Boat Builder Central - Builder Forums

Mixing tubs have gotten a bit high up here.. here is another suggestion. Popcorn tubs are about .65 cents on webstaurant.com

Stock Your Home 64 Oz Kraft Popcorn Buckets (25 Pack) - Grease Resistant Retro Style Popcorn Container- Vintage Kraft & Red Popcorn Buckets for Take Out, Movie Night, Theaters, Fair, Concessions https://a.co/d/fVD2hQb

I wouldn't try them they are kraft paper and would not last once the epoxy hit them and started to heat up and might even catch fire. How about the red and blue 18oz. Solo party cups they come in large packs and work well. They are in every market cheaper at Walmart. 3-4 bucks a pack for 50 Walmart brand red cups 11 bucks for Hefty brand for 120 cups.

Tom

It looks like they are a coated paper, but I don't see in the description what they are coated with. Wax was commonly used in the old days, it's probably plastic now . . but then again, they say it's completely recyclable, and plastic coated paper like used in coffee cups (I've heard) isn't recyclable, so maybe it is wax. Definitely taking a gamble to use these for mixing epoxy, especially for a boat build.

I like using clear cheap plastic cups. Fill one with water to a level I want for hardener, mark the waterline with a marker, then pour that and another level into a second cup. Fill the first cup again to the mark and then pour the second cup back into the first cup and mark it. Perfect 2:1 . Dry it with a paper towel before mixing the epoxy.

I use scale and solo cups. Pour in resin, zero out scale, pour in hardener in the same cup, mix. Toss cup when done.

They work very well. I mix up much more than 18oz at a time. Usually 32oz minimum unless it's something small. Laying up I will mix 64oz at a time and gel coat is 32oz at a time.

I'm also using poly not epoxy.. my epoxy days are over.

Cape I think you're over towards that storm, I hope it misses y'all.

I’m starting to play with vinyl/poly. The reactions are way different. My normal epoxy mixing bowls dissolve in vinyl/poly and things that didn’t work with epoxy do work with vinyl/poly.

Oddly, solo cups work for both, but are a PITA for esters. Too small. Too hard to get complete mix. Don’t get me started on gel coat issues with them.

Thanks for the pointer. I’ll have to check them out.

Jayden what are you building? What issues are you having with gelcoat?

Have you used duratec?

Was working on a core repair and a significant gel damage to a larger power cat. A few folks noticed and it looks like a line is forming out front to get some other boats repaired. I’d like to learn how to mold replacement parts for hatches and such. I’m sure there are other things but for now that’s the limit of my ambition.

My gel issues are all skill and tool related. I had been using the “paste” that goes in like bondo. For this cat, the manufacturer sent me a quart of sprayable gel. Damn near impossible to brush/roll on and build thickness. I managed but it looks like crap. If I actually get a second job I’ll learn to spray it on a couple of practice parts for my helms.

Give me a call anytime, I'll be glad to walk you through whatever you need.