Hot Box
My first thought was to weigh each batch like some other builders have done with great success, so I built this beautiful little hot box pictured below. It used pumps in three metal cans and I had a postal scale on which to weigh everything. Well after my first attempt, the seat back, "which got ruined in the process see chapter 4". I decided I did not have either the patience or skills necessary to weigh the hundreds of batches of epoxy that were to follow. I immediately sent away to Wicks for an epoxy pump and built a new and improved hot box to put it in.
Unfortunately in my rush to get the new hot box going I did not take any pictures. Basically it is just a square box made from 1/4 inch plywood and lined with 1 inch foil faced Styrofoam insulation. I placed a small window in the front so I could see the contents levels and cut a small hole in the window that the pouring spouts come out of. A chain is attached inside the box to the pump handle and comes out a hole in the bottom. When I stop building long enough I am going to make a foot pedal on the floor to run the pump. The box is heated by a light bulb in a plastic surface mount type of light fixture and I have mounted a small circulating fan to help maintain an even temperature in the box. Both of these are controlled by an old water bed controller mounted on the outside of the box with the temperature probe passing through to the inside. I also use a small digital thermometer that keeps track of the high and low temperatures. The whole thing is fastened to the wall with another one of my beveled board hangers. They are extremely solid and easy to make and I can very easily remove the box from the wall if I need to.
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Please email me with comments to dennymortensen@cableone.net