RE: Paint agitation

I actually have a paint mixer for large paint cans, it has two
perpendicular blades at the bottom of an 18" rod.  It's great for large
cans because it goes right to the bottom and stirs it up.  The problem
is coming back up.  If you want mix the top half after immersing the rod
to the bottom, you have to draw up very slowly or the paint adhering to
the rod flys in all directions.  If you're not careful and accidentally
allow the blades to surface - can you say Pollock...

Clean up is easy, after tapping it a couple of times to get most of the
paint back into the can, a quick imemrsion in a bucket of water cleans
it off well.

For mixing my paints I went and bought a used vortexer from a scientific
supply house.  They normally retail new for over $100 but I got mine for
$25.  It's basically a rapidly shaking platform.  I use duct tape to
strap my bottles on (after double checking the lids) to the platform and
let them shake for ten minutes.  It has a variable speed from about 1
hertz to about 20 hertz. Definitely easier than using arm power.  I
probably should make a more permanent attachment device but duct tape is
cheap.

--Binhan

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Allan Goodall [mailto:agoodall@att.net]
> Sent: Wednesday, May 01, 2002 2:35 PM
> To: gzg-l@csua.berkeley.edu
> Subject: Re: Paint agitation
<<SNIP>>
> You laugh, but my late father left behind something in his 
> tool box. It was a
> barbecue rotisserie attachment. Apparently he used to put 
> this on one of his
> power drills for stirring cans of paint. I always wondered 
> why I've never seen
> this in a Home Depot, as it seems to me that it would make a 
> cool tool.
> 
> 
> 
> Allan Goodall 		 agoodall@hyperbear.com
> http://www.hyperbear.com
> 
> "At long last, the earthy soil of the typical, 
> unimaginable mortician was revealed!" 
>  - from the Random H.P. Lovecraft Story Generator