Stirring Pigment

[CNC Molds N Stuff]

How do you guys get them stirred up. I got a couple bottles from Bears with about 2 inches oif pigmented settled out and caked in the bottom of the bottle. Shaking does nothing. I had to pour some out of the jar and spend several minutes attacking it with a long screw driver to break it up, and then it still didn't all come up.

Suggestions?

It will make getting consistent colors difficult.

Edited July 31, 2010 by Bob La Londe

[Richard Prager]

How do you guys get them stirred up. I got a couple bottles from Bears with about 2 inches oif pigmented settled out and caked in the bottom of the bottle. Shaking does nothing. I had to pour some out of the jar and spend several minutes attacking it with a long screw driver to break it up, and then it still didn't all come up.

Suggestions?

It will make getting consistent colors difficult.

I've never had that problem and have had colorants sitting for over 5 years. You might want to give Bear a call.

I do know allot of guys put a couple of small nuts in the bottles and some nuke the bottle for a few seconds to aid in mixing. I never bothered with any of that. Might be because of the heat and humidity here. I used colorants from every vendor out there and have never encountered what you described.

[Vodkaman]

Maybe a drill with a length of bent wire might mix it up for you.

Dave

[Vodkaman]

Is the color chartreuse from Bears baits company?

I ask because he stated on his web site that he is having a problem with chartreuse color settling and asks customers to let him know. See the thread on the subject: http://www.bearsbaits.net/forum/index.php?topic=3134.msg0;topicseen#new

Knowing Bears customer service, I am sure he will be able to help you out to solve the problem.

Dave

[Piscivorous Pike]

I've never had that problem and have had colorants sitting for over 5 years. You might want to give Bear a call.

I do know allot of guys put a couple of small nuts in the bottles and some nuke the bottle for a few seconds to aid in mixing. I never bothered with any of that. Might be because of the heat and humidity here. I used colorants from every vendor out there and have never encountered what you described.

strange that it be a topic today, I have the same problem...

I am pouring new molds, been off my game a few months and found all my Bear Pigments have settled out! Black, white, methiolate, hot pink, hot red, avacado... it goes on.

I took a piecr of hanger wire and bent a 90 degree in it and slipped it into the drip hole, hand twirl or drill, I spin it against the cake and it mixes. Shaking does not good.

Best way is if you have a bench or place you regularly pour from, small hobby like mine, put them in a rack and when you pass it while tinkering or laundry or what ever, turn the rack over. Keep that up over the months and it stays mixed. But as you can read, I did not do that this last time.

[jacobsbaits]

I've also had the same problems with the colorants separating and settling to the bottom. I've never used Bears, but L-C and N-C colors do the same thing.

I don't think it's a supplier problem, I think it's just an inherit problem of the product.

I just use a piece of wire to stir it up before I add it to the plastic

[CNC Molds N Stuff]

Is the color chartreuse from Bears baits company?

I ask because he stated on his web site that he is having a problem with chartreuse color settling and asks customers to let him know. See the thread on the subject: http://www.bearsbait...http://www.bearsbaits.net/forum/index.php?topic=3134.msg0;topicseen#new

Knowing Bears customer service, I am sure he will be able to help you out to solve the problem.

Dave

Methiolate & Chartreuse. not just settled out, but hard caked. I checked the green pumkin with a stick and it semed ok. Now I guess I need to check my other colors.

[Capital Fishing Lures]

put something metal "ball, screw " anything and it shold help mix it up thats what I did

[nova]

All of the colors from every supplier will settle. Some colors will settle more than others depending on the "recipie" they are using to get that particular color.

I use SS nuts in the bottles to help break up the sediments and disolve them. I do not use BB's or ballbearings as the tend to block off the spout. You will just have to take the time to shake the crap out of it so it will mix.

It's just one of those things that are a bit of a pain but you have to do.

PS: I wouldn't use a drill with a wire attached in the bottle as it is plastic and you can slice through it. If that happens you will have a mess to end all messes. LOL

www.novalures.com

[Vodkaman]

PS: I wouldn't use a drill with a wire attached in the bottle as it is plastic and you can slice through it. If that happens you will have a mess to end all messes. LOL

Point taken, but I feel sure their is a drill solution here somewhere.

I like pikey's solution of a rack of colors that you have to walk past several times a day. The bathroom seems like a good idea, although your wife might have more creative suggestions, probably involving some personal discomfort to you. Personally, I would design a rack to achieve this automatically, but you know what I am like, I get carried away, or should be carried away.

