New (revised) Epoxy Caddy

[egnald]

Hi all,

I was just fidgeting around in the shop this afternoon (avoiding a pen repair that I need to do) and decided to put together a new, revised, epoxy caddy. The revision was essentially to shorten the container for stir-sticks. I have had a dickens of a time finding them, and of course like all other things, inflation has hit the price. They are normally 6-inches long, so I figured that certainly a 3-inch long stick would suffice for mixing little bits of epoxy, so I cut the bundle in half.

I use lids from small condiment cups to mix it on/in. I also turned a couple of HDPE buttons to rest the cap/tip in. I figured that leaks or drips would be less likely to glue themselves firmly to the HDPE than on wood. That way I can also pry them back out and clean them up with solvent if needed.

Dave

PS I find it kind of ironic that an epoxy glue caddy is held together using hot melt glue and not epoxy.

 

[KenB259]

I like and I'm going to tell right now, I am going to be making one.

 

[wolf creek knives]

Nice Dave. I use Popsicle sticks that I get from out local dollar store. I use a half side and when it gets really grungy I cut it off and use the other side. For a buck 25 for 100 you can't go wrong. I use a stick it note for my mixing and can usually get around 6 complete pens or around 4 knife scales. I just run an even line of Part A and Part B, use my Popsicle stick to mix and apply and I'm good to go. Love the stand though.

 

[egnald]

Nice Dave. I use Popsicle sticks that I get from out local dollar store. I use a half side and when it gets really grungy I cut it off and use the other side. For a buck 25 for 100 you can't go wrong. I use a stick it note for my mixing and can usually get around 6 complete pens or around 4 knife scales. I just run an even line of Part A and Part B, use my Popsicle stick to mix and apply and I'm good to go. Love the stand though.

I've used blue painters tape and squares cut from a sheet of silicone to mix on, but the little plastic lids were surplus and in abundant supply. I like them better because they confine the epoxy better than a flat surface and I find that it mixes more thoroughly because of the shallow dish shape it has.

Dave

 

[Darios]

I also turned a couple of HDPE buttons to rest the cap/tip in. I figured that leaks or drips would be less likely to glue themselves firmly to the HDPE than on wood.

And the hits keep on coming. I like.

 

[KMCloonan]

My Epoxy station is a little more.... rustic.

Your Epoxy Caddy is well thought out. I may have to give it a shot.

 

[egnald]

My Epoxy station is a little more.... rustic.

View attachment 356498
View attachment 356497


Your Epoxy Caddy is well thought out. I may have to give it a shot.

Your solution is pretty much what I was going for. I was always struggling with getting the epoxy to the tip of the bottle. The caddy just started out a stand so I could keep the bottles inverted. The storage for my mixing lids and sticks was just some gravy I added on. - Dave

 

[Hartwell85]

Great idea, Dave. I'm going to make one.

 

[donstephan]

Hi all,

I was just fidgeting around in the shop this afternoon (avoiding a pen repair that I need to do) and decided to put together a new, revised, epoxy caddy. The revision was essentially to shorten the container for stir-sticks. I have had a dickens of a time finding them, and of course like all other things, inflation has hit the price. They are normally 6-inches long, so I figured that certainly a 3-inch long stick would suffice for mixing little bits of epoxy, so I cut the bundle in half.

I use lids from small condiment cups to mix it on/in. I also turned a couple of HDPE buttons to rest the cap/tip in. I figured that leaks or drips would be less likely to glue themselves firmly to the HDPE than on wood. That way I can also pry them back out and clean them up with solvent if needed.

Dave

View attachment 356496

PS I find it kind of ironic that an epoxy glue caddy is held together using hot melt glue and not epoxy.

Hi all,

I was just fidgeting around in the shop this afternoon (avoiding a pen repair that I need to do) and decided to put together a new, revised, epoxy caddy. The revision was essentially to shorten the container for stir-sticks. I have had a dickens of a time finding them, and of course like all other things, inflation has hit the price. They are normally 6-inches long, so I figured that certainly a 3-inch long stick would suffice for mixing little bits of epoxy, so I cut the bundle in half.

I use lids from small condiment cups to mix it on/in. I also turned a couple of HDPE buttons to rest the cap/tip in. I figured that leaks or drips would be less likely to glue themselves firmly to the HDPE than on wood. That way I can also pry them back out and clean them up with solvent if needed.

Dave

View attachment 356496

PS I find it kind of ironic that an epoxy glue caddy is held together using hot melt glue and not epoxy.

Will epoxy stick to HDPE? Could make a small depression in a 3" x 3" x 1" piece of HDPE with a large forstner bit, or secure the rectangle of HDPE in a 4 jaw chuck and turn a depression with sloped sides.

 

[Mike]

I am going to make one of these caddys. I have a belt sander stand I have been using for my sandpaper, CA, BLO, epoxy and associated stuff. I was just talking to my son this afternoon about making a plywood top with 1" to 1-1/2" sides on it to keep everything corralled. He is always thinking of a better mouse trap, and he said why not use a HDPE cutting board? Most stuff does not stick to it. He pulled up Sam's Club on his phone and they have a 15"x20" cutting board for $9. I will just pick up 2 of them and cut the sides from one and screw them on. Will probably have to trim the base one to square the edges.I am also going to put casters on it.
It will certainly have a version of your caddy, Dave. Thanks for the pics.
You might be able to cut circles with a hole in the center for the rest on the bottom using a hole saw? Have not machined much HDPE, but it think that might work? Just a thought.

Mike

 

[egnald]

Will epoxy stick to HDPE? Could make a small depression in a 3" x 3" x 1" piece of HDPE with a large forstner bit, or secure the rectangle of HDPE in a 4 jaw chuck and turn a depression with sloped sides.

I don't know how well it would stick to HDPE after it was mixed. I was thinking silicone simply because it is flexible which should make it easy to peel off of the cured blob. For the lid buttons I used HDPE because I can toss it into a jar of acetone to clean it off if I need to without any negative impact on the HDPE. I also use HDPE finishing "cone" bushings when I apply CA for the same reason - acetone cleans off the dried on CA without degrading the bushing. - Dave

 

[Hartwell85]

I made an epoxy caddy this morning inspired by Dave's design. Now the epoxy is ready to dispense whether the bottle is full or 1/4 full. As a side note, I mix epoxy on 3x3 Post-It notes. Tear off the note and you have a fresh surface for mixing.