Thumpity Thump Thump

[Bugpac]

Bugpac.....I wouldn't treat a gallon of plastic with stabilizer. Mostly using stabilizer is trial and error and ends up a balancing act between cooking time, volume of plastic, heat range of the cooking unit. I'd guess that most hobby guys aren't adding stabilizer to more than a cup of plastic at a time. Long-term heating or re-heat/re-melt offers some challenges too. Stabilizer is in all plastic out of the jug or box but the initial cooking cooks it out. Stabilizer is a constantly needed addition, not a one time thing. Clear or transparent colors call for more stabilizer use than solids or opaque colors.

Hobby injectors use it more often than commercial or production injectors.

I was curious more on how much stabilizer you were using total per gallon overall. Do you restock stabil every order of fresh plastic.

[Botanophilia]

I'm mostly through a gallon of plastic, barely used any stabilizer at all.  It last awhile since you don't add a lot at a time.  If I counted drops it would probably be 1-3 drops per oz on light colored fresh and almost all reheats.  1 bottle should get me through several gallons of plastic I would expect.

[BareKnuckleJigs]

For a 12 oz. mix, I'll fill a 1/4 TSP spoon full, add about 1/3-1/2 of that spoon to the virgin liquid (un-necessary), I'll cook the batch and after I make the 2nd shot, I'm looking for the level of "smoke" because the smoke is the stabilizer "evaporating" off.  After about the 2nd shot, I need to add a little heat anyway, so I'll add a few drops off of the spoon that's holding the stabilizer, mix it in as the heat comes back up.  This is actually more stabilizer than is needed, but it's just what I do...and it leaves a bit of stabilizer in the scraps for remelting.

The Softer my plastic is (Soft), the less heat is needed to keep the mix at Working Viscosity, so I can tend to use a little less stabilizer using Soft...using Hard/Saltwater, I'll use a little more stabilizer (as in, a few more drops) because it takes a little more heat to keep it the same Viscosity as Regular and Soft...and yes it's linear, Regular/Medium is between Soft and Hard in the amount of heat that's needed to maintain the same Working Viscosity.

[ctom]

I get stabilizer by the pint and will add a bunch to light colors before cooking, after the initial the initial cooking is done and before the cup sets up, and every time the plastic gets zapped to re-heat.

Jerry and the crew saw how much I use in a small cup of color during the get-together. Generally I figure about a 5 ounce bottle for a 2.5 gallon box of plastic, but probably more than 5 ounces.

[BareKnuckleJigs]

Roger on'nat, Mr. Tom.  I recently ordered 2 Pints of Stabilizer, 1 for me and 1 for my wife.  It is an utterly essential component to the Remelter.

[BareKnuckleJigs]

MAN, is there a Thread Killer of the Month Award?!  'Cuz I KNOW I'd win that one!  What would the prize be?  $50 added to Your next order?

[ctom]

I was just about to ask if your wife was unstable Gary. But I won't.

[BareKnuckleJigs]

Ya know, Mr. Tom, You may be onto something...

[BareKnuckleJigs]

Crank it up, Mr. Gray!  We're ridin' to the lake!!!