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Has anyone tried silicone mixing cups?
I'm trying very hard to produce as little waste as possible while making kayaks and such. Obviously, protecting against epoxy has to be done but produces a lot of plastic waste. I've used a lot of "single-use" plastic containers for mixing epoxy but I'd like to try silicone mixing cups--they are flexible so once the epoxy hardens in the cup, you just flex the cups a bit and out it comes. I wonder how they hold up and if there are any problems with them; I haven't seen them sold at businesses that sell boating/marine stuff and there might be a reason.
-d
4 replies:
RE: Has anyone tried silicone mixing cups?
You get, cheese, cottage cheese cups, and single use cups.......except I used them over and over till the plastic breaks. Empty large amounts out of cup. Let set and bend sides. Peel off epoxy. Use again.
RE: Has anyone tried silicone mixing cups?
My undergrad is in Chemistry and I would strongly advise against using silicone cups. It is likely that there is free silicone on the surface of the cups as a result of the manufacturing process. It is also possible that over time silicone leaches from the cup material itself. Silicone in the epoxy can interfere with curing and adhesion.
My technique is to use the heavy duty mixing cups sold at the box stores. I allow any extra epoxy to cure in the cup then mix my next batch on top of that. Once the "puck" in the bottom gets to be an inch or two thick, you can remove it by turning the cup upside down and tapping the bottom.
Of course, the biggest tip is to not mix too much epoxy to start with.
RE: Has anyone tried silicone mixing cups?
You know you are a boat builder when in a grocery store you choose the products based on those that have the best containers (flattest bottoms) for mixing
RE: Has anyone tried silicone mixing cups?
» Submitted by upspirate - Mon, 8/9/21 » 4:05 PM
I use yogurt containers