while cleaning mixing rod with DNA in papertowel it was dropped onto.
Clean spatula with DNA and papertowel if a brush is to be used instead of spatula.

I draw my epoxy with syringes placed into epoxy caps. Caps are drilled with 5/32" bit. I never have to clean anything since syringes aren't stuck down into epoxy (that's a huge unnecessary mess).

I can't remember the last time that I had an issue with finish. I use Flexcoat Lite UV. The real trick is to maintain a consistent process and keep things free of contamination.

The reason for wiping the cup and pan ... silicone releasing agents are used in many fabrication processes, plus other substances might have been introduced. Using a clean papertowel and DNA has never resulted in an issue for me.

Roger,

I use a small permanent magnet to pull the steel ball (~1cm give or take in diameter) from my mixer, and wipe it down with a paper towel soaked in 91% IPA. The ball is not as ideal as a rod, but has given reliable results. As far as wasted finish, it's pretty minimal, maybe about the equivalent of a 3/8" flat brush full. I usually mix 3cc-4cc total mixes, and always have ample epoxy left for types of rods I build.

Joe



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/29/2012 08:43PM by Joe Vanfossen.

Roger I'm much the same as Joe .I use 2 stainless ball bearings 12 mm & the other 8 & run the mixer for 5 mins & then pour the mix (with the bearings) into a small foil tart dish & remove the bearings with a pair of tweezers & drop them into a small capped jar containing acetone & as Joe said the waste is next to nothing.

Regards Baz

Bundeena
NSW Australia

Roger,
I leave it in the cup.
I use a 230gr 45 cal pistol bullet as my 'mixing-rod'. It's flat on the base so it gets into the bottom of the cup.
Once it is thorughly mixed (3-5min) I just place the medicine cup with epoxy and mixer in a cold tin pan about the size of a small peanut butter jar top.

I found this pan in an antique store...don't know what it is made of, or what it was for, but for what ever reason it stays cool/cold to the touch regardless of what the air temperature is in the house. Not really sure if it does any good...but it makes me 'feel' like it does!

I just dump the bullet in with the other stuff that needs cleaning and reuse.

Larry

I took a PVC end cap Made it fit a cup So it does not tip over
Split a Popsicle stick in half Long wise Clean it Mix never had any problems with the finish not drying

No need for any fancy stuff

Bill - willierods.com

For those of you that drill the hole in the top of the epoxy containers, how do you get air into the bottle when you withdraw the liquid into the syringes? When I tried this I could only get about 2cc's into the syringe before vacuum in the bottle got too strong to let anymore out.

Steve Hartzell
Lake Conroe - Willis, Texas