Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:
No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
Times and dates in your local timezone.
Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.
If you are already a member then feel free to login now.
Has anyone ever made like a small, battery powered pain stirrer specifically designed to rapidly stir small bottles of paint? With a specially designed soft tip and relatively low rpm?
This might be useful for paints that have sat a while and as expensive as some small paints are it could be cost effective.
"I learned the hard way that if you take a stand on any issue, no matter how insignificant, people will line up around the block to kick your ass over it." Jesse "the mind" Ventura.
Automatically Appended Next Post: I thin down all pots as soon as i buy them, and shake every like week so seems to work fine so dont need spinning machine.
Automatically Appended Next Post: as soon as i buy a citadel paint, i put it under the tap and put a few drops of water in
Automatically Appended Next Post: In future i will stop using water. and instead use thinning retarder medium what ever its callled
This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2019/01/01 03:01:41
I just throw in a small ball bearing (or when I'm really cheap a piece of scrap pewter from various metal minis) and use that to agitate the paint so I don't have to shake it as much.
The issue with a stirrer is some paint will stick to it and miniatures paints are such small volumes you'd be losing a fair amount of it.
I prefer to buy from miniature manufacturers that *don't* support the overthrow of democracy.
John Prins wrote: Just be aware of what happens when you use a paint stirrer WRONG.
Yes, I know what a bad one could do. So I was specifically thinking a relatively low RPM and a soft tip that would not damage a paint bottle. I donct know if itcs feasible, i'm proposing it as something to consider.
"I learned the hard way that if you take a stand on any issue, no matter how insignificant, people will line up around the block to kick your ass over it." Jesse "the mind" Ventura.
John Prins wrote: Just be aware of what happens when you use a paint stirrer WRONG.
Yes, I know what a bad one could do. So I was specifically thinking a relatively low RPM and a soft tip that would not damage a paint bottle. I donct know if itcs feasible, i'm proposing it as something to consider.
I'm talking about taking the stirrer out while still running.
If youcre dumb enough to pull it out while it's running youcre probably too dumb to be gaming or painting mins...
"I learned the hard way that if you take a stand on any issue, no matter how insignificant, people will line up around the block to kick your ass over it." Jesse "the mind" Ventura.
If you want to go high-end, you could get a magnetic stirrer like is often used in scientific contexts.
Just drop a little stir bar in the pot and put it on the stir plate. Can even get whole big arrays of them.
No, something cheap and easy to use. GW would rqather you buy a new bottle of paint so they're out. it's something we';d need to do ourselves.
"I learned the hard way that if you take a stand on any issue, no matter how insignificant, people will line up around the block to kick your ass over it." Jesse "the mind" Ventura.
I used to use this thing called a stick. You can find them outside, pretty much anywhere there’s a tree or shrub.
What you do is, you find a little stick. If the stick’s too big you won’t be able to get it through the door, or hold it in one hand.
Then, you open the pot, add a couple drops of water or medium, and then stir it around a bit. 5 or 10 seconds should do the trick.
A popsicle stick is a tempting alternative but I find most people get confused and try to lick the stirred paint off of the stick. On the basis you’re trying to create an electric stirrer for a 5 ml paint pot, you should probably avoid the popsicle stick idea at all costs.
greatbigtree wrote: I used to use this thing called a stick. You can find them outside, pretty much anywhere there’s a tree or shrub.
What you do is, you find a little stick. If the stick’s too big you won’t be able to get it through the door, or hold it in one hand.
Then, you open the pot, add a couple drops of water or medium, and then stir it around a bit. 5 or 10 seconds should do the trick.
A popsicle stick is a tempting alternative but I find most people get confused and try to lick the stirred paint off of the stick. On the basis you’re trying to create an electric stirrer for a 5 ml paint pot, you should probably avoid the popsicle stick idea at all costs.
Good luck with stick finding!
You also use this thing called snark.
In good cases a stick will suffice. I powered stirrer mibht do better for sole older paints that have sat a while.
"I learned the hard way that if you take a stand on any issue, no matter how insignificant, people will line up around the block to kick your ass over it." Jesse "the mind" Ventura.
If the paint’s gone hard, there’s no going back. If the paint is gummy or turned into a paste, stir it with a stick and add some water and/or medium.
I mean, what would you use to turn it? Power drill? Dremmel? Custom build from an old RC car motor?
If you want to use a dremmel, you could fold and twist a heavy paper clip into a roundish shape that would fit in a bottle... but the power from the top will likely whip the pot out of your hand when the stirrer contacts the old paint, so make sure you put the pot in a vice but not so hard you crack the pot.
Add the fluid first so that as you break up the pigment it can dissolve in the fluid... but you’re still apt to fling paint everywhere and this seems incredibly impractical vs getting a stick and stirring it up.
greatbigtree wrote:You read between the lines! Good job.
If the paint’s gone hard, there’s no going back. If the paint is gummy or turned into a paste, stir it with a stick and add some water and/or medium.
I mean, what would you use to turn it? Power drill? Dremmel? Custom build from an old RC car motor?
If you want to use a dremmel, you could fold and twist a heavy paper clip into a roundish shape that would fit in a bottle... but the power from the top will likely whip the pot out of your hand when the stirrer contacts the old paint, so make sure you put the pot in a vice but not so hard you crack the pot.
Add the fluid first so that as you break up the pigment it can dissolve in the fluid... but you’re still apt to fling paint everywhere and this seems incredibly impractical vs getting a stick and stirring it up.
ingtaer wrote:Just use some elastic bands to strap it to a Dremel or other thing that vibrates rapidly. No mess, no loss of paint, no hassle.
But yes stirring with a stick is a tried and trusted method...
Automatically Appended Next Post: I thin down all pots as soon as i buy them, and shake every like week so seems to work fine so dont need spinning machine.
Automatically Appended Next Post: as soon as i buy a citadel paint, i put it under the tap and put a few drops of water in
Automatically Appended Next Post: In future i will stop using water. and instead use thinning retarder medium what ever its callled
You don't want to use the acrylic retarder, it will dry out your pots and make it leathery, its mean to use with paint that is out on the tile ready for use; what you want to drop into the pots are some bottle water or pure water without other elements and some acrylic medium or metallic medium if metal pots; about 50-50, but don't thin it too much.
Oh and to answer the OP Q: I use a metal sculpting tool to stir, then use a soft brush to clean the paint off the tool. I also avoid shaking the pots unless they are washes or technical paints, I simply use a long tip brush and angle the pot to get the paint out.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/01/01 11:59:13
Depending on space (and how many Scale75 paints you have...) you could consider a vortex mixer/agitator. It’s a piece of lab equipment for mixing smal vials of liquid. You push the paint pot onto the rubber top and it spins shaking the paint up and mixing it thoroughly with no mess. I wouldn’t recommend a new one as the expense would be ridiculous but laboratory seconds show up on eBay all the time. You can pick one up for about £10.
go for a chemical type one, a ferrous material of some sort as a blade you can drop in a pot and leave there, then put the paint pot on the thingy that makes the blade rotate.
plus you have the bar inside as an agitator if you want it
Heresy World Eaters/Emperors Children 
