Does Hematite rust? paint agitator discussion

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**Ouze**

I've been using lava beads, which are inert, as agitators in my dropper bottles. While these are OK, they're a little light for my taste.

I saw a auction ending in a minute on Hematite beads on Ebay, so got them on a lark. Now I have these beads. Same size as lava beads, but way more dense and heavy. I've had one sitting in a dropper bottle with just water for about a month to see if it rusts, and hence will discolor the paint. So far, no sign of rust.

My understanding is that as iron oxide, it IS rust and so will not rust. But, you know, I'm not a geologist; what the hell do I know? Hopefully, someone here can chime in - I'd love to be able to start using them as agitators, they're pretty awesome for that weight wise.

**commissarbob**

Well ,it IS rust in a naturally stable state. I highly doubt that you will have any issues with it discoloring your paint.

**Sean_OBrien**

Hematite is a happy crystal of iron and oxygen and should not "rust".

You will want to take a look at each bead though and make sureit is made from a solid piece of hematite and not compressed hematite clays. Although the clays will not "rust" either, they a brittle and may fall apart overtime...especially when wet.

Also, look for banding on solid beads, as some of the bands will not be hematite, but a different iron compound which may be more prone to changes in a wet solution.

**fenrir1997**

Sean_OBrien wrote:
Hematite is a happy crystal of iron and oxygen and should not "rust".

You will want to take a look at each bead though and make sureit is made from a solid piece of hematite and not compressed hematite clays. Although the clays will not "rust" either, they a brittle and may fall apart overtime...especially when wet.

Also, look for banding on solid beads, as some of the bands will not be hematite, but a different iron compound which may be more prone to changes in a wet solution.

What he said.

If you find that your hematite beads are inadequate, I'm also quite a fan of glass beads.

**Ouze**

Thank you guys for the info!

I regret to say, I never even considered glass beads, and now feel sort of like an idiot. Thanks again.

**Yonan**

I've used both hematite and lava beads as agitators. Not sure what works better, but for stubborn paints I throw 3-4 in which helps. Neither have caused problems. Both ordered from Hong Kong on ebay really cheap.

**Ouze**

How long have you had them in the paint for?

I'd be hesitant to add more than one, for fear of them shattering.

**Sean_OBrien**

Solid hematite is harder than steel IIRC. If they are solid, there should be little chance of them shattering.

**Yonan**

^^ Yep they're solid as eh bro. I've been using them for 3-6 months so far, I forget exactly. No problems with them fragmenting and no effects on the paints. This is with VMA, VGC, VMC and Minitaire.

**Alleton**

I've always used stainless steel fishing sinkers (Not the lead ones) But I would certainly try Hematite if they were cheap enough. Let us know how it works out.

**Ouze**

Yonan wrote:
^^ Yep they're solid as eh bro. I've been using them for 3-6 months so far, I forget exactly. No problems with them fragmenting and no effects on the paints. This is with VMA, VGC, VMC and Minitaire.

Thank you very much (and the rest of you as well). I'm going to add the ones I got to my minitaire.