Idea for an Invention...help me!!

[e-tek]

I have an idea, but need some help with some apsects of it...

I want to build a "spray can/rattle can shaker". You know how you are supposed to shake a spray bomb/rattle can for 1 minute... Everyone has seen the shakers they have for quart and gallon cans at the paint store, so why not one for a spray bomb? I envision using a small motor - either wind-up, battery or AC powered - attached to the bench or other base, that can shake a holder, so you can drop in a rattle can.

THE IMPORTANT(hard) PART: finding a motor, or fabbing a part, that will shake it back and forth. My idea (currently) is a windsheild wiper motor (I know, brilliant - right?!)....

I know you guys are more brilliant than I am by a few orders of magnitute...so....let the ideas fly boys!!!

 

[Jiffycake]

That's a good idea.. hrmmm

EDIT:
I think that having an extra machine to complete a task is wasteful; especially when you can use an existing one.

My idea is kind of like an oil filter wrench, but with an end to fit a drill chuck. I bet you can even adapt an existing oil filter wrench to grip a can and fit into a drill chuck.

Here is what I came up with..

 

[e-tek]

Jiffy - this is a good way to hold the can...but it would centrifuge the paint which seperates it...I guess if we put two bends in the part that fits into the chuck it would wobble enough to agitate it.

 

[dps]

The big shakers have a compound movement to them, but a rattle can really only needs an up and down motion to do the trick. So something that has the same motion as a reciprocating saw would do the trick. The crudest version would be to duct tape a can onto a pruning (they're long) blade and pull the trigger for maybe 15 seconds. I'm guessing 15 seconds at those speeds would more than equal 60 seconds of hand shaking.

 

[Spookrider]

Air Hammer + Hammer bit +3" x 6" or so pipe + attach pipe to hammer bit + drill holes in side of pipe + tap holes in pipe + add bolts with rubber pads/feet to grip cans + air reducer + jig of sorts to hold it all.
Hows that?

 

[Jiffycake]

I like the reciprocating saw idea. The problem is that the thin profile that a blade must be to fit the saw maybe not be able to support the forces of rig and a shaking rattle can.

You can get around this by modifying an old recip. saw with the non-quick release. I know I have one that we just stored somewhere since we got a quick release type saw. It will only be for the purpose of shaking cans but who cares if you didn't use the saw anyway.

Of course I don't know if you actually wanted to produce this and sell it or just make yourself a one-off tool.

 

[rick2752]

You are on to something there. You just need a clamp on a bar that will chuck into a sawsall.

 

[79firebird]

The do have em i saw one 3 years ago at ace hardware ataches to a drill and holds it i think with a velcro. i know theres a fue patents on a fue diff stules of home made ones. i just put them in a reg paint shaker

 

[akdiesel]

That is some good thinking e-tek, but reading some of your other posts in other topics I think you might end up using this for more than just spray cans. lol....

 

[<>Severed<>]

other then it's expensive this does spray cans, the only reason I know that is we have two of them. It has a hole in the bottom for the top of the can and the the clamp holds it down. It works pretty good. But you might be able to use part of its design just for spray cans

http://www.blairequipment.com/paint_shaker/paint_shaker.html

 

[Bob Paulin]

You really don't need a Sawzall.....

I built one from a $5 lawn sale jig/saber saw.

 

[6t7gto]

http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/5439287/description.html

 

[Kevin54]

Pick up a cheap set of hedge trimmers and modify the cutting blade. Find a piece of PVC pipe that the rattle can would slide into and use a bandsaw to slice the PVC lengthways in half. Mount one half of the PVC to a moveable blade. Use two hose clamps with the clamps mounted stationary to the stationary piece of PVC that is mounted to the blade. Slip the can in, slip the other piece of PVC tubing beside it, then clamp the two together. Hit the trigger and shake away.

 

[e-tek]

MANY excellent ideas gentlemen...but do we have a WINNER yet? I'm not sure...I had considered many of these ideas before coming to the board for more expertise....

Perhaps you'll allow me to talk us through the pro's and con's of some of these ideas...

I saw the PatentStorm entry when I Googled "paint shaker" and thought it might be the best in terms of motion (Dual Action), but I thought it too difficult to mount the the sander upside down - generally (and the one I have) the trigger is over the handle (so that you hold it down while you press the machine against the surface to be sanded) and even if you remove the trigger, the mechanism is in an awkward position - too awkward to bother changing - making other alternatives easier to work with.

