Around The Home

Mixing Mate stirs and pours paint without any mess

Mixing Mate stirs and pours paint without any mess
The Mixing Mate attaches to a paint can to easily stir paint, pour it out smoothly, and even seal it for later
The Mixing Mate attaches to a paint can to easily stir paint, pour it out smoothly, and even seal it for later
View 4 Images
Once you're done, the Mixing Mate spout seals up tightly with a spring so it can be stored away for another time
1/4
Once you're done, the Mixing Mate spout seals up tightly with a spring so it can be stored away for another time
The Mixing Mate attaches to any standard quart-sized paint can using a pair or twisting clamps to lock it in place and prevent any leaks
2/4
The Mixing Mate attaches to any standard quart-sized paint can using a pair or twisting clamps to lock it in place and prevent any leaks
The Mixing Mate attaches to a paint can to easily stir paint, pour it out smoothly, and even seal it for later
3/4
The Mixing Mate attaches to a paint can to easily stir paint, pour it out smoothly, and even seal it for later
The paint can be poured cleanly from the spout while holding the pistol grip handle and pushing a lever
4/4
The paint can be poured cleanly from the spout while holding the pistol grip handle and pushing a lever
View gallery - 4 images

Aside from professional painters, it's a sure bet that painting can be a cumbersome and messy chore for most people. That's why hardware retailer Rockler has created the Mixing Mate Paint Lid, which attaches to a paint can to easily stir the paint, pour it out smoothly, and even seal it for later.

The Mixing Mate attaches to any standard quart (946 ml)-sized paint can using twisting cam clamps to lock it in place and prevent any leaks. Turning the crank on top spins the auger-shaped blade inside the can, which lifts any pigment from the bottom and mixes it quickly and thoroughly. Then, the paint can be poured cleanly from the spout while holding the pistol grip handle and pushing a lever – which looks much more comfortable than dealing with the metal wire most paint cans use for a handle.

The paint can be poured cleanly from the spout while holding the pistol grip handle and pushing a lever
The paint can be poured cleanly from the spout while holding the pistol grip handle and pushing a lever

Finally, once you're done, the spout seals up tightly with a spring so it can be stored away for another time. The whole device is also composed of mostly non-metal materials so solvents won't affect it, and it breaks apart into multiple pieces for easier cleaning.

Rockler is now selling the quart-sized Mixing Mate Paint Lid through its online store for US$14.99 each, with a gallon (3.8-liter)-sized version expected in February 2013 for $19.95.

Source: Rockler via Uncrate

View gallery - 4 images
8 comments
8 comments
Bamboozler
Hate to pour paint on your parade, but this has been our for a long while. Granted before it wasn't marketed towards anyone, but focused on body shops. but, still, pretty much the exact same thing, been around for a few years. Made by the company 3M, called the Fillon Agitator Paint mixing lid
Derek Howe
I used to work at a body shop, and yes, we had these style of lids.
But It's cool that this company is making them for the everyday home folk, at a decent price, but I still don't think it will sell well, because non-professional painters have no reason to buy this.
I think companies like Dutch Boy have the right idea, in simply re-designing the jug. But for the normal metal tin can ones you can buy a 99 cent plastic edge that makes pouring a drip free process, and since it's just a buck, you can decide if it's worth cleaning it for future use, or just throwing it away.
Good luck to this company, and I'll be surprised if it sells good.
The Hoff
This makes painting harder. The worst part is cleaning and this only adds to that list besides having to store it when you don't want to use it. Besides that the mixer does not touch the bottom so it's not as efficient as a stick. On top of it all if you can't pour paint out of a can your too clutsy to paint anything.
Cassandra Rothman
This is very nice! Atleast, you can mix with different colors without a mess. That is less work.
Vilmantas Juknevicius
Professionals using this more than 20 years !
Charles Bosse
Rockler is mainly a woodworking tool company, and the quart can size makes me suspect that the target audience here are people using stains, urethane coats, and oil based finishes. These products that tend to be expensive (for finishes and paints) and used in low volume (for furniture rather than walls) so a long term, lowish cost lid that makes stirring, pouring, and storage (all harder with more viscous finishes) an easy task is a good idea.
Siegfried Gust
This could be a good product, although I suspect that the sliding spout cap might get stuck if the paint were allowed to dry on it. But a sentence in the article stood out to me, "The whole device is also composed of mostly non-metal materials so solvents won't affect it,". The author aught to brush up on his chemistry. Solvents for the most part don't effect metals, but many will dissolve or soften many plastics. My guess is that the plastics used in this lid are solvent resistant, but I would be hesitant to clean it with something harsh like acetone.
Layne Nelson
Can it be used for martini's stirred not shaken?