Technical Tips
Mixing Small Quantities of Resin & Curing Agent
Mixing small quantities of materials may be difficult in ensuring proper dispersion of the components. There are certain things to consider when mixing small quantities.
- Mixing container. Using an appropriate sized container makes mixing small quantities more efficient. The ideal container is one that is about 1/3 to 2/3 full when the components are added. If a container is too large, there is not enough depth to get good mixing. If the container is too small, it is difficult to mix without getting material to spill over the top of the container.
- Adding components to the container. A scale with appropriate sensitivity should be used to weigh each component into the mix container. This is especially critical if one component is present in much smaller quantities than the other component.
- Mixing technique. Simply mixing the material is not adequate to get good mixing of the components. This is especially true if the components have significant differences in viscosity. One should mix the material until it appears relatively uniform. The mixing motion should also include a vertical component by raising the mixing blade up to get some vertical mixing. The next step is to carefully scrape the sides and bottom of the container to loosen material sticking to the walls of the container. The mixing tool should also be scraped a couple of times to loosen material stuck to the tool. Continue mixing until the material looks uniform.
- If air entrapped by the mixing is to be removed by vacuum the mix should be transferred to a larger container to allow for the normal 4-5 times volume increase expected during the vacuum process.
Following these steps should result in a good mix every time.