The JigSaw motion would work, but as was said, the chuck is too light to handle the abuse and the throw liley too short. Bob - do you have a photo of yours?

The SawzAll (perhaps also the impact hammer) might be the most practical in some aspects, but the least in others. Once a light-weight holder is made for the aerosol can, it need only to be attached to an end that can be inserted into either tool and used as an attachement. The tool itself doesn't need to be altered (or ruined) - or become just another tool that might be rarely used.

The drawback to making it an attachment is that you'd have to hold the SawZall or air hammer while shaking the can. A minute can seem forever holding either and part of the want in making a tool is to free you to do other things while the paint is mixing - right? Making a holder for a Sawzall or air hammer might prove both a troublesome ordeal and again a cumbersome item to have sitting around until you want to shake a can of paint.

So, unless you can persude me (and others!) that one of these ideas not only shakes a can of paint, but is PRACTICAL as well, I might be back to using the windsheild wiper motor. This idea can be mounted on the bench or asa stand alone, doesn't use one of your otherwise dedicated tools and allows a good shaking motion, while running on AC or DC cuurent.

I'll fab up a couple samples (as I'd hope others would!) and report my findings here! Stay tuned.

 

[Bob Paulin]

The JigSaw motion would work, but as was said, the chuck is too light to handle the abuse and the throw liley too short. Bob - do you have a photo of yours?

I don't own a digital camera.

Don't think about attaching something where the blade usually attaches. I felt the weight of the can would likely break the screw.

I made a collar that slips over the entire shaft of the jig saw and tack-welded it. Yup! It's now a uni-tasker. (The cheap jig saw was bought specifically for this purpose, and I have a good Craftsman jig saw for jig sawing projects.)

But, I don't see why you couldn't drill and tap a couple of holes in the collar and lock it on with set screws.

B.P.

 

[kartracer55]

Palm sander...

 

[gsport]

seems to me alot of work just for a minute of not having to shake it manually....

 

[rrudd2]

Saw this yesterday.....

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/workshop/4272846.html?page=10

 

[dreamingmuscle]

I don't think the windshield wiper motor will move fast enough to shake the can properly. This is the same idea but with a bigger motor.

Glen
________
extreme vaporizer review

 

[-olllllllo-]

think......tattoo machine. 2 coils and an a-bar.

they'd have ta be some big coils tho.

might have to play with this myself, even for mixing tattoo inks, lol.

 

[anewman]

e-tek
I don't mean to make light of your idea. I just wonder how big of a market you would have and for something like that i would keep the price down, so it needs to be a very efficient type of machine.

 

[e-tek]

e-tek
I don't mean to make light of your idea. I just wonder how big of a market you would have and for something like that i would keep the price down, so it needs to be a very efficient type of machine.

It's OK - I've been made light of before!! I never intended to invent something for marketing purposes - just for my use. But then I thought 'someone' could, so was considering those aspects too.

As for who said it was a lot of work just to get out of shaking a can of paint -that's how MOST inventions came about For me, I am often either painting a few parts at a time, or they take a primer, color and clear. Also, I find I am painting and fiddling at the same time and never mix the paints enough, so I thought I could have them mixed while I was doing something else, or mix one while I was using another....my time is so limited in the shop, I hate to waste it shaking paint!!

thanks for all the comments and ideas!!

 

[mellowde]

I wonder if the answer lies with using a random orbit sander. Perhaps using a velcro strip to fasten the can to the hook and loop surface. Maximum size of the can would depend on the size of the sander. I don't know for sure without trying this, if the motion would do the job. Worth a try in the morning.

 

[yhprum]

I like the winshield wiper motor idea, One to give the can up and down motion, another to give it side to side at the same time. You can adjust either speed. use a toaster oven type timer, and its a go..........

 

[e-tek]

I wonder if the answer lies with using a random orbit sander. Perhaps using a velcro strip to fasten the can to the hook and loop surface. Maximum size of the can would depend on the size of the sander. I don't know for sure without trying this, if the motion would do the job. Worth a try in the morning.

I like this idea - just a velcro wrap and it's on there! But how to mount the sander - upside down yet - so you don't have to hold it.

 

[e-tek]

I like the winshield wiper motor idea, One to give the can up and down motion, another to give it side to side at the same time. You can adjust either speed. use a toaster oven type timer, and its a go..........

I'll be trying this this weekend for sure. Love the Toaster oven timer idea!

 

[dps]

I don't think the random orbit sander would do the trick; it's just going to mostly spin the can, which won't mix the contents. The "random" part of it is too small of a motion to do it, I would guess.