i think i might try this. sounds like this should work pretty good with the robart shaker…
I made my own stiring tool with a “c” cell battery holder, small electric motor and apush button switch all from radio shack. A brass sleeve, a bent paper clip, and lot’s of epoxy gave me a very ugly but useful tool.
For shaking paints, I use zinc plated steel BB’s. These can be left in the jar for enamals, but should be removed right away for any water based paint-they will rust. How to remove them from the bottle? Remember I specified STEEL BB’s? When done shaking, place a good magnet against the top of the bottle before turning right side up and Bingo! There are the BB’s once you unscrew the cap!
I have an ample supply of free ones which I have never had any issue with;
They work a treat with;
I use Hawkeyes method, I had a badger paint mixer the konked out, I dremeled off the end and it fit in my dremel no problem. Cheapest rout for me.
I prefer the Robart shaker. I have not found a jar yet I can’t mix and there is no cleanup after mixing.
For those in the shaking and stirring argument…when you go to home depot, how do they mix the big cans of paint…a big shaker
Well…that’s my [2c]
Rounds Complete!!
[#ditto]. its all you need. i have never needed to “shake” my paints for any reason. you can get good paint mixture by simply mixing it by hand. however, if you want to buy one, its your money…it’s a waste if ya ask me.
How about the butt end of a paint brush? I usually have a few lying around, they’re effective and already paid for.
I lick 'em clean after stirring. (Just kidding!)
With best regards,
Stephen S. Mack
That’s house paint and not what we use. And once that paint is open you will see painters stir it not shake it.
humm what about where i saw someone said put a copper BB in it and shake it or have your kid shake it and tell them they can stop when it stops rattling! lol
Ive tried many, but i think this one, the Tornado Blair was the best…
I got mines really cheap from ushake company, or somethin like that.
Have yall tried it?
Way too much tech for my needs.
Then again, a lot of times I find it almost pointless to fret over some aspects of the hobby.
Open bottle, stir for a minute, close bottle, perform motion most men are good at 
open bottle give last minute stir to confirm paint is mixed.
Been my notice, if you are airbrushing, the atomization of the paint more than accomodates for any partial mixing. Been my notice some paints unmix rather fast based on the nature of the colour, the type of paint and the manufacturer. For instance, I have noticed that reddish browns and olives from Tamiya will have colour separation in mere moments after stiring. Drives me nuts when it comes to brush painting them.
I have a fantastic method of stirring my MM enamels. I have a Dremel 300 series tool with a Dremel work station. I chuck up an “L” shaped piece of sprue about 3 inches long and I hold my paint bottle under the tool and lower it into the open bottle. I touch the bottom of the bottle very gently and raise it about 1/16 of an inch. I set the stop on the crank so I will not bottom out and I turn the switch on just enough to get a slow turn. Works great until I inadvertantly flip the switch to 35000 rpms, then I duck and run for cover!!!
That’s what I’ve been using on my MM and Tamiya paints.
I also use this for Vallejo paints.
‘Stirred, not shaken’[~]
Unless of course you are using rattle cans, then its suggested 1 minute minimum.
Exactly what I do (except the licking clean part)…I use the Testor paint brushes butt end. When the bristles finally crap out, I keep the handles specifically for paint stirers. Never met a bottle of paint that I couldnt get workable by stirring by hand…sometimes they just need a little thinner and they`re good as new.
Len
I have two Micro-Mark mixers. They work great and they are now on sale.
http://www.micromark.com/Cordless-Mixer-for-Model-Paints,7616.html
I have a small stash of used Oral-B Pulsar toothbrushes (the sealed battery LONG outlasts the bristles) that I keep thinking about using as cordless, electric paint agitators, but I haven’t tried it yet. I keep resorting to an old-school solution: when I first open the bottle, I drop in three copper-plated BBs, after which I can rattle my bottles as long as I like without disturbing the seal.
Show us a picture.
I also use my Dremel. Too keep any spattered paint contained, I use a cardboard toilet paper roll over the bottle. Tamiya paint bottles fit perfectly inside this roll.
Jimbot58, modern BBs are 100% steel, plated either with copper or zinc to resist corrosion. (I use Copperhead brand because that’s what Ranger Surplus happened to have in stock when I bought my stash.) I’ve had no trouble with copper plated BBs.