Scalefour Forum

If you are feeling brave, try this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMmMls-GYOI

hardly a $5 paint shaker if you don't already have a jig-saw

John Lewis

I use a Ikea coffee frother which is £1 plus batteries

Oh, those bottles of Testors - thick sludge at the bottom, evil liquid above it, glass bottle thicker than an armoured periscope, and a tin lid that wouldn't budge if you dropped a depthcharge on it. Wonder why I don't miss them? Still using that yellow screwdriver, though - to open tins of Humbrol.

For a really expensive paint-stirrer, I can recommend the vertical milling/drilling attachment of a Unimat 3.

The bent wire 'paddle' is held in the Jacobs' drill chuck.

At last I've found a use for my lathe!

Go to an art shop and buy a Derwent electric eraser for about £5. (http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/derwent-bat ... tAodYhYA3g)

Stick a suitable bent wire into the end of the eraser. Put into paint pot and switch on.

Suggest you fashion a lid with a hole in it or otherwise you will have a nice line of paint across you and probably the room.

If you want to use it for its intended use later simply insert a new eraser tip.

regards

Alan

I use a bent piece of wire in the mini drill, which is fed from an old H&M controller. That way I can adjust the speed so as to control the amount of paint I want to fling over the bench.

Philip

I use a 'tamed' Ikea Coffee frother. Mine has been cut back to a small 'L' shape as the full fitting will froth rather than stir the paint. As an added precaution I set the paint inside an empty toilet roll tube just in case there is any spray from the stirrer.

Cheers,

David

Philip Hall wrote:I use a bent piece of wire in the mini drill, which is fed from an old H&M controller. That way I can adjust the speed so as to control the amount of paint I want to fling over the bench.

That's what I do to, assuming you have the mini drill total cost one bit of wire. The wire is shaped thus

Paint will stay in the tin so long as the bent bit stays below the surface while spinning.
Since I required my Dremel, my low voltage drills is used for nothing else.

Well we are now ready to do some painting!

I've almost seen it all now!

Regards,

Nick.

Philip Hall wrote:I use a bent piece of wire in the mini drill, which is fed from an old H&M controller. That way I can adjust the speed so as to control the amount of paint I want to fling over the bench.

Philip

Yes, I forgot to say that when stirring paint under power (with a wire 'paddle' as shown in one of the other posts above), it is necessary to hold some paper round the top of the tin, as some paint will inevitably be spun out of the top of the tin, making a neat horizontal line on your pullover, on any nearby wall and on anything else in the line of fire.

Why do I think that comment is wise words of experience, Martin.

I can remember years ago trying to paint a A4 in blue with Precision paint and having massive trouble as it needed serious mixing... to the point of a 12V drill being used and finally mixing properly... it was by brush so was not really the best. I have the loco around some where I should pull it out and have a look at what I did as a teenager!

Like Phillip, I use a bent piece of wire (actually a bent nail) and I hold the tin at the bottom of a 2 litre ice cream box. I still get the horizontal line, but it's inside the ice cream tub. If I'm worried about paint on my hands I wear plastic gloves. The drill I use is a very old, small, 12v job, which I can stop by gripping the chuck.

Allan F

Try putting a small ball-bearing (or several) in the tin/bottle. Then an ordinary shake by hand is much more effective, and no mess. Same principle as the rattle-can aerosols.

In the olden days we used to put Humbrol tinlets inside the car hubcaps for a few days. Or only 5 minutes if you have a nice bumpy road.

If the lid is on really tight you can put them in the washing machine with the next wash.

Martin.

I have heard it said that over-vigorous agitation of some makes of paint can cause them to appear emulsified. Anyone had this happen with any make or do you not agitate your paint excessively?