ALLWAY® Helix Paint Mixer

The ALLWAY Helix Mixer is built for blending paints, coatings, stains and adhesives, and it is a good match for two-component epoxy work. The heavy-duty 1/4 inch hex shaft chucks into any 3/8 inch or larger drill, and the polypropylene helix blade moves material from the bottom and the corners of the container back through the center of the batch.

That corner reach is the part that matters on epoxy. Unmixed resin sitting in the radius at the bottom of a pail is the most common cause of soft spots, sticky patches and coatings that never fully cure. A helix blade sweeps the walls and floor of the container instead of just spinning material in the middle, which gives you a uniform blend in less time at the drill.

The design also runs with fewer air bubbles than a paddle-style mixer beaten at high speed. Air entrained during mixing has to come back out of the film, and on a clear coat or a fine finish it does not always make it out in time. Mix at moderate drill speed, keep the blade below the surface, and give the material the full mix time the manufacturer calls for.

It is available in sizes for 5 gallon and 1 gallon containers, so match the mixer to the pail you actually mix in. The blade is polypropylene, easy to clean if you get to it before the material sets, and cheap enough that a crew should own more than one. A dedicated mixer per component avoids cross-contaminating Part A and Part B, which is a real problem on fast-set systems.