j_holtslander Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 I was looking for some steel ball bearing paint agitators locally and couldn't find any. Amazon seemed like too much hassle with shipping and quant. needed to order etc. So I came up with this. An 11" beaded chain from the plumping section of the hardware store, snipped to individual pieces. Cost me $2.50 CAD for 50 paint jar's worth of agitators. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogsbody Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 Dude, that is frikkin' genius! So, which national hardware chain did you visit? Crappy Tire? Home Hardware? Rona? Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_holtslander Posted September 4, 2019 Author Share Posted September 4, 2019 Canadian Tire. But I'm sure any hardware store's plumbing dept. would have some. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogsbody Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 6 minutes ago, j_holtslander said: Canadian Tire. But I'm sure any hardware store's plumbing dept. would have some. You're never too far from a Canadian Tire in this country. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJP Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 (edited) Years ago I had a customer who told me he was fleeing the rat race, selling the house in Oakville and moving to Atikokan. He reasoned that if you couldn't get it at Canadian Tire you probably didn't need it. That was before they went over to big box format. These days you really can live there. Heck, I can even get lunch there. The store near me has a permanent dog and sausage guy right outside the front door, even in the winter. Just don't tell my cardiologist. Edited September 4, 2019 by RJP 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmwh548 Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 I'd be careful with those as they are steel (which obviously rusts). I've tried steel nuts many moons ago and after a while I discovered they were very rusty and ruined the paints. So if you really want the cheap version maybe you can take them out of the bottle after use (or at least avoid using them with acrylics). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_holtslander Posted September 4, 2019 Author Share Posted September 4, 2019 13 minutes ago, bmwh548 said: I'd be careful with those as they are steel (which obviously rusts). It’s nickel plated for corrosion resistance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 The outside will be nickel plated but I doubt the inside of the balls will be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmwh548 Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 The plating is very thin (and it will get a good thrashing from the glass bottle) and like colin said the inside of the balls (the "through hole") is most likely damaged from the balls spinning around on the chain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 Are they magnetic or not, I have come across chains like this made from brass then nickel plated? Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayprit Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 I tried stainless steel balls years ago, but found that if you didn't use the paint much the balls would collect at the bottom of tin/jar/bottle and be a pig to release, I used to put about 4 in, but gave up on them as they lacked mass/weight to actually break up the sediment so changed to much much heavier stainless steel nuts, 2 or 3 added to contents, I noticed the difference immediately on shaking receptacle, you could actually hear and feel the nuts working, PLUS they have 6 cutting corners to really chop up the crud, I also use my Badger battery-powered stirrer, just to make sure of a uniform mix 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 6mm glass BBs are my preferred route. Glass is neutral, doesn't rust and can be used again if you finish your jat/pot (does anyone ever finish a pot?). I got mine off eBay for a reasonable price - 1,000 for several £ - I forget the actual price. I've got a lot of paint, so I'll probably use them all eventually Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhouse Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 11 hours ago, j_holtslander said: An 11" beaded chain from the plumping section of the hardware store, snipped to individual pieces. Let's hope we don't see a future post saying "Any ideas? All my paints have gone a reddy/brown colour and are full of crud" 🤣 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogsbody Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 17 hours ago, RJP said: Years ago I had a customer who told me he was fleeing the rat race, selling the house in Oakville and moving to Atikokan. He reasoned that if you couldn't get it at Canadian Tire you probably didn't need it. That was before they went over to big box format. These days you really can live there. Heck, I can even get lunch there. The store near me has a permanent dog and sausage guy right outside the front door, even in the winter. Just don't tell my cardiologist. There is a giant, two-floored Crappy Tire in Edmonton's South Common. It is BIG! The ground floor alone is twice the size of our store, up here in Fort Mac. It even has special escalators to move your shopping carts from floor to floor. Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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