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Fantastic article!
My paints have been sitting untended for about seven months now, I'll be getting a few beads in them within the next month. Hopefully some can be saved, unlike last time...

Thanks so much!

I used glass beads - worked well enough, even tho they're not as dense.

Seems like a lot of work, I use these marbles which are for aquariums, works great.

Good article.
It's a topic that comes up a lot, and there's always someone who recommends putting steel BBs in the victim's paint. I really like how you tested out that theory and debunked it as a reliable method.

It was also cool to see the Reaper agitator, finally. I have a whole case of the MSPs, but haven't emptied a bottle yet to see what the skull agitator looked like. Now I know!

that reaper skull thing is creepy

This sir, is rather awesome information

Thank you

For what it is worth, there are multiple styles of skulls in the Reaper paints. Some are human-looking, but others have a more Orc-like look to them.

Rather than spending money on beads, I save pieces of metal sprue and clip them down into smaller pieces to use as agitators.

Nice article. I'm not that infrequent painter but i liked the idea and might use it.

The only thing i don't understand is why using beads or ball bearings instead of just things you can get from free like small stones (as the ones used in Basing).

Awesome idea, and it sounds like it might be a godsend for my paints..

I would guess the reason not to use small stones would be that you don't want the stones to chip as they shake around and leave small chunks all inside your paint... Need a solid agitator.

EDIT: (UPDATE) I just found a piece of jewelry at a garage sale that had a bunch of different bead parts. So I'm testing them all out in separate compartments of water to see what is safe.

In a week once I find the best bead, I'll add them to my paints and let you know if they were a success.

You can also use any glass bead.

I use these unevenly shaped beads. Flat beads tend to stick to the bottom of the paint jar, while round beads and marbles get stuck in the lip on the inside of the lid.

So, final update on that. those beads I found (about 200) for a dollar worked realllly well and I put one in all my paints. Man does this method work just like a charm. Even on my really bad off paint it fixed it right up!

Thanks so much!

I use lavarock beads, work perfectly too!

hey could be great on some of my paints whats the cheapest beads i could use in uk

Just look around Elliot. I bought a vintage necklace for a dollar at a store clearance sale and it came with a ton of beads that worked very well. You just need heavy beads (or something other than a bead I suppose) that wont flake into your paint.