How to store/dispense epoxy

[hd002e]

I keep all my tools on the boat and do repairs as I go along on trips, without a separate workshop or garage to work out of. I keep the tools under the settees and organize them so most used ones are easily accessible.

My over preparedness with supplies has paid off when I got stranded after a bent shaft and broken p-strut and I was able to do all the work myself. I enjoy fixing things with epoxy and like to have better access to it for small repairs I can bang out on a regular basis.

How do you guys store epoxy on your boat? Here are some of the pros and cons of some of the methods I have tried:

Canisters with squirt pumps: Epoxy manufacturers sell calibrated pumps. They are very easy to dispense but after only a few weeks I ended up with a messy drip at the bottom of the storage area. They are not leak proof and there is no way to lock them so it wont accidentally squirt out. I paid a pretty penny for a pump but after less than a year it stopped working and I didn’t get a new one. Pumps are probably ideal if you have a workshop and you can leave the canisters upright with a drip tray under them.

Small packages: they are great for small repairs but it gets expensive real quick, not suitable for large repairs as squeezing couple of packages out is time consuming and in the heat of the summer you easily run out of time. Creates too much waste.

Canisters and a scale: for small jobs I use pipettes to draw out the resin/hardner and measure by weight on a sensitive scale. For larger jobs, pour it out and hope that you won’t overshoot the hardner amount. The downside is that you cannot do this while at anchor due to the boat rolling and the process of measuring is too slow, sometimes resulting in running out of time.

Canisters and big syringes: I bought big feeding syringes that are used to handfeed newborn animals. Suck out resin/hardner in their separate syringes and use the volume mixing ratio. This is a fairly fast method and can be scaled up or down for small or large jobs. Whatever unmixed epoxy you dont use can be squirted back in it’s canister, give the outside of the syringe a wipe with paper towel and you can use it again the next time. This has been my favorite method lately.

How do you guys do it?

[a64pilot]

I don’t do big jobs, or hope not to, so I was using a good kitchen scale and weighing it.
Now however I have been liking the caulking gun size tube that has twin halves, just pump it out thru the straw that mixes it as it’s dispensed, or into a cup and stir.

[HankOnthewater]

HD002e, I think you already have much more expereince than most, if you can repair broken struts etc. .

Storing? Out of light, cool place if possible.

Like you, I found pumps very messy even at home in the shed.
I keep for the resin a syringe (60 ml) like you do, and for the hardener a 20 ml syringe. The epoxy I use is mixed in a 1:5 ratio. After use, wipe the outside and store in a separate zip-lock bags, being different sizes not much chance using the resin syringe for the hardener and visa versa.
For larger quantities I don't use syringes but use a kitchen scale, with a sheet of gladwrap over the scale to try to protect it. For really small jobs I have 2 small tubes of epoxy.

BTW, particular the 60 ml syringes (as in photo borrowed from the net), have a nice wide bore tip, fairly easy to draw up thick fluids. I also use this type of syringe to mix 2 stroke oil into the fuel (not the same syringe!).
BTW #2, for some type of syringes one can get extensions 100-150 mm long (4-6 inches), to enable to draw fluids from the bottom of jars/bottles, very handy!

[hd002e]

Originally Posted by HankOnthewater

HD002e, I think you already have much more expereince than most, if you can repair broken struts etc. .



Storing? Out of light, cool place if possible.



Like you, I found pumps very messy even at home in the shed.

I keep for the resin a syringe (60 ml) like you do, and for the hardener a 20 ml syringe. The epoxy I use is mixed in a 1:5 ratio. After use, wipe the outside and store in a separate zip-lock bags, being different sizes not much chance using the resin syringe for the hardener and visa versa.

For larger quantities I don't use syringes but use a kitchen scale, with a sheet of gladwrap over the scale to try to protect it. For really small jobs I have 2 small tubes of epoxy.



BTW, particular the 60 ml syringes (as in photo borrowed from the net), have a nice wide bore tip, fairly easy to draw up thick fluids. I also use this type of syringe to mix 2 stroke oil into the fuel (not the same syringe!).

BTW #2, for some type of syringes one can get extensions 100-150 mm long (4-6 inches), to enable to draw fluids from the bottom of jars/bottles, very handy!

I like that syringe and the extension you are mentioning. In which country can you get those?

BTW, that broken strut was a fun project. Read all about it here.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ns-192590.html

[HankOnthewater]

HD002e, that replacement of your strut... well done. I would say that not many of us (I do not) dive on the boat regularly to check our folding or feathering props, most of us (I do) check on haulout.

