How to mix very small amounts of paint?

J

jtfx6552

Member
For example for a spray out card, or to do some touch up work?

All my mixing cups are too large.

I thought about using those little plastic cups that come with medicine, but looks tough to pour into those from a can, and I don't have that many extra of those lying around.
 
I use plastic syringes that you can get from pharmacy (like a CVS). At my CVS they’re free for the asking. Obviously no needle needed but since they’re marked it’s easy to do 1:1, 4:1 etc. I extract the epoxy with one syringe and activator with another. I toss the syringes unless you want to flush it with reducer.
As crash mentioned you then squirt the liquids into a small mixing cup to blend them together
 
Last edited:
I use the 1oz disposable medicine cups. If pouring from the can is a problem just use another one of the cups to dip some out of the can and pour into a second cup on the bench. At about $0.04 each, it's not too expensive to do this.


The syringe idea seems good too, I may have to try that. But it seems to me you have to have something to squirt the syringe into, the medicine cups are cheap little mixing vessels that can be tossed once used.

I use craft sticks as stir sticks, they're basically popsicle sticks.
 
Those are cute! I was using beakers at one point many years ago but I am clumsy when wearing solvent-wet gloves and broke too many of them for my liking.
But I am a klutz, so most other people will do okay, I'm sure.
 
I too use syringes for small amounts of paint. I bought mine at Hobby Lobby. They have graduation marks on them so it makes it easy.

I actually used the syringes to fill my airbrush cup up a few days ago so I could spray the tight triangles in my English Wheel so I did'nt have to worry about running paint or sages trying to use my spray gun. I even have glass eye droppers to add a couple of drops of activator into the air brush cups.

20230510_132134.jpg


20230510_131820.jpg
 
Last edited:
The smaller the amount the more accurate you need to be. So keeping control of the products will be beneficial.
 
jtfx6552 said:
For example for a spray out card, or to do some touch up work?

All my mixing cups are too large.

I thought about using those little plastic cups that come with medicine, but looks tough to pour into those from a can, and I don't have that many extra of those lying around.
Click to expand...
I mix everything on my scale. You just need to get the ratios for each product sorted out before doing it as the same volume of different products weigh different amounts.
 
RenewAP said:
I mix everything on my scale. You just need to get the ratios for each product sorted out before doing it as the same volume of different products weigh different amounts.
Click to expand...
New guy here,learning a lot around here.
Scale 100%, some small glass cups with etching rings is what Im using.Dollar store.
 
1oz medicine cups. a sleeve of 100 is only a few bucks. next bigger i get the 8oz ez mix cups.
 
Kawickrice said:
I'm confused on the scale comment.
So you do it by the weight of the liquid rather than volume of said liquid?
Click to expand...
Yes, but I have to determine the volume first. The first time, just do it by volume with a mixing cup, but do that on a scale. Write down the weight of the components. Then when you mix that SAME product again, just use the scale. You can accurately go as small as you want using that same weight ratio (and calculator) Different colors of the same product will also be slightly different in weight. My thinking is that even if I'm off slightly, if I do it the same every time, It will always be the same. So I never have to worry about whether I poured to the bottom of the line on one component and the top of the line on the next. I'm mixing the same each time, to the drop.
 
RenewAP said:
Yes, but I have to determine the volume first. The first time, just do it by volume with a mixing cup, but do that on a scale. Write down the weight of the components. Then when you mix that SAME product again, just use the scale. You can accurately go as small as you want using that same weight ratio (and calculator) Different colors of the same product will also be slightly different in weight. My thinking is that even if I'm off slightly, if I do it the same every time, It will always be the same. So I never have to worry about whether I poured to the bottom of the line on one component and the top of the line on the next. I'm mixing the same each time, to the drop.
Click to expand...
That makes more sense. Thanks for clarifying.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top