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Drum Agitators

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hey everyone, can somebody recommend a good system to keep a drum of plastic from hard packing and to keep it well stirred? hard packing even in 5 gallon buckets has plagued me with getting baits too soft and i want to be prepared for a large expensive drum so my baits firmness/softness will be consistent.  thanks guys

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i worked in a science lab in college and we used magnetic mixers. Has anyone tried that for plastisol.  basically one would put the container on top of a plate. Under the plate is a spinning magnet. An additional magnet would be added inside the plastisol container... and it would begin to spin mirroring the magnet under the plate. This may or may not work. I would think it would help with smaller bottles but not sure if a strong enough magnet set could be deployed in a larger canister and the thickness of the settling may inhibit the magnets interaction.   After the material is completely used one simply removes the magnet and places it in the next container. 

 

I've been happy with Spite It Pourasol. Bruce and Mike have been real helpful in helping me find a solution to a problem I was having with shrinking and stiffness.

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drum agitators that are made for 55 gal drums start at $500 so I might look in to making something on a timer..the timers are cheap themselves but making something that will stir may not be.  in old days when zoom started ed would use a stern mount trolling motor and set her on low haha.

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Here is how I do it. First the drums from Spikeit have a lid that comes off. I use a paint mixer on a corded drill to mix in the drum then pump it out into the five gallon pail. The five gallon pail has a gamma lid on it so the top spins off to mix before you pour. The fives have a flat bottom and mix in a minute with a cordless drill and a smaller paint mixer. Not hard just a system that works for me. Not to much cost as most of it is not special. The drum mixer I did weld on a rod to extend it to be long enough to reach the bottom of the drum. While I don't consider Spikeit as one that hard packs it does settle so mixing is a must. The jugs it come in let it settle in the corners and is hard to loosen up.

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Edited by Frank
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Hey thanks Frank..I have a good paint mixer on a drill for the 5's so should I mix the hell out of it every time i pour? I usually only mix it up every so often and then I do see a layer of resin on the bottom, I think its resin on the bottom when it hard packs.  Next batch I get im going to stir all the time ha.  How often do you stir the 55 gal drum? Do you keep it stirred everyday even if you are not using it or does it ever sit? thanks man

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Hey thanks Frank..I have a good paint mixer on a drill for the 5's so should I mix the hell out of it every time i pour? I usually only mix it up every so often and then I do see a layer of resin on the bottom, I think its resin on the bottom when it hard packs.  Next batch I get im going to stir all the time ha.  How often do you stir the 55 gal drum? Do you keep it stirred everyday even if you are not using it or does it ever sit? thanks man

I mix mine every time I pour in the five. The drum only when I am getting fresh plastic out. The 2.5 gallon jugs are hard to get the corners to mix. Then I use welding rods in a bunch to break it up then the mixer. Frank

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We deal with materials in drums, with various viscosity, every day at work (industrial coatings and linings).  We have some 5 gal paint shakers but drum shakers are slow, expensive and can be dangerous for a single person to handle. 

 

We use air motors to drive mixing paddles at low speeds.  You don't need a lot of air to do this.  An air motor is cheap and reliable so long as you oil it.

 

Maybe hook an air line from your shop compressor to the air motor with a lamp timer at the electric outlet to turn the compressor on for a bit every day?

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could u make something like with wheels so you could lay the drum on its side and spin it?   Then put a valve in the bung.  Just a thought

 

Just what I was thinking when I started reading this post. I would buy the biggest ball bearings possible and drop several of them into the barrell. Them roll the barrell about once a week for a couple minutes to help prevent hardpacking. The only change I would make is to have the barrell on rollers, but sitting up at a 45 degree angle.

 

Also maybe buying a used bench top drill press and mount a paint mixer on an extension rod. Just set the drill on top of the drum insert mixer into drum and lock rod into drills chuck and tighten, turn on  then walk away as it mixes This drill will be more powerful than hand helds and no strain on the arms.

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This sounds good but I have noticed I have to move the mixer around the bottom to get it all mixed up. Laying it on its side sounds good but turning a 500 pound drum on its side could be a challenge. There are already drum mixers that lay on the side just not sure if it would be an advantage or not. It would take more room for sure. Could just put a spigit to pour from.

http://morsedrum.com/products/201-image.htm

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I havent did it yet. But someone suggested a old trolling motor. Should work very well. I plan to bend the shaft and pount the prop at a 45 degree angle to the bottom. I wondered how the motor heat would affect the plastic. Im figuring it will have zero effect. Set it on low and walk away for a hour or 2.

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