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screen printing => Ink and Chemicals => Topic started by: Rockers on February 25, 2012, 06:44:53 PM
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What is commonly used for mixing or shaking inks? We are getting our first automatic press soon and I don't feel like mixing all the custom ink colors by hand for much longer. I read all so often that it's better for inks to be shaken rather the stirred. The Red Devil 1 gallon ink mixers look very good for this purpose.
http://www.reddevilequipment.com/One-Gallon/1025-red-d-mix (http://www.reddevilequipment.com/One-Gallon/1025-red-d-mix)
What are you using in your shop?
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We do it by hand still. We do lots of pms quarts. I bought a cheap air powered shaker from harbor freight. It didn't work at all. I think plastisol ink is just to thick for a shaker.
Although M&R does make one that seems to work.
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By hand, mixing blades with a drill or a kitchen stand mixer with dough hooks.
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We use mixing blades and a drill.
I have two drills. One is just for white ink and the second one is easy to change from one to another.
I have about 12 different blades. I try not to have to stop to clean a mixing blade.
We use a lot of poly inks and they need to be stired often.
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would anyone like to share a photo of their ink mixing area? That is one spot I think I should improve upon.
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would anyone like to share a photo of their ink mixing area? That is one spot I think I should improve upon.
Same here. Right now my ink area is too small due to the size of our shop but that will hopefully change soon. So if one of you could post some photos that would help figuring out where I might need to improve and apply changes. By the way what do these mixing blades look like? I assume you mix on the lowest setting available with those blades? Cheers.
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we like these about $3.00 at wally world, we keep one in every gallon. The end fitting pulls right off and these buggers really turn the ink over.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/1gal-Paint-Mixer/17165772 (http://www.walmart.com/ip/1gal-Paint-Mixer/17165772)
mooseman
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If you are looking for a mixer......I have an M&R Turnabout for sale at $750.
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If you are looking for a mixer......I have an M&R Turnabout for sale at $750.
Is that one any good for mixing quarts or can it hold only gallon pots?
But honestly I'm more keen one something that shakes the inks.
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The M&R shaker works pretty well... plus it can mix multiple quarts at a time!!
Funny story... I had a 5 gallon of red explode inside of one back in the day (at my old job)... It took forever to clean out... Then (a few months later) for some reason the main shaft sheared in half...?? They never fixed it...
Also... The turnabout won’t do a quart...
The AWT Tornado mixer will supposedly, but I have never tried it..??
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The M&R shaker works pretty well... plus it can mix multiple quarts at a time!!
Funny story... I had a 5 gallon of red explode inside of one back in the day (at my old job)... It took forever to clean out... Then (a few months later) for some reason the main shaft sheared in half...?? They never fixed it...
Also... The turnabout won’t do a quart...
The AWT Tornado mixer will supposedly, but I have never tried it..??
How do you get it to hold multiple quarter gallon pots?
Just had a look at the product literature, apparently it can handle anything from 1 gallon to 5 gallon pots.
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The one we had used 2 rubber coated steel platens to sandwich the ink quarts and hold them in place... Does that make sense??... The platens were something like 16" X 16" so you could fit multiple quarts at one time... There was also a pressure setting to keep from crushing the quarts... (If I had a picture this would make more sense lol)
244 could prolly explain this better...
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Let me see if I get that right, there is the M&R turnabout that can't handle quarts and then there is a M&R mixer that is able of holding multiple quarts.
Can't find any photos of the mixer.
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what about a drill press and a rigged up table? we use a drill right now but that's getting old.
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Ok, found some photo. Looks just like a standard ink shaker for paints. I assume a Red Devil one will do the job equally well.
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The only thing about a red devil is that it gyro mixes and when used with thick pigments is it will push everything to the sides of the container. I think an old school red devil shaker would be better as it shakes left to right as opposed to spinning. But I think some sort of table with multiple drills would work faster and mix better
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I can't believe no one said "The new guy". :)
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I get my wife to mix em after I get it about halfway mixed.
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Ok, found some photo. Looks just like a standard ink shaker for paints. I assume a Red Devil one will do the job equally well.
