What do you use for mixing product for spraying

[Arron]

Here's a thing about spraying which is only a small detail but nonetheless causes me a lot of grief and is something I"d like to get right. Imagine you are spraying pre-cat lacquer, only small time and not particularly well set up. You need to mix the lacquer and thinner in something before pouring it into the gun. Typically you mix about 450 - 500 mm at a time. What do you use to mix in ???????

Naturally I've tried disposable containers such as plastic beer glasses and takeaway containers. The problem here is that they're not really big enough, so you get continual small spills. Also, I'd prefer a non-disposable solution if possible.

I've also tried plastic measuring jugs. The sort of thing bought for about $3-5 and holding about 1litre. At that price I would want them to be reusable, and they work very well, till the residue lacquer starts to build up in them between uses. The next time you go to use them, the old lacquer is dissolved by the new lacquer thinner and you get thick sludge trying to make its way out the gun. I guess I could clean the residue product out of the jug after each use - but its messy and takes a lot of thinner and leaves them dubiously clean which kind of defeats the main thing I'm trying to achieve by spraying.

Any ideas. What do others use.

cheers
Arron

[joez]

I use mixing cups that the auto spraypainters use, you should be able to get them from your local auto finish store.


They come with most common mix ratios pre-printed on the sides and the lids help you store leftover finish


KupTown: Calibrated Mixing Cups for Spray Painting Jobs. Free Lids (http://www.kuptown.com.au/products/750ml-calibrated-mixing-cups-2)

I normally throw them away after I have finished spraying, but if you want to me more frugal you could probably just peel off the finish when dry.



joez

[Arron]

I use mixing cups that the auto spraypainters use, you should be able to get them from your local auto finish store.


They come with most common mix ratios pre-printed on the sides and the lids help you store leftover finish


KupTown: Calibrated Mixing Cups for Spray Painting Jobs. Free Lids (http://www.kuptown.com.au/products/750ml-calibrated-mixing-cups-2)

I normally throw them away after I have finished spraying, but if you want to me more frugal you could probably just peel off the finish when dry.



joez

32 cents each - cant complain about that !
I never knew that site existed. Thanks heaps.
Arron

[Robson Valley]

Many paint stores sell unmarked and unlabelled metal paint cans. Years ago, bought some 1 liter and 4 liter cans. The next time I wanted to mix paint with thinner, back to the store. In that day and time, the 1 liter was maybe $0.50 each. The 4 liter couldn't have been more than $1.50. I thought that was quite cheap.
Then I bent a clover-leaf into the end of a coat hanger wire. At fairly low speed in my drill, it worked up just fine.
I know that paint stores sell proper mixing propellors if you need that much.