I got some 5:1 epoxy a while ago (Totalboat to start, maybe will change to West Systems when this runs out) and I got the metered pumps because it sounded like such a great idea to not have to measure.
Unfortunately it turns out that I use so little epoxy so infrequently that the pumps lose their prime. To prime them again is like a few pumps before the pumps are continuous and smooth.
What in the heck are you supposed to do with the resin and hardener that comes out of the incomplete pumps that happen when you prime them? It is more than I use in a batch of actual epoxy and the mix ratio is unknown. It seems like an enormous waste to just mix it and not use it. I contacted the vendor and they said I could refill the bottles with it. I tried refilling and let me tell you that is a godawful mess. Uncured resin and hardener has to be disposed of specially. Plus I worry about cross contamination like accidentally getting minute amounts of hardener into the resin container during this process.
Should I just give up and always mix by volume or weight? Are these metered pumps really for people that are actually using a lot of epoxy almost daily? Any other tips?
Unfortunately it turns out that I use so little epoxy so infrequently that the pumps lose their prime. To prime them again is like a few pumps before the pumps are continuous and smooth.
What in the heck are you supposed to do with the resin and hardener that comes out of the incomplete pumps that happen when you prime them? It is more than I use in a batch of actual epoxy and the mix ratio is unknown. It seems like an enormous waste to just mix it and not use it. I contacted the vendor and they said I could refill the bottles with it. I tried refilling and let me tell you that is a godawful mess. Uncured resin and hardener has to be disposed of specially. Plus I worry about cross contamination like accidentally getting minute amounts of hardener into the resin container during this process.
Should I just give up and always mix by volume or weight? Are these metered pumps really for people that are actually using a lot of epoxy almost daily? Any other tips?