Reddit reviews Badger Air-Brush Co. 121 Paint Mixer,White

If it can be a stirrer instead of a shaker, I'd recommend something like this

I use a badger paint mixer to stir / mix the paint in the jar, that thing is amazing and made working with paint immensely easier for me. After I mix the paint, I'll use the mixer to get 3 big drops of paint out of the jar and into a paint tray like this one. Then I use a plastic syringe / eye dropper to put 6 drops of 90% Isopropyl Alcohol into the tray with the paint and use the mixer (by hand, don't turn it on or you'll have paint everywhere) to stir the paint and alcohol together so they're nice and smooth (like chocolate milk).

Once the paint is in the tray and thinned down a bit, I use different brushes depending on what I'm painting and do a couple light coats. That part takes practice and patience. For some colors (like gunmetal), one coat can do the trick, but for others (like red, light blue, copper) it'll take more. I also add another couple drops of alcohol to the paint and stir it in with the brush while I'm working to keep things fluid. Once the tray bubble is low or empty, I use the mixer and start over.

I also wait an hour (at least) after I finish a coat on a piece to do another. The waiting is the worst part because a lot of the time I want things done NOW so I can display my kit.

Once all the painting is done, I'll let the parts sit on their sticks for a day or two to cure, then brush on some Future, let that cure for an hour or more (overnight is better), and then assemble.

For a lot of my work, I don't prime first. I probably should, but since I don't have the room to airbrush or use spray cans, I just paint my washed plastic. For touch ups or frame painting with gunmetal it's usually fine, tho I'm sure I'd get even better results if I primed first. As it is, I have some Tamiya primer, but it's a pain in the arse to apply and clean up, so I only use it when I really need it. I'd do a happy dance if there was an easy to get (and easy to clean up) brushable primer.

I'd add one more suggestion that worked for me.

Day 1 of getting my supplies (a week ago) I transferred about 15 ml of nic in a unicorn tip bottle (and labeled it - important) for current use and put rest of it in freezer.

Did a similar bottle as you for the VG base and all bottles that didn't have dripper tops (I got a bunch of 2 oz flavors), nicotine river threw in the black twist caps for free. So all flavors are bottle served.

Never used syringe or needles for anything except for nic transfer.

Apart from weighing scale and label maker a paint mixer (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BROV02) comes super handy.

this one

Magnetic stirrer for laboratory use. Nice, but pricey.

A cheaper alternative is an airbrush paint mixer for $12.54.
Unlike the $2 coffee milk frothers they're based on, these things actually work very well for sizes up to say 100ml. And you can mix right in the glass bottles most of us use.

I don't have any scientific info for you, but I got one of these and never looked back.

Badger Air-Brush Co. 121 Paint Mixer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BROV02?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

It's a small handheld mixer. It's super cheap and it works really damn well for me. Instead of hand shaking or heating, you just put it in the bottle, turn it on, move it up and down and within about 10-50 seconds (depending on the bottle size) it gets mixed really, really well.

Badger Air-Brush Co. 121 Paint Mixer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BROV02/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_XcuBzb6SK50XY

I've brought back some really old paint with this.

The Robart Paint Shaker ~$40

http://www.amazon.com/Robart-Manufacturing-Paint-Shaker-Powered/dp/B0006O7M9W

Badger Paint Mixer ~$10

http://www.amazon.com/Badger-Air-Brush-Co-121-Paint/dp/B000BROV02

I started typing and this ended up being really long, hopefully it helps. I might have gone overboard, so if you need / want a TL;DR or more info on anything just say the word and I'll do what I can :)

My personal preference is to add details and touch-ups to my figures. I've done a few full repaints, and I'm working on my first airbrushed figure, but I really like adding in details where the factory didn't :)

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Paints:

I've had good results using alcohol based acrylics like Tamiya, Model Master, or Testors Acrylics (I think Enamels are Testors' main line, so make sure to check what type it is). Alcohol-based acrylics thin and clean up nicely with 91% isopropyl alcohol, I usually pick it up from whatever pharmacy is nearby (don't get the 70%, it doesn't work at all).

Citadel and Vallejo make nice water-based acrylic paints in additional colors, you'll definitely need a primer if you're working with Vallejo (I've only used a couple of Citadel paints, so I can't really speak to them).

You'll want to stay far away from acrylic craft paint, I've tried it in the past and it doesn't come out well at all (I just use some empty glass or plastic jars from stuff like sour cream or salsa since they're not too big).

Some folks like enamel paints, and there might be another kind of model paint, but the chemicals in those paints and their thinner tends to be quite strong so I avoid them. I used un-thinned enamels when I first started painting, and when I tried to use the thinner it ended up melting my paint tray and making a mess, so I'm not too keen to give them another try.

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Tools are going to differ a bit depending on how you want to paint (hand painting vs airbrushing or spray painting).

