Here’s a tip for formulating small volumes of epoxy that I wish I’d thought of when I was building my Millstream Tandem!
If you’ve got a fairly precise digital scale in the kitchen (increments of 0.1 of a gram) do it by weight. It’s NOT 2:1 for the CLC standard MAS resin kit but, based on densities listed in material data sheets by MAS, it works out to 2.2 to 1.0.
Measure out some resin (be sure to tare your tiny little disposable cup), divide by 2.2, top up with that much hardener, and mix!
I’ve found many uses around the house for the remnants of epoxy left from my boat project. This sure simplifies the process vs. syringes, dispo. pipettes, etc.
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Weighing is useful for all volumes of epoxy!! Much, much more accurate than counting pump strokes.
Thanks, I’m so glad I saw this! The scales are fairly inexpensive. We’ll be doing a repair on our Passagemaker Dinghy next spring, and I think we’ll invest in a scale instead of relying on the pumps. I remember that, somewhere in the middle of the build, we started measuring the epoxy and hardener volumes with pre-marked containers, but weighing seems like it might be a better way.
@David_Dewitt1 Yes! Weighing makes sense for any amount.
Counting pump strokes left me with left over hardener, when I’d bought a 2:1 kit. Clearly not very accurate, though apparently accurate enough! The boat, she beautiful!
I made up a graph so I can quickly figure how much ‘B’ I need for a quantity of ‘A’ (or vice-versa). I tare the cup and then re-tare after adding the first part. I always seem to be doing epoxy in colder temperatures and the pumps are really slow to rebound and I’m a bit impatient. I find weighing so much easier and faster than pumps or using a mixing cup (bought or homemade).
I cover the scale platform with a layer of packing tape in case I get an occasional drip.
Each time I pour I also always re-read the label on each part and reassure myself that I’m doing the ‘2’ part or the ‘1’ part.
My position on weighing vs. pumping is to use whichever method is appropriate for the current situation. Both work well if correctly done. That out of the way, keep in mind that slow pump rebound is a warning that your epoxy/hardener containers need warming. Switching to weighing does not address that. While weighing will eliminate the wait for the pumps, cold epoxy can be too viscous to properly mix with the hardener, to properly saturate the glass and to be sucked in by exposed end grain.
Use any measuring solution that works for you, but keep that epoxy (and hardener) runny.
Laszlo