Epoxy Mixing Cups

I get these at Dollar General for a Dollar:




I see Cups for sale at other places online where I order Epoxies from sometimes, and they want like $4 for small Cups to mix Epoxy in. These work just fine for me, and since they are clear, and not opaque like the other ones, they make measuring equal parts easy.

I use pink plastic solo-type cups left over from my daughter's 4 year old birthday. I cut down the top so it's a shallower cup and is easier to mix and see how much I'm putting into it. Then I take the part I cut off and cut into a small curved tray for mixing small amounts of jb weld or whatever. I also use the plastic spoons left over from the birthday party as my scooping/mixing utensils. I guess it's easier that the epoxies I use (jb weld and rocketpoxy) mix in equal amounts, so you can eyeball how much is used.

Diamond Portion Cups are what I'm using these days.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/17056809...43327072&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=78303403232&veh=sem

I prefer my keurig vue cups. They have a spout for pouring.

For small batches of bonding epoxy, I like disposable plastic condiment cups because they are short and wide. These are most familiar from salsa bars and jello shots.

I buy them at Smart & Final, and they're also available on Amazon.com.

If you are a member of a church which uses the cute little plastic cups at communion, they are great for all manner of uses in the shop. I help collect the used cups after services and save some from the trash. I use them for mixing the small batches of epoxy that I typically use. They do have some drawbacks but it is hard to beat free.

We use the small portion cups from Costco. I don't remember how many were in a box but it was maybe 1000 for like something around 10.00. Kids use them in lunches for peanut butter on veggies or apples. Still have a ton of them. Mix, use, let it harden and toss them (sometimes reuse by mixing on top of hardened last batch).

My daughter often takes microwave macaroni for school lunch; the epoxy will usually pop out of the used (and washed) container after curing and the bottom doesn't have any sharp corners to prevent mixing. Yogurt containers behave much the same way. I did have some orphaned plastic storage containers from the kitchen, but they finally succumbed to cracking from cleanup sessions.

Doug

TopRamen said:

I get these at Dollar General for a Dollar:

View attachment 256215


I see Cups for sale at other places online where I order Epoxies from sometimes, and they want like $4 for small Cups to mix Epoxy in. These work just fine for me, and since they are clear, and not opaque like the other ones, they make measuring equal parts easy.

Click to expand...

I usually use the little mixing cups from my local hobby shop. If it's just straight epoxy without me adding anything to it, the unused epoxy pops right out of the cup and I can use it over again.

Jerome

TopRamen said:

I get these at Dollar General for a Dollar:

View attachment 256215


I see Cups for sale at other places online where I order Epoxies from sometimes, and they want like $4 for small Cups to mix Epoxy in. These work just fine for me, and since they are clear, and not opaque like the other ones, they make measuring equal parts easy.

Click to expand...

For small batch epoxy applications I've found the condiment cups for Roy Rogers, McDonalds and such make Perfect mixing cups for about to about an ounce. Can't beat Free

I liked using Dixie paper cups, ran out and all my supermarket had were the thin plastic bathroom cups (translucent, maybe LDPE?). These didn't dissolve, but the heat of the remaining epoxy curing melts them badly. Will be going back to the waxy paper cups ASAP.

soopirV said:

I liked using Dixie paper cups, ran out and all my supermarket had were the thin plastic bathroom cups (translucent, maybe LDPE?). These didn't dissolve, but the heat of the remaining epoxy curing melts them badly. Will be going back to the waxy paper cups ASAP.

Click to expand...

Won't the wax compromise the formulation of the Epoxy? Especially if it starts to get hot while you are still working with it.

Micromeister said:

For small batch epoxy applications I've found the condiment cups for Roy Rogers, McDonalds and such make Perfect mixing cups for about to about an ounce. Can't beat Free

Click to expand...

+1

I also tend to use whatever container happens to be in the recycling bin at the moment - yogurt containers, jar lids, etc.

My old mixing cups were the bottom of Yoplait yogurt containers... Wash them out (prevents ants), dry them, store them until needed. Really easy to pop the cured epoxy (if it was left "thick"), and able to be reused. Toss them in the recycling bin when done.

Empty and cleaned (obviously) pudding cups work well.

I too purchased a case of condiment cups from Sam's Club. I believe they are two ounce portion cups. I also purchased a case of wooden popsicle sticks. Together they form a quick epoxy mixing solution. Resin and hardener, mix, apply and throw away. If you need to pour the epoxy, you mix, pick up the cup, squeeze to kink the edge of the cup and pour. And all this time the cup manufacturers thought they were supplying the restaurant markets.

I use any plastic container. Cottage cheese, sour cream, and yogurt containers are always used. I also got a bunch of plastic reagent cups with lids from a chem class I was in. Graduated on the sides, and the cured epoxy pops out of the container.

I use the small Dixie paper cups, its like 3 bucks for 100 of them at Walmart.


TA

TopRamen said:

Won't the wax compromise the formulation of the Epoxy? Especially if it starts to get hot while you are still working with it.

Click to expand...

The wax can contaminate the epoxy but it shouldn't be a big deal at the loads that most hobby rockets experience. It could be an issue with larger vehicles if you are trying to seriously shave weight with a minimalist building approach.

For mixing sticks, I collect the wooden coffee stir sticks that I find left over at school functions. After a couple of functions, and I've got 50-60 sticks. I'll use them for glue, or epoxy, then I'll cut the ends off when they're cured and reuse them if I can. They also make great LL standoffs for my BT-60 based payload rockets that are using the Lithonia fluorescent tube protector for the clear payload section.