If you don’t mind my asking, what is the company and item number for that speed adjuster attached to your bench? Is that the kind that anything can be plugged into? Also, does it adjust all the way down to zero?
I dont have access to that level of engineering, or the room for the equipment. What I use is an item I found at Ikea, its called a milk frother www.ikea.com/…/10076320
With a bit of work I put a large washer on the shaft to stop the paint coming out and only use it on the most settled paint but a couple of seconds and its mixed up, it fits perfectly into a Tamiya bottle too
Phil
Thanks RX for the vote of confidence.
I was beginning to think I was nuts to come up with something to help (and posting it).
I like your idea of the Velcro, that’s one reason I glued sandpaper to the pads. My saw has a speed control so I just set the angle of the saw to the normal orientation and start slow to see if the bottle moves. I slowly increase speed until I feel it’s enough (I never go full speed that would throw the bottle). During this process I can easily watch if the bottle is slipping.
I like the idea of wrapping a little Velcro around the bottle and clamp stem. That would solve a lot of problems.
Looking at your old bottle of Poly S is reminiscent of why I came up with the idea in the first place.
P mitch, that’s a very nice mixer. The one I have, I bought off eBay and works well, but yours looks like it would really get ahold of the paint.
Thanks
Steve
I just gotta say that I’m all shook up about all those great ideas !
Here you go TarnShip,
www.harborfreight.com/router-speed-control-43060.html
Harbor Freight sells them online currently for $19.99 but can sometimes be found for $15 or less at their store. For the most part any electrical device up to a 15 amp. rating can be operated in conjunction with this speed controller . It uses a double pole rocker style switch to select a mode ( variable / off / and full speed). Place the rocker switch in the variable mode and you can control the speed of a device via the rotating variable resistor dial. Switch to full mode and speed control is circumvented. You can’t turn the speed down to zero using the variable resistor you have to switch to the off position.
Hope this helped
Hey Modelcrazy,
Posting one’s ideas makes for a more interesting and enjoyable forum.
Hey P Mitch,
Kind of ironic, I was at Ikea yesterday with the wife and noticed those. I might go back and p/u one to try.
Thanks
I just velcro a bottle to one of our pups’ tails and tell her what a good girl she is. Paint’s well-mixed in no time! They’re poodles, so the velcro works wonderfully! 
J/K. While they like to help, I try to not involve them too much. Their lack of opposable digits is usually a hindrance. Then there’s that whole attention span thing.
Seriously, though, these are some good ideas. I wonder if high-frequency agitation would help some of my gooey bottles of enamel?
Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas
That’s funny,
I have restored some very old paint by using this technique. Like I said in an earlier post, I’ll use different methods, from stirring, hand shaking, motor driven stirrer, to the paint shaker. It just depends on what I feel will rejuvenate the contents (sometimes it takes all four).
I use Copperhead BBs, made of copper so they won’t rust. I drop two per bottle on first opening when I paint a spot of color on the lid for easy selection (until I build my paint rack this winter). However, the BBs won’t work if the paint sits for too long, and separates into the thick sludge and thin carrier layer stage. At that point, I have to stir.
Rook,
I’d like to see that paint rack when your finished. I want to make one and just want to see some ideas.
Thanks, you just saved me some time as I was just beginning to work on a design for one of those.
Don
One suggestion. I found a small stand alone rotisserie that was quite easy to modify to do exactly what you want. I did, however, have to disconnect the heating coils to insure I didn’t end up with a molten mess.
Jack
Just a heads up, copper does rust. It isn’t called rust, but, it is that green corrosion that copper gets on it, from oxidation.
If you want something that won’t rust, get Hematite, it is “already rusted” before it is polished. Hobby Lobby carries the beads in that section of their store.
Rex
I just use one of these, cheap and I’ve been using it for years. www.micromark.com/cordless-mixer-for-model-paints,7616.html. But you guys have risen this to another level, practically a hobby within a hobby!
IKEA has a battery operated milk frother for a couple of bucks. I picked one up but haven’t used it yet. I modified a discarded battery toothbrush that has worked pretty well. Bob Gregory Ruining one kit at a time
Well ;
I like reading all this . I personally use the built in paint shaker on the end of my left arm . While it’s lost some usefulness it is great for gripping and shaking these paint bottles . The hand completely encases the bottles ( no spin -out ) and even when done shakes slowly for some minutes , letting the paint inside calm down .
Seriously , I do have a paint stir machine built from a discarded electric tooth brush ( Battery Powered ) and a circular one built from a mini-rotary tool I bought back in the sixties at the base hobby shop in Bremerton , Washington . Never had seen a rotary tool that small , Battery Powered and it has always worked great .1/2 speed only !
Gene ;
Did you see the new model .You attach two bottles to either side of a MIN-PIN’S tail ( tail natural length) and offer a treat . Well shaken in about thirty seconds .