Hand Crank Paint Shaker

Mixing paint with a stir stick or a drill attachment is a bummer. Incidentally, spending a lot of money on a paint shaker that I will hardly ever use is also a bummer.

As I plan on tackling quite a few paint projects in the near future, I decided it was time to turn the fevered dream of a madman (that's me) into a reality.

I knew that I wanted the design to use a defunct stationary bicycle. They are usually easy to find on trash day. Happy day, I found this one today.

I decided to simply use one side of the pedal assembly for the hand crank and the other side as my mechanical linkage.

I used an old hinge style hasp I had in my junk bucket, some plywood, some PVC pipe, and various nuts and screws.

Pull off any non essential pieces you can, i.e. pedal covers, seat, covers, handles, etc.

Don't throw them away though, some of them may be useful.....

I attached the hasp assembly to the neck of the bike where the handles originally were. I then bolted the platform where the paint can will set. I drilled a hole through a pice of 1/2" PVC and connected it onto the pedal stem. The other end I connected to the end of the platform with a side mount attaching point.

I screwed two pieces of wood which will set on either side of my paint can.

I located on old can of paint in my storage cabinet and placed it on the platform. I used another piece of PVC as a hold down over the top of the can.

As you can see, the paint had completely separated before I mixed it. After mixing for a short period, it was completely reincorporated.

I've included a video of it in operation. Please bear in mind this is the prototype.

As you saw in the video, this unit is very effective, but also a bit rickety. I decided I had better do some modifications to make it a bit more usable.

The first thing I did was cut off the seat post, It served no purpose and kept the platform from going down real far.

Next, I got rid of the PVC arm and replaced it with one of the original handles from the bike. I used some conduit clamps I had in the garage to attach them to the platform. Finally, I placed some plastic sleeves over the handle, purely for comfort while cranking.

I painted the platform with some spray paint and cut off excess protrusions.

I used the round bits off the bottom of the handles as a side support to keep the can from sliding during operation.

I used lengths of all-thread for the hold down arms. I purchased plastic screw lugs to speed up the tightening process.

A piece of PVC makes a very nice hold bar.

Well, it's finished. It works very well for what it is. It speeds up the process quite a bit.

I didn't get a chance to make a video of the finished one in operation, but trust me, it's quite functional.

Thanks for reading and if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!