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Hi all!

A couple of questions for the esteemed panel;

does the shape of the agitator matter?
what about the size?
and material they are made from?

I've noticed that the smaller ones get stuck in the bottom, even with hard banging on the desk
and the small round ones even worse…

I've started using lead fishing weights,
as the irregular shape seems to get into the corners and mix the precipitate better,
and doesn't get stuck (as much)

I've read the stainless steel agitators are supposed to be the best, due to no chemical reaction,
but shouldn't lead weights be inert also?

any experiences with various makes, materials, etc?

Thanks in advance!
Chris

The potential problem with lead weights is the slight risk of lead poisoning if you're a brush licker.
I bought the Army Painter brand of stainless steel agitators, but when I tested them in some water for a few days, there was a slight brown tint to the water.
So, I currently have some 6mm hematite beads to use. The store also had some lava beads, but they were the waxed kind, and I don't know if the wax would react with the paint.

Lead also oxidises, and lead oxides can change pigments over time by this oxide mixing.

There's a whole bunch of different grades of "stainless steel" and not all are equal.

Marine grade stainless (which is meant to withstand moisture and salinity better than regular stainless) bearings would work better.

I personally use small glass beads. Chemically inert. Enough mass to move paint around. I have a store that sells beading and craft supplies near me. It's one stop on my hobby circuit.

I bought some of the agitators of Green Stuff World. Couple a bucks for 40 of them and they are made from marine grade stainless. I haven't had a problem with them reacting to paint yet which is nice.

I roll my bottles between the palms of my hands, instead of shaking them.
Since I've read that recommendation on Vallejo's website, I can manually mix all my paints pretty quickly, so I don't feel the need for agitators anymore.

The problem with stainless steel agitators is that stainless isn't rust-proof, it's rust-resistant, and cheap stainless will rust relatively quickly. Lead has the same problem; lead oxide is a bright white (it used to be used as a pigment) and will discolor paint over time.

I use glass beads for things like GW pots. Completely inert, no chance of discoloration.

For dropper bottles, I've tried the rolling method recommended by Vallejo, but some of their pigments (eg the titanium oxide used in white) don't reintegrate into the paint very well.

The best results I've gotten have been from attaching a 3D-printed paint-bottle-holding armature to an electric jigsaw, shaking the paint at 1200RPM for a few seconds. No agitator is needed, it comes out perfectly mixed.

Thanks guys!

I'll look into the marine grade bearings,
I havem't found any glass beads heavy enough yet
(I'll keep looking at the crafts stores)

Chris