Tny amounts of epoxy

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Avocet

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Does anyone know of a source of epoxy in tiny packs? I'm talking almost "Superglue-sized" doses of it here. I might have the odd "big" job that justifies a kilo of it every year or two, but mostly i mix up a teaspoonful here and there and the hardener always goes off before I've used the pack. I see West do fibreglass repair packs with individual sachets. That's maybe the sort of thing I'm after, but more for wood than fibreglass usually.
 
Loctite do something called "double bubble", which is a few grams of epoxy in a 2-part sachet with some shiny card to squeeze it out onto and a stick to mix it with. I bought one to try and it seemed ok for the job I used it for, but I don't really know how it compares with West etc.

Pete
 
I like the double syringes which squirt out matched amounts. Lidl do them regularly for a quid or two, and there are more expensive versions from Araldite. If you want something more filler-y, epoxy putty is great and you can make it up in tiny amounts.
 
Let me Google that for you......

http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/epoxy-resins-adhesives/0850940/ £5.31 + vat / 32g (2x16g tubes) => £19.9125 /100g
http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/epoxy-resins-adhesives/0514701/ £56.45 + vat / 150g (50x3g sachets) => £45.16 /100g
http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/epoxy-resins-adhesives/0553614/ £31.13 + vat / 150g (50x3g sachets) => £24.9 /100g
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p29905 £1.88 + vat / 24ml (g) (twin syringe) => £9.40 / 100g
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p72560 £3.32 + vat / 30ml (g) (2x15ml tubes) => £13.28 / 100g

Many more options available vis Google
 
Araldite is fine for wood and most other epoxy jobs.
If you need it runnier, warm it with a hot air gun.
I sometimes use it for little jobs like chipped centreboards.
Add filler to taste!

I used some cheap epoxy the other day, it set far more brittle than araldite.
It's OK for filling with chopped glass in though.
 
Avocet said:
..and the hardener always goes off before I've used the pack.
Click to expand...

Interesting that you find that the hardener goes off. I'm still using a 4kg/1kg pack of West 105/205 with an expiry date of Aug 2007 and it looks like it'll be good for a few years yet.
 
JumbleDuck said:
I like the double syringes which squirt out matched amounts. Lidl do them regularly for a quid or two, and there are more expensive versions from Araldite. If you want something more filler-y, epoxy putty is great and you can make it up in tiny amounts.
Click to expand...

Agreed.
For bigger jobs I use West System with colloidal/microbaloon filler, but the Lidl syringes are ideal for small repairs.
I collect lids from aerosol tins which are just the right size to mix milled fibre into the Lidl goop.
 
Steve_N said:
Interesting that you find that the hardener goes off. I'm still using a 4kg/1kg pack of West 105/205 with an expiry date of Aug 2007 and it looks like it'll be good for a few years yet.
Click to expand...

My current stuff is some SP106, which expired in August last year. The resin is fine, but the hardener is in a plastic bottle that has "imploded" somewhat as the volume inside it has shrunk, presumably due to some reaction taking place. It goes dark red and stinks of ammonia when it becomes exhausted. I'm not quite there yet, but it is certainly brown-ish and there is some smell of ammonia to it. I probably wouldn't risk using it on something structurally critical, but would be happy to use it on an item of trim or suchlike.
 
Thanks all. I might have a look at that "Double Bubble" stuff. Does anyone know if it is thickened? I'm actually after the runniest possible. Most (if not all) the links are to "Araldite-like" epoxies which have already been thickened somewhat. I like to mix up a batch, paint a bit, unthickened on to each surface to let it penetrate to the greatest extent possible, and then thicken the rest of the batch myself and dob that between the two "painted" surfaces while they're still tacky.
 
Avocet said:
Thanks all. I might have a look at that "Double Bubble" stuff. Does anyone know if it is thickened? I'm actually after the runniest possible. Most (if not all) the links are to "Araldite-like" epoxies which have already been thickened somewhat. I like to mix up a batch, paint a bit, unthickened on to each surface to let it penetrate to the greatest extent possible, and then thicken the rest of the batch myself and dob that between the two "painted" surfaces while they're still tacky.
Click to expand...
I remember the 'double bubble' packs from a place where I worked in the 80s.
It was fairly thick, I was using it to fix holes in a motorbike fuel tank at lunchtime, with the tech director helping me.

I would think it will go runny as araldite rapid does if you wave the hot air gun at it, or warm the job first.
Some people say warming the wood then applying the epoxy draws the glue in as the air in the pores of the wood cools.
Not sure the heat really penetrates that much myself.
 
If you are going to use more later, then consider: A friend built a dinghy years ago, and was offered a tub of Araldite. He mixed the lot and kept it in the freezer, defrosting and using as and when he needed. It worked well over his building time of 9 months.

His wife was still willing to put up with that then...
 
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