Shaken or stirred?

Since I use mainly enamels right now, starting to switch to acrylics, I use the bb in the jar sheking method. I used to shake acrylics and gripe about bubbles why I never thought of stirring them instead I don't know but do now.

Jim Barton, thanks for the tips!

I use wood splints (like the kind you used to use in chemistry class) to stir...then use my brush to recapture most of the paint on the stick....

that's why it's nice to use Humbrol!

i just stir w/ a thin metal rod, maybe 4 inches long.
i do have one of the Tamiya paint stirs.
somewhere. if it turns up again, i will start using it.

i have used bits of sprue.
i find toothpicks too short to get to the bottom w/o getting my fingers into the jars of paint!

ed.

Apart from Tamyia Acrylics, which I only stir (shaking these leads to bubbles, which if painting by hand ends up on the model) I usually shake then stir with a shaped piece of wire attached to an old 12 volt mini drill. To help prevent the paint ending up all over the walls and floor I use a neck from a plastic bottle cut to fit over the paint can or bottle.

Shake first. Pop off the cap and stir.

Not on the rocks of course.

definately both. shake then stir. toothpick of course. I have thought of making a stirring tool out of a toy motor, but haven't got around to it. don't know if it would work thought.

I also stir my paints but I use my Tamiya stainless steel paint stirrer. They're good for life.

i like to stir but i don't buy any stirring stick... i make auto models and when i cut the parts off the plastic, the left over plastic is very thin and is useless after so i just snip those into small parts whenever i need them. very handy and i will never run out of them because when i do run out i'm probably done that model =) and then time for another model.

Darn, wildwilliam, you stole my thunder! Like you, I like to stir the paint rather than shake it because my experience with shaking the paint goes like this: No matter how tight I put the top on, a tiny bit of paint seeps between the lid and the mouth of the bottle. So I use the paint, put the lid back on, put the bottle away, and the next time I'm ready to use that color, lo and behold, the lid is stuck to the bottle! That means I have to get the pliers, which are buried somewhere in the box of carpentry tools at the other end of the living room, buried under hiking books and the paper plates. (Why do I keep the paper plates on top of the toolbox? Trust me, you don't want to know.) So I have to walk across the living room, remove the paper plates and hiking books from the toolbox and then remove the lid from the toolbox. Somewhere amongst the duct tape, dovetail saw, jars of nails and screws, cans of stain and paint, hammer, screwdrivers, sandpaper and a host of other items is the pair of pliers. So I have to paw through all this stuff, playing a dangerous game called Toolbox Roulette. The object is to lay your hands on the desired tool before the dovetail saw slices your finger off.

Rather than go through all that, I find that stirring the paint greatly reduces "stuck lid syndrome" almost to the point of non-existence. That's the main reason why I belong to the stirring school of thought on paint preparation. If you're a "shaker" and have problems with the lids getting stuck, try stirring instead! You might be pleasantly surprised!

David Voss will be interested in this: I use the clear plastic greeting card holders as paint stirrers. They look like plastic forks and are available at any florist shop. Snip off and discard the "tines," then cut the card holder into pieces about three inches long or so. (A pair of garden shears does this quickly and easily; wear eye protection.) The long card holders can give you up to six paint stirrers. (A hint: If you cut right, some of the paint stirrers will have a built-in "paddle" that you can use for brand-new bottles or a color that's been sitting around for a long time and needs extra preparation. Use the non-paddled ones for regular paint stirring.) These paint stirrers are wider in diameter than a toothpick. Other choices for paint stirrers: Clean swizzle sticks or chopsticks would also work, as would clean wood barbecue skewers.

I shake it -- but I guess after reading through this thread I probably shouldn't.

It just seemed like a pain to sit there and stir a little bottle of paint with a toothpick and then pull it out and have all that paint stuck on the toothpick.

Which then brings me to this question -- are there better things to use than a toothpick? Thinking about the stirring sticks used for 1 gallon buckets of paint, it seems silly to use something narrow and pointed like a toothpick.

I am your attentive pupil. Teach me the proper way.

i stir mine.
it gets the pigment up from the bottom and prevents getting paint on the inside of the top.
which helps keep paint out of the threads,
which means my tops never get stuck.

ed.

I do the same as Keyworth. I turn the bottle of acrylics up side down for several minutes prior to stiring. This way it has a chance to mix itself. Just remember to turn the bottle right side up prior to opening. It sure would make a mess.

I always stir, but never shake acrylics. too many bubbles that wind up on the model. Enamels don't seem to have the same cohesiveness issues, so I shake the stuffing out of them.

I like mine stirred and on the rocks! Oh I wasnt talking about martinis ACK! LOL

Seriously I do more shaking than stirring....but I also have BB's in my enamels that save me from doing to much of either!

I do both .... first stir, then shake.