Cheap and cheerful paint mixing kit

Rob Pulham

Western Thunderer
While mixing some acrylic paint up this evening for the underframe of the Tevan, I thought that I would show folks what I have recently started to use for paint mixing.

I tend to use acrylics where possible but the same technique does work for enamels but it's especially effective for the denser pigmented acrylics when you are letting them down with thinners - even though I can buy many of the Vallejo colours that I use premixed for spraying I still like to mix my own because it's much more cost effective.

For years I have used either a cocktail stick or bamboo skewer with the point cut of for mixing my paint in medicine cups that I bought years ago of ebay. I have also used cheap childrens glue spreaders for spreading PVA for a long time (4 for £1). A short time ago I was struggling to get some especially thick paint to mix with the thinners to let it down and I hit upon the idea of using the glue spreader.

Its brilliant the flat edge against the flat bottom of the medicine cup allows the paint to be effectively mixed without splattering all over and if you only want to mix a small amount you can tilt the cup and still mix it in.

A quick browse of the tinternet found me images of the type that I use.

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MEDICINE-CUP-300x238.jpg
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Neat idea :thumbs:

I once put a bent screw driver bit in a mini drill to mix paint....only once mind ;) I was young, that's my excuse!

Having thrown the contents all over me and the room in a micro second I promptly recoiled in horror, where upon, it then proceeded to catch the cup and flicked that out of my hand at mega sonic speed as well.

The room did need titivating a bit before, but a full decorating job after!

MD
 
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