Shaking up paint bottles

Another, similar way to do this is to rubber band the paint jar to the bottom of an orbital sander.

Jay Beckman Chandler, AZ

I just put some fishing weights in all my bottles. super cheap and works fine.

Craig

I've used BBs and they work well but the jigsaw thing was pretty ingenius I thought.

Ever have any problem with BB's rusting?

Jay

If you use stainless steel, no. It is a problem with cheaper nickel-plated ones though.

As for fishing weights, I'd be very careful to make sure they weren't leetching lead into the paint.

Matt

I always use a paperclip bent into an L-shape and clipped to length with pliers. The long part of the L is about 6cm long (roughly 2 1/2"), the short end about 8 mm (1/3")

The long end goes into the chuck of my Dremel. With the Dremel at the lowest speed (my estimate - approx. 200-300 rpm) the paint is thoroughly stirred in less then a minute.

Before you ask: no, there is no spillage. Don't turn up the revs however...

Just my 2 eurocents.

Cave putorem. Steven

Heh heh - anyone remeber the Simpsons episode where Bart April Fools Homer, by putting a can of Duff in one of those paint shakers they have at paint stores, and then placing it in the fridge? A classic TV moment, when Homer says "Mmmmm - b...."

"Hmm - free beer", says Chief Wiggum from his patrol car, 1/2 mile away, watching the explosion rip through the neighbourhood.

sorry - an irreverent irrelevancy, of course!

john

An ingenious idea- but is it a good one?

I remember reading (here, perhaps?) an opinion/recommendation that it is a bad idea to shake paint-that stirring is better. The reasoning, IIRC, is that you want ot keep paint off the lid and sides of bottle as much as possible-- the paint up there will dry,and little chunks of dried paint then fall off and end up mixed up in the paint, waiting to spoil your next paint job or clog your airbrush.

Now, having said that, I'm still a repeat offender when it comes to shaking. (Though I don't do it as much as I used to.) This is in spite of the fact that I have noticed an improvement in the condition of my bottles-- the lids of unshaken paint are less crusty, and less likely to stick. Still, I'm a slow learner, adn just can't seem to completely shake (sorry!) the habit......

The same article (or whatever it was) also said that when brush painting, painting directly fomr the bottle was bad, too-- that the best way to do it is to transfer the paint to a cup or pallette, and re-seal the bottle immdeiately. This is another of those little rules that is easy to break, when you get a little lazy. I have noticed that it does seem to be good advice though-- a couple of colors that I find I apply primarily by brush tend to be thicker than the paint in other bottles. I'm sure the accumulated time of sitting there open has added up, and some of the solvent has evporated over time....

Nearly all of my experiences related above are with acrylic paints, so YMMV.

-Bill

P.S.: Now, after posting all of the above, I am still really tempted to bring the old jigsaw downstairs to the modelling workshop..........

I use BBs too. I put two into each bottle or tinlet of paint the first time I use it. I've also found (the hard way) that it's a good idea to stir the paint pigment with a toothpick before shaking. This seems to be particularly true of Humbrol enamels. When you first open a tinlet of Humbrol that's been sitting for a long time, there is usually a lumpy, clay-like glob of pigment stuck to the bottom that can be dissolved fairly fast by stirring with a toothpick. Once this blob is softened and broken up by stirring, you can shake the tinlet and the BBs will do the rest. The result is a MUCH richer paint color. If you've been having trouble with Humbrol paint that seems too thin, then you need to stir it up before shaking.

Martin

Hey, does anyone of you ever think about shaking the paint with the hand ???? It works :-)))))) I usually use my cat for this - after few minutes of her playing on the room floor and several wall-to-wall journeys, the paint is shaken well. And cat is satisfied :-)))) Just check that bottle is gooood closed. Slider

i've revived a few dried out ones that way. letting then sit with fresh thinner overnight then mix and shake can do it.

ah, i found a box of fine brass screens one of my hippy friends must have left in my old stuff stash. you know, those round ones you could buy at the head shop? you would put one in the bottom of a pipe or bong to filter out the ashes. i, of course never did any of that, but i remember my friend using one. they are really good paint filters for older paint. and they are still around.

Oh, shut up. Doing the simplest things in the most complicated way is an art that we do not expect you to understand. :p

Steven,

I do about the same thing: I have a length of straight sprue that I chuck into the Dremel. Rev it up, watch to see that it spins just slightly off-center (too off-center makes for a magnificent mess!) and insert it into the bottle for about 15 seconds. Mixes great!

Sean

I just use the back end of a paint brush to stir the paint first - if you use a good artist's brush with a finished handle you can clean it up just by wiping it off with a paper towel. Then I recap the jar and shake the bejeezuz out of it.

That's about as simple and cheap as it gets...and it works.

I'm wondering if stirring with a specialised DIY drill attachment might be the way to go....

Nick

Nope, not yet anyway. I've done the lead weight thing too but did it so I could raise the paint level in the bottle.