I use wooden coffee stiring sticks and the small dose cups that hospitals use to dispense pills.. about a half ounce in size and just fine for mixing epoxy. I found the cups at a novelty store that sells party products. That way, you can mix only a small amount, less than a half ounce at a time, and use it right away. If you want to find out how long it takes before it becomes unusable, mix a small batch, put a stiring stick or a toothpick in the batch and wait a few minutes (keep an eye on your watch or clock). When you the batch gets the point where you cannot move the stick to the point where you cannot spread it out, then it's pretty much into the cure and unusable. Then you will know how long it will take for your particular batch of epoxy to cure.

DS.