Might, but I doubt it... Paint is much thinner than ink. The M&R creates a rolling action inside the bucket... I personally prefer a turnabout or tornado, but for quarts the M&R shaker is pretty sweet!!
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Ok, found some photo. Looks just like a standard ink shaker for paints. I assume a Red Devil one will do the job equally well.
Might, but I doubt it... Paint is much thinner than ink. The M&R creates a rolling action inside the bucket... I personally prefer a turnabout or tornado, but for quarts the M&R shaker is pretty sweet!!
Does M&R still sell that shaker. It`s not on their website any longer. I wish they would offer a less fancy version for the not so high end shop.
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Ok, found some photo. Looks just like a standard ink shaker for paints. I assume a Red Devil one will do the job equally well.
Might, but I doubt it... Paint is much thinner than ink. The M&R creates a rolling action inside the bucket... I personally prefer a turnabout or tornado, but for quarts the M&R shaker is pretty sweet!!
Does M&R still sell that shaker. It`s not on their website any longer. I wish they would offer a less fancy version for the not so high end shop.
It is still on their site...
http://www.mrprint.com/en/ProductOverview.aspx?id=70 (http://www.mrprint.com/en/ProductOverview.aspx?id=70)
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Yes you are right. Sorry about that. Somehow I managed to over look it. You have an idea what that unit retails for?
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Here is what we use.
(http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d97/ScobeyP/SPINNER.jpg)
(http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d97/ScobeyP/SPINNERSINCUPS.jpg)
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I do the exact same thing. It works great.
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what about a drill press and a rigged up table? we use a drill right now but that's getting old.
Homer I use a drill press and large allen wrenches as a mixer. I have a piece of wood cut to match the shape of a bucket with two holes drilled through and tightening knobs to clamp the bucket in place, the allen wrenches are nice they clean off with one pull of a rag, set the press on the lowest RPM and walk away.
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We use a prop blade on a drill for 5 gallon buckets, but hand mix smaller amounts. Shaking plastisol? I really can't seem to wrap my head around that, since the ink is so thick. Maybe for thin graphic inks, that is more paint like in viscosity. Or maybe that's just me...
Steve
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We have an ink shaker - I think it was marketed by Polyone...
we use the Wilflex PC express system and I found it helpful to coat the top of the new bucket lid with base to prevent the pigments from sticking on the lid and not mixing into the bucket.
Ive shook everything from quarts to 5g buckets. some buckets work better than others, repeated use can crush the side of some buckets.
although it will shake a 5g bucket, we are on wood floors and the vibrations are crazy... I usually dont shake anything over a half full 5g.
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I use a hand drill with a long aleen wrench to mix or stir my inks, the aleen wrench is so easy to clean...those paint mixers are a pain in the booty to clean.
Darryl
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We use a prop blade on a drill for 5 gallon buckets, but hand mix smaller amounts. Shaking plastisol? I really can't seem to wrap my head around that, since the ink is so thick. Maybe for thin graphic inks, that is more paint like in viscosity. Or maybe that's just me...
Steve
I think the whole idea behind shaking inks is that plastisol inks no matter how thick will eventually become more thinn after a bit of shaking. I assume though that you will need a proper industrial style paint shaker.
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With a normal Red Devil Paint Shaker it would take about 2-3 minutes to thourougly disperse liquid pigment in a gallon of base house paint. I would think with plastisol pigments being much thicker it would take that shaker probably 10 times as long to disperse the pigment and then you are introducing alot of heat to the ink.
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With a normal Red Devil Paint Shaker it would take about 2-3 minutes to thourougly disperse liquid pigment in a gallon of base house paint. I would think with plastisol pigments being much thicker it would take that shaker probably 10 times as long to disperse the pigment and then you are introducing alot of heat to the ink.
You are talking about the little pneumatic shakers by Red Devil.
Would never use that.
Shaking introduces a lot less heat to the ink then mixing or stirring.
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I use a hand drill with a long aleen wrench to mix or stir my inks, the aleen wrench is so easy to clean...those paint mixers are a pain in the booty to clean.
Darryl
Not sure I understand about the Allen wrench. Could you Post a photo?