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Recently I have been switching to a waterborne topcoats and learning the ropes using this stuff. I am using an epoxy sealer, and had read the instructions about proper ratios being difficult to guage when mixing small amounts. I found a way that has been working well for me and avoids the complications an mess associated with weighing the material. I am using disposable syrenges found at a local farm store used for vaccinating livestock. They come in small to large sizes(up to 150mL) and measure very accurately small amounts. They are cheap (I am getting 4 20mL sizes for $2.50) and mesure very cleanly and accurately. I've gotten perfect results with my epoxy curing every time. Just though I'd pass this along.

Josh

I do the same except I get mine from my uncles feed store 50 for $20 I cut off the needle near flush so that I don't have a chance of a stick

I do the same thing -- it works very well.... I get mine from the kitchen supply area of walmart. They are graduated and have really big "needles" on them. I usually use them without the needles though.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

The ones I get don't even come with the needles, and I'm glad for it. The last thing anyone needs is an ER trip because they injected themselves with epoxy.
I've been using smaller ones for years to mix catalyst into lacquers. They are definately useful. I dig how neat and clean they are. Definately beats spillin stuff everywhere.

Hey I tried the ones from walmart - but the things would crack if you sucked DA through them. Thats one of the reasons I went to the cheap-o disposable ones, the plastic barrel isn't as brittle.

I sometimes use West Systems epoxy, and you can get a set of pumps that measure precisely the amount of resin & hardener. That's the best way, except that you end up mixing more than you need.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

I'm wary of using disposable syringes for this use. Having been in the medical device field for more years that I care to admit, I know for a fact that the rubber tips and barrels are lubricated with silicone...so are the hollow needles. While I can't confirm that it will cause a problem, I just avoid them.

Can the silicone be cleaned off...yes, but you need to flush them with a suitable solvent. I used to use liquid Freon back in the old days to cut silicone fluid but that is no longer available. Acetone might work but it will probably temporarily swell the rubber tip. How can you determine whether all the silicone has been removed? I don't know...possibly by seeing a high resistance to the piston moving. The old glass syringes would be better if you can find them.

Here's what I use for measuring out small amounts of Z-Poxy...2 identical plastic spoons...one for each part. How much more simple could it be!

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Along the same subject... a Part "A" bottle of my SIG Kwik Set epoxy (used for pearl inlays) became very thick. It was congealed and cloudy and wouldn't flow. I heated up a pan of hot (but not to the point of boiling) water on the stove and put the plastic bottle of epoxy in it, and in about 15 minutes it was good as new. I've heard this works with most epoxy products.

I can't imagine that the ones that are sold in the cooking supply section have silicone on them.... could they?

They are super cheap. I have never had one fail on me, but if they do, it is only a couple of bucks to replace them.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

jj

how could silicone be permitted to used where it would contaminate injections and end up in our personal inhabited bag of chemical slurry? i would have thought that to be a no no.

Brock...I'm unaware of the cooking syringes, but if they have a rubber plunger tip, chances they are it is silicone-lubricated. It wouldn't surprise me if the cooking syringes are manufactured at the same plants that produce the medical devices.

Silicone fluid is FDA approved for all kinds of food, device and drug products. In spite of what the press and ambulance chasers would have us believe, it's quite benign when ingested. Di-Gel and other gas reducing medications have lots of silicone in them...there's no better anti-foaming agent.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Michael...When a new drug is tested as an injectable, the syringes that are used during multi-billion dollar studies that sometimes take decades to complete are coated with silicone. The safety and effectiveness of that drug includes that miniscule amount of silicone. It should neither impede the drug's effectiveness nor compromise the patient's safety. Silicone has been approved for this use for 50 years or more.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

yuk!!!!!

Interesting. I knew the breast implant thing was a bunch of hooey cooked up by the lawyers... but I didn't know it was save to ingest it.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

http://www.golfsmith.com/products/955

Cheap, efficient and accurate.

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tim...
http://www.mcknightguitars.com

Getpinz.com... Like $20 for a hundred for 3ml syringes and they'll ship to states where it's illegal to buy them. Like Kalifornia. Cheap use em once and toss em. buy em with or without needles.

I've done system 3 epoxy with them and with out. Didn't notice any real difference either way with it or the Target waterbourne laquer.

My .02