To shake, or not to shake, that is the question:

GaryG64

GaryG64

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I've been pondering of getting a paint shaker. Does anyone use one, if so which one do you use, and what price did you pay?
Or should I just shake it like a monkey on crack?
That is the question
 
I don't use a paint shaker nor see a need for one. IMO they're a waste of money. No different than stirring paint yourself with a paint stirrer. Once stirred, I will shake the bottle. I still get the same results of a paint bottle well mixed.
 
I stir paint in bottles, tins, pots with opening lids, etc., but I shake eyedropper bottles.

Electric paint shakers aimed at modellers are greatly overpriced compared to the exact same devices intended for different audiences, BTW. I don't recall who else they're marketed to, but I do remember some years ago on another forum where somebody came across one for around half the price of those sold for shaking eyedropper paint bottles. At the other end of the scale are laboratory shakers, which are much more expensive when new but can apparently be had cheap second-hand. Oh, and you can also make your own from a woodworker's glue clamp and an electric jigsaw :)
 
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I use a badger paint stirrer, not too expensive. For me I think its worth it. I used to stir my paints with leftover styrene sticks.

Thanks and have a nice day
 
As a former paint technician, I used to be a firm advocate of "stirred, not shaken." However, it now depends on the paint and how it's packaged.

Some paints, if shaken, pick up a lot of air when shaken, making brush painting or volume measuring difficult. If it comes in a dropper bottle, this is not a problem.

Glass bottle, like Tamiya or Gunze—stirred.

Dropper bottles, like Valllejo—shaken, after adding two small stainless steel balls. (Don't use BBs!) I bought a paint shaker, mainly because of arthritis, and it is faster as well as less painful.
 
I picked up a used paint shaker. It was used by a 'nail tech' at a beauty salon to mix fingernail paints and varnishes. You can also look for similar shakers marketed towards the tattoo artists for mixing their inks. They tend to be somewhat cheaper than the full on lab shakers.

I have found though that even Vallejo and similar eye dropper paints may still require stirring. To that end I took an old battery operated vibrating toothbrush, removed the brush head and glued in a length of metal rod that fits through the opening in the eye dropper end. It does a pretty credible job of stirring up the paint settled at the bottom. I then use the shaker to give it a good mixing and let it sit for a few minutes to 'settle' the paint before using.

I use a Badger paint mixer for all of my tins of Humbrol and glass jars of Testors, Tamiya and Gunze paints. I take a section of a paper towel tube to put around the bottle to cut down on paint spray while stirring.

These are the methods that work for me. You can find a ton of modelling hacks over on Youtube. You'll just have to find what works for you.
 
Thank you for all of your advice on this topic.

Some time ago, about a week or so after making this post I ordered a vortex mixer to try. Seems to work rather well and saves my wrist.

20241212_142924.jpg
 
I usually shake by hand my regular paint

giphy.gif
but I use a mixer for my metalic paints
 

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