"another agitator question" Topic

Hi all!

odd question for the group brain;

I've had several pots of metallic paints gum up / dry out
quicker with agitators than the ones without…

I use zinc fishing weights, trying to get that lovely but heavy metallic pigment mixed thoroughly

has anyone else noticed metallic paints doing this?
(Might just be my bad luck and non-causative correlation)

Thanks!

Chris the Tall

I have found that metallic colors have a tendency to just go-off.

Adding another metal to a paint with metal in it is just asking for problems.

I suggest you use a ceramic of glass bead.

Or if you want to go high-class, a plastic coated magnetic stir bar:
They come in tons of sized and shapes:
stirbars.com

And can be had from Amazon for convenience:
link

They even have a reasonably priced stir plate if you want to go all the way:
link

DyeHard, thank you for the stir plate link! Been looking for an affordable unit…

Now I need to decide between that, and a shaker which runs on a camshaft (no ceramic mixer to add to each bottle…). Cheers!

DyeHard, thank you!

good info!

Might try a BB and a drop or two of thinner + shake the container like crazy.

I have never used agitators. Don't see the need. A good shake or stir does the job.

NOLA Chris, when the virus allows us to socialize more give me a ring. I live in Mandeville. I don't know if we have ever gamed together previously but .

I have a saws-all. Best agitator I ever owned!

There are vortex mixers, which literally shake the test tube/bottle, with exceptional speed, and force. These are the best: they have a flat, rubber/foam disc top; you press the end of the paint bottle onto the disc, and it rotates around a small arc, very fast. They are used in laboratories to mix samples in test tubes, in a matter of five seconds! Here is a video of the $50 USD model I am looking at: YouTube link (Jump to 4:52 for the really interesting demonstration of just how effectively this machine can mix separated paints!)

Only issue is their price: typically $120 USD+! Found some for $50 USD + shipping, which is very tempting… The unit featured in the video is nearly identical to the $50 USD model I found. These can also be used with aerosol spray cans: hold it at an angle, and press the bottom onto the disc, to spin it up. Need to save up my allowance money -- $50 USD + shipping is not too bad for what they can do. Cheers!

UPDATE: Found this unit, for $38.99 USD + $4.99 USD S/H, so $43.98 USD, delivered! Will post here, after I receive it, and after I give it a try. Double-Cheers!

Sgt Slag please let us know how it went. This could be an engineering preventative for Vallejo elbow.

Will do! Looking forward to using it on spray cans! I soak them in warm water, but I HATE shaking them! These vortex mixers are amazing… Spendy, but I hate shaking bottles, and cans.

I have an expensive jar of Gold paint, which this will be perfect for. The gold pigment is heavy, and it settles quickly. Cheers!

Zinc is acting as a sacrificial anode. link It is reacting with the other metal in a liquid.
DyeHard is correct. No metal with other metal. Use a non-metalic, i.e. the ceramic or glass bead, or a non-metal stirrer e.g. a cocktail stirrer.

Sgt Slag; I have a vortex mixer, but the metallics are so thick that they still need an extra "oomph"

I shake the bottle until I hear the agitator start moving, then use the vortex mixer
(I have vallejo elbow already, trying to keep it calm!)

Walking Sailor; thank you! I need to find some heavy glass or ceramic beads then!

WARNING: Discovered that the web site was a rip-off. Do not attempt to order from the link I provided. They no longer have the product in their web catalog, and they never sent me an order confirmation. The e-mail address which my money was sent to, is invalid. I've filed a complaint with PayPal, now beginning the process of trying to recover my funds. Cheers!

Thanks Sgt Slag. I was just about to order one and I thought I would give this thread one last check before diving off the cliff.

I guess the $100 USD ones are the real ones after all.

I may yet pull the trigger, and order a $100 USD unit… I am a dyed-in-the-wool Dip'er: that stuff settles to a very thick layer of pigment, in the bottom, and my hope is that a vortex mixer would really stir the can up, quickly. I have a paint mixer, for small, hobby paint bottles. It is affordable, but I have to open the bottle/can, and stick the stir-stick end into the mix, then run it for a while… With the vortex mixer, I can do it with a closed can/bottle. Convenience has its price, it seems, and discounts are challenging to find.

Big Red, I am relieved you checked back here, before you pulled the trigger. You likely would not have found it, had you visited the link (it seems to have disappeared completely), but this likely saved you some hassles, and time. Cheers!

Found this one (link) for roughly $80 USD + S/H, which is less than Amazon's price.

Searched for reviews on this company, and it appears to be legitimate. Waiting to recover my money from the first one, before I pull the trigger on this one.

This unit is twice the price, but it appears to be legitimate. Love the idea of using a vortex mixer… Hope it turns out as a good investment. Read some reviews on Amazon, for some vortex mixers, purchased by hobbyists, such as myself. They love their mixer. Time will tell. Cheers!

Gave up on the vortex mixer… Saw some videos on using a handheld Jig Saw, with the blade being replaced by a $5 USD clamp, from Harbor Freight (Jig Saws can usually be had, used, for around $10 USD at an estate sale, or at a GoodWill Store). I have a Jig Saw, already -- just need to find it. We moved to a new home in October, and we still have a lot of stuff in boxes, and storage.

Bought two of the clamps, so I'm in for $10 USD, so far. I tried the clamp on various bottles of paint, as well as the small cans of Minwax Polyshades urethane-stain: it fits! YESSSsss!!! Now I just need to find my Jig Saw… Cheers!

Why all this about agitators? What's wrong with a little vigorous shaking for a minute or two?

The bottle that is!

Looking for faster, easier, more thorough mixing. Take a look at YouTube videos showing different types of mixing methods: Jigsaw paint mixing, as well as vortex mixers.

The Jigsaw mixing method is my favorite, particularly for Minwax Polyshades urethane stain mixes… Cheers!

As an aside, I've been using BB's for years before anyone was concerned with them rusting. Now apparently, you should use Stainless steel BB's or non metal ones.

I haven't, and have no problems at all. My bag of non stainless BB's show a bit of oxidization and that's after about 20 years. In the paint bottle they don't seem to oxidize and do not affect the paint……even my metallic paints are fine.

How much oxygen is inside the paint to begin reacting with the surface of the BB? A couple of seconds of agitation by hand, using a BB fitted paint usually does the trick.

Yes, almost anything works in most paints.

But the original post was about metallic paints. Now in none water based paint one could get away with pretty much any chunk of metal even in a metallic paint.

The real problem is electro-chemical. In a water base, two types of metal in the same pot can start a re-dox reaction which can lead to a big mess, or at least a spoiled pot of paint.