I solely use RR for my lams and hot coats. I do the mix and pours in the plastic transparent measuring buckets you see at ACE hardware and Home Depot. Typically to clean them I’ll wait a couple days and crack the edges along the sides to get the resin out. Very time consuming though. Is there any better ways to get the resin all out of there via chemicals or just plain tricks?
Mind that Im also using RR epoxy so obviously asetone is a nono
Drain them so there is only a thin coat left on the inside walls. The thin coat is easier to crack out.
Like McDing said, drain 'em. I put mine upside down when done. You can reuse them over and over until they crack.
Barry Snyder
Yeah I do that now. I installed some pressure hooks on either side of my buckets and let them sit on hooks so all the stuff comes out. Guess Im just being lazy and trying to find a better solution.
Tripping over dollars to pick up dimes?
You buy buckets from Home Depot or Ace....That's ok.....what about buying a case of buckets? you know 100 at a time?
I know, Low Volume....no location....you don't have any friends...ect.......
Have you tried networking with other builders in your area?
If I buy a case of 32 oz PPG mixing cups from the local autobody repair supply store the cups cost about $0.50 each. If I show up at a party with some cups we can make Rum and Cokes all night long......with perfect 2:1 volume....
I can buy a yard of 4 ounce cloth from a local supplier for $6.00 a yard. If I buy a roll of cloth from somewhere else it's less than $3.00 a yard.....Stop wasting your time cleaning 50 cent buckets. Start networking and finding real deals.....
Ray
I leave a brush in the resin residue
pull on the brush just righ
and the whole piece of remaining resin
comes out in one piece .
if it doesn’t
it’s a good start to clean.
…ambrose…
sittin’ around cleanin measurin’ cups
is zen meditation,and dues to the
cheapa
sole club,-charter members
get ten or twelve trips to the $
Ah… the finer points of bucket cleaning. Well… I guess there’s a best way to do everything…
I roll the remaining resin around the inside of the bucket to evenly coat the entire inside, then set them upside down in the garbage to drain. It leaves a thin veneer of resin all around, which is easily removed by flexing the bottom and sides of the bucket, then sliding it out with your hand.
The key to getting the whole thing to pop out in one piece, though, is even, thorough mixing. Any unmixed material on the sides or corners of the bucket will leave a sticky spot that holds on to the cured stuff sheeting the inside of the bucket. Scrape the sides of the bucket all the way around several times while mixing, and put the hardener in first!
I use Ambroses method. They usually last until the Fall Swaylocks camp out and then I grab a bunch more from Stingray who must buy, sell, or trade for them in bulk… Mike
Epoxy takes longer to cure. Give it an extra day or two.
Ray--------- The cheap deal on Gradiated buckets is in your backyard’ But not at the local body shop, If you’re interested, I’ll PM you later tonite. Lowel
one word…“VINEGAR”
it works every time!
There’s more than one solution to this question. Large volume production glassers are in it for the money and time is money. Backyard guys can take a different approach.
I skip measuring buckets altogether by using a digital scale and measuring by weight. Digital kitchen scales are cheap.
Then it doesn’t matter what you use for mixing resin. I buy cheap plastic cups by the sleeve from Smart-n-Final or the dollar store for something like $.05 each. If I let the excess resin settle at the bottom of the cup then I can resuse the cup without a problem. I’ve used paper cups in the past too, except you gotta be careful about not using anything with a wax finish.
IMO measuring by weight to the gram mo’ bettah for small batches anyway. You almost can’t mix a 15-gram batch of epoxy for a ding repair or a leash plug with a measuring cup. Less waste. That kitchen scale / cheap cup combo will pay for itself on your first board if you cut your resin waste down to practically nothing. That’s assuming you don’t already have one of those scales laying around somewhere.
Good advice. What’s the point of re-using mixing buckets/cups to save money, when the amount of resin left in the container is also costing you money?
There are also those bucket liners used by house painters which cost less than the plastic gradiated buckets.
gdaddy thats a great idea. I think im on that
The trick with small batches of epoxy is to pour the Part B hardener from a cheap squeeze bottle, not the big bottle it comes in. That allows you to add to the gram when you get close. Idiotproof, hence it’s appeal to me.
[quote="$1"]
Ray--------- The cheap deal on Gradiated buckets is in your backyard' But not at the local body shop, If you're interested, I'll PM you later tonite. Lowel
[/quote]
Send me the pm!!!!! Happy New Year Lowel!
It's my background and my training...not surfboard related...When chemicals are mixed in order to get a reaction, the mixing containers are never re-used. I build surfboards to get away from my real life...I will never re-use a mixing container......never........
oh wait...I made Rice a Roni with chicken for dinner...2 1/2 cups of water for the rice....heck...I've been using that measuring cup for years.....water, not exotherming chemicals.....
Do what's right for you....Ray.
Eye opening thread. I had no idea so many people weren’t mixing by weight. I can understand newbies mixing using granduations on a bucket, but not anyone who’s been exposed to the ways of mixing by weight. Then again, I assume everyone uses epoxy. My bad 