Dave

[carolinamike]

Nova's right, all of the people that sell coloring to the hand pour guys actually have to break it down. One reason being, true coloring will not come out in drops. It's a pasty like substance, more like a printer's dye. In order to use the pure stuff, you have to weigh it everytime to get a consistent product. Also the mixing of the coloring into the plastisol would take a lot more time too if it wasn't broken down. Even mixing 20 gallons of plastic with about 32 oz of flake still takes 30 minutes or longer of continual stirring for it to dissolve into the plastisol. The reason the chartreuse cakes up on the bottom, and I take it we're talking about clear chartreuse, is that it's actually a powdered coloring. That's the reason it's a little tougher to stir and tends to cake up on the bottom. To give you an idea how concentrated the true stuff is, it only takes about 1 gram to color 20 oz of plastic. 88 grams will do 5 gallons. This gives you a little background on why you get the settling. The stainless steel nuts are a great idea but you'll find some colors just have to be shaken more than others. Just the nature of the beast.

[CNC Molds N Stuff]

Point taken, but I feel sure their is a drill solution here somewhere.

I like pikey's solution of a rack of colors that you have to walk past several times a day. The bathroom seems like a good idea, although your wife might have more creative suggestions, probably involving some personal discomfort to you. Personally, I would design a rack to achieve this automatically, but you know what I am like, I get carried away, or should be carried away.

Dave

Seems I recall somebody once telling me they had racks like that for storing dynamite. Kept the nitro from settling out to one side and becoming unstable. I don't think anybody even uses dynamite anymore. Last time I saw a rock outfit blast the face off a mountain they used fertilizer and diesel charges with a blasting cap to set them off.

Edited August 1, 2010 by Bob La Londe

[CNC Molds N Stuff]

Point taken, but I feel sure their is a drill solution here somewhere.

I like pikey's solution of a rack of colors that you have to walk past several times a day. The bathroom seems like a good idea, although your wife might have more creative suggestions, probably involving some personal discomfort to you. Personally, I would design a rack to achieve this automatically, but you know what I am like, I get carried away, or should be carried away.

Dave

I'll be doing a rod/drill solution here shortly. I suspect that because of the thin bottles the pigment comes in puncturing or tearing could be an issue. One reason I had not already done something like this. I use drill mixers in paint and mud. I kept thinking regular paint mixer, but the rod makes sense. Just have to bend the bottom into a rounded triagle so no sharp ends can hit the bottle. I'll still do it with the bottle in a bucket after removing some liquid from the bottle. Stiff rod. Hmmm... I wonder what I have around.

Edited August 1, 2010 by Bob La Londe

[Piscivorous Pike]

I'll be doing a rod/drill solution here shortly. I suspect that because of the thin bottles the pigment comes in puncturing or tearing could be an issue. One reason I had not already done something like this. I use drill mixers in paint and mud. I kept thinking regular paint mixer, but the rod makes sense. Just have to bend the bottom into a rounded triagle so no sharp ends can hit the bottle. I'll still do it with the bottle in a bucket after removing some liquid from the bottle. Stiff rod. Hmmm... I wonder what I have around.

That is what I said I did...

"I took a piecr of hanger wire and bent a 90 degree in it and slipped it into the drip hole, hand twirl or drill, I spin it against the cake and it mixes."

The end has a double bend so it is rounded and small enough to get it in.

[mark poulson]

I put sst BBs in my airbrush paint bottles, and shake them well before I use them.

They have pigment particles that will settle out if not shaken.

Sounds like shaking vigorously once a week needs to be part of the plastic pouring program,too.

[Piscivorous Pike]

I put sst BBs in my airbrush paint bottles, and shake them well before I use them.

They have pigment particles that will settle out if not shaken.

Sounds like shaking vigorously once a week needs to be part of the plastic pouring program,too.

Rocks, I use rocks.

My plastisol settles too. I buy it by the gallon, a couple at a time and make sure it is well mixed and then put it into quart plastic bottles for easier handling.. It settles out, a thick agent at the bottom or those quartsand they will not shake up.

I picked from my driveway gravel some hard weathered round stones. I put about 5 in each quart and shake those just like rattle can paints.

Maybe I should put rocks in the colorant too. Less weird if I put those quarts and colorants in a rotating rack.

[Delw]

How do you guys get them stirred up. I got a couple bottles from Bears with about 2 inches oif pigmented settled out and caked in the bottom of the bottle. Shaking does nothing. I had to pour some out of the jar and spend several minutes attacking it with a long screw driver to break it up, and then it still didn't all come up.

Suggestions?

It will make getting consistent colors difficult.

Methiolate is the worst. the best way to make it work is like Dave says Ie a drill. get a cordless and put it on reverse or take a long roofing nail and chuck it up having the head in the plastic and cut one or 2 notchs in the head with dikes or a file.

we had to use the screwdriver method then mix it with a drill on some ocassions, that will break it up then you can use nuts or a drill.

You dont need stainless nuts as pigment is oil based and won't rust regular nuts. for most colorants 2 1/4-20 nuts work best.

methiolate gets to be like concrete in the bottom. its way different than chartruse.

one other quick method is to heat it in the microwave for 15 seconds to warm it up. then mix it, makes it go smoother and quicker.

for guys that pour lots of plastic a milkshake mixer is the best for mixing colors ( all of them) and keeping them consistant between uses, then to clean off between colors just run the mixer in some softener.

Delw