I am attaching a photo of some equipment. These syringes have NOT a tip but a twist-locking mechanism called a 'luer lock'. There are 2 extensions in the photo on the left hand side. I used them for paints, reducers and thinners, but for these fluids it is single-use only and then chuck. Have not tried them with resins.

[toddster8]

For the time being, I have a dedicated fiberglass locker in the shop, with the pumps left on the cans. For small jobs, I carry batches to the boat in luer-loc syringes, as above, and a baggy of silica for thickening. (I happen to have an extensive store of luer-loc fittings on hand, including valves and locking caps.)

I have used the pre-thickened products that come in fancy tubes that mix as you squeeze (West Six 10, Weldmount) and they are nice but really expensive. The west system mixer is single-use, but I suppose you can mix it with a stick just as well. A single tube of Weldmount did last a surprisingly long time, last summer. These are really probably the best way to keep resin on board, for minor jobs. But sometimes you just gotta wet out some cloth...

When I bought the boat, there was a spilled can of resin in a settee locker. It took years to get that sticky mess dried up. Avoid!

Just brainstorming: If drips from the pump-dispensers become a problem, I'm thinking of some kind of plastic tube that you could push onto them to close them. Or possibly make a secure pump-storage tube using the neck from an empty can? Dunno... I think I'd want all that locked down very securely if it's on board while pounding into 30 knots.

[RaymondR]

I use the pumps and put them in a plastic bag for storage in a locker but before I started using the pumps I had a DIY balance with which I used disposable cups, poured the amount of resin into a cup and placed it on the short end then balanced it out with hardener poured into the one on the long end. Worked well.

[hd002e]

Originally Posted by RaymondR

I use the pumps and put them in a plastic bag for storage in a locker but before I started using the pumps I had a DIY balance with which I used disposable cups, poured the amount of resin into a cup and placed it on the short end then balanced it out with hardener poured into the one on the long end. Worked well.

That’s brilliant!

[Three Sisters]

...

Originally Posted by toddster8

Just brainstorming: If drips from the pump-dispensers become a problem, I'm thinking of some kind of plastic tube that you could push onto them to close them. Or possibly make a secure pump-storage tube using the neck from an empty can? Dunno... I think I'd want all that locked down very securely if it's on board while pounding into 30 knots.

...

A grey wire nut should fit over the end of the spout.


But as for pumps. No way. Our only batch of uncured product was the result of the pumps and the accumulation inside the resin pump. Upon closer inspection the accumulation was similar to the resin container left chilled for months.

Our storage is similar to what others have posted. Brushes, tools, stir sticks all in sealed bags. Cloth also protected from dust and contaminants.

[44'cruisingcat]

I keep a 4 litre pack of West system in the plastic containers it comes in. Mix it by weight.

[Paul L]

The pumps just yield a sticky mess when stored on-board. I use small, disposable plastic cups that are graduated and about the size of a shot glass.

[foufou]

I do like others, store epoxy and hardener with pumps in plastic bags then in plastic bucket. When pumps get funky they can be flushed with acetone or replaced

[smj]

I use West System pumps stored in a plastic tub. I use disposable gloves to pull over the end of the pumps to catch any drips.

[The Way]

Gee, you guys are doing it the hard way. I just pour resin and hardener into a graduated disposable cup (8-ounces or 16-ounces depending on the job). No mess, no drips.

Of course I use Raka epoxy, which you mix in a 2:1 ratio, not the peculiar ratios that West System uses. (I can recommend Raka epoxy without reservation -- Google to find comparative tests.)

Fair winds,
Jack

[sailing_gal]

Originally Posted by HankOnthewater

HD002e, I think you already have much more expereince than most, if you can repair broken struts etc. .

Storing? Out of light, cool place if possible.

Like you, I found pumps very messy even at home in the shed.
I keep for the resin a syringe (60 ml) like you do, and for the hardener a 20 ml syringe. The epoxy I use is mixed in a 1:5 ratio. After use, wipe the outside and store in a separate zip-lock bags, being different sizes not much chance using the resin syringe for the hardener and visa versa.
For larger quantities I don't use syringes but use a kitchen scale, with a sheet of gladwrap over the scale to try to protect it. For really small jobs I have 2 small tubes of epoxy.

BTW, particular the 60 ml syringes (as in photo borrowed from the net), have a nice wide bore tip, fairly easy to draw up thick fluids. I also use this type of syringe to mix 2 stroke oil into the fuel (not the same syringe!).
BTW #2, for some type of syringes one can get extensions 100-150 mm long (4-6 inches), to enable to draw fluids from the bottom of jars/bottles, very handy!

Store in the fridge in a zip lock, will last longer.