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Hand Painting:

You'll need paints, some soft bristle brushes (I have a set like these), something to stir your paint (I use a Badger Paint Mixer and love it to bits), thinner (depending on your type of paint), a mixing tray, some pipettes for measuring paint and thinner, something to hold your parts while painting (I like these Aligator Clips), something to stick the clips into (I use a styrofoam block wrapped in plastic from a craft store, but I've seen folks use taped together cardboard like from Amazon boxes or the cheap foam coolers), some fine grit sand paper or nail buffing blocks to help rough up the surface slightly to help the paint stick, and something for topcoat (I absolutely love Pledge Multisurface Floor Care, aka Future Floor Wax, it's a clear acrylic wax that dries to a semi-gloss to gloss shine, it brushes on nice and self-levels for a smooth finish, and one bottle will last a REALLY long time; I got a bottle a few years ago and I've used it on a LOT of gundams and TFs and the bottle is still half full). You may also want some smaller containers or jars to hold your thinner, brush cleaner (alcohol or water), and topcoat if you're using Pledge just so you don't need to keep the big bottle out on your workspace.

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Airbrushing:

You'll need an airbrush and compressor, and then a lot of the same supplies as above. You'll also want some small-ish jars to store your thinned paint so you can re-use your leftover paint instead of having to toss it, and some painter's tape to mask off parts you don't want to paint and to keep your paint lines clean.

You can airbrush inside the house, but you'll want to do it in a well ventilated area if you don't have a spray booth (box with a fan and air filter to help move the fumes out the window and help keep the paint from spraying everywhere). I'm still learning to paint with my airbrush, so I don't have too many tips here.

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Spray painting:

You'll need your choice of spray paints, alligator clips, fine sand paper, and some painter's tape to mask off areas so it doesn't get everywhere. I definitely wouldn't advise using spray paints indoors, the fumes tend to be really strong. I haven't really used spray paints in a long time, so I'm not a lot of help here either.

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Markers:

Some folks might recommend sharpies or paint pens / markers, but I've never had good luck with them.

I do highly recommend using a Micron, Graphix, or Prismacolor marker / pen for highlighting panel lines in .005 thickness for most figures. The .01 and even .05 markers can work well too, but they might be too thick for some figures, so a couple different thicknesses can't hurt (I've got a pencil case full of lining markers from those brands). Don't use sharpies for panel lines, unless things have changed, even the thinnest ones tend to dry a purpley-blue instead of black, and the lines are still really thick compared to the Micron.

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Painting Tips:

• Always wash your figures in some warm soapy water, rinse them off, and let them dry fully before painting. This gets rid of any leftover mould release from the factory, it helps keep the parts from sticking in the moulds during assembly, but it will repel paint, pledge, primer, and panel lines like mad. I've skipped this step in the past, but things never turned out as well; so now I wash all my figures shortly after I open them up and make sure they're keepers.
  
• Always thin your paints! You might need 2-3 coats to get things just right, but the end finish will look really nice. I've found a 2:1 ratio of paint:thinner seems to work pretty well for most paints, but ymmv (the temperature and humidity can have a huge impact on how the paint comes out, and fans can speed the drying process, which can be a blessing or a curse, heh).
  
• If you're painting parts that will rub against others, lightly sand the surfaces first. This will help the paint stick to the plastic better.
  
• You might need / want to prime a piece before painting it. You can prime by hand with a primer like Vallejo Surface Primer, or with a spray primer. I find spray primer tends to come out smoother, but depending on what you're doing, either can work (priming by hand tends to come out a bit thicker, so ymmv again). When I paint by hand I'll usually only prime if I'm painting a dark piece a lighter color, but when I airbrush everything that's getting painted gets primed first.
  
• After you paint something, let it sit for about an hour before doing another coat, and let things fully dry and cure before moving on to topcoating and panel lining (usually 24 hours between a final coat of paint and topcoat, and another few hours between topcoat and panel lines).

I use one of these to mix my paints for I am lazy and should save my strength for my shake weights.

Badger Air-Brush Co. 121 Paint Mixer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BROV02/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_s4ilDbQCPJ3BW

Buy this. It is better than anything you can do by hand.

I have this: https://www.amazon.com/Badger-Air-Brush-Co-121-Paint/dp/B000BROV02/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1519876109&sr=8-3&keywords=model+paint+stirrer

I like this idea, some else here suggested a handheld paint mixer from amazon.
I will most likely pick one up handheld paint mixer

The only thing that is leaning me towards the mag stirrer is the fact that you can simply leave it on for a few hours. Maybe stir it initially with the handheld tool.

You will have a significantly easier time with a higher quality paint. I recommend the Vallejo line of paints from my personal experience. They make both brush and airbrush consistency paints. However, if you are set on using craft paint, I recommend that you thin them with a copious amount of Liquitex Airbrush Effects and mix them with a Badger Paint Mixer.