how long is too long with a mixer?

[trowelmonkey1]

hello chaps! back from holiday and straight into the questions.

so how long is too long using an electric mixer? whats about right from experience your point of view? 1 minute or more like 3-5?

have worries about over mixing and causing my finish to go off like a rocket (as per bag instructions) so i mix only for as long as i think i can get away with but suspect i'm still under mixing a little as i get the occasional, albeit small patch of pimples.

THX in advance fellas!

 

[NickB_99]

Hi TM1. Hope the holiday was good - welcome back.

I tend to mix prob about 3-4 mins, depending on amount. Defo not 5, but more than 1.
I can't manage a full bag of m/f without it going off before the end - usually no more than 2/3rds.

With the time spent mixing, don't want to get powder not mixed - but have found sometimes when I smooth the m/finish on, I can get some little bubbles that take another pass of the trowel to smooth out.
Not sure if this is my poor plastering technique or too zealous with the elec mixer introducing air!

 

[Micilin]

I think the key is to be organised. Have everything to hand and ready before you start.

Know how much water you need for the size of mix.

(eg a yellow bucket for a bag, or mark your bucket for half a bag etc)

Remember how much you put in thelast mix, andhow it turned out.

Put in the powder gradually, but not so slow that it takes all day(say put in a quarter first, give it a little spin, the half, spin and then add the rest). Put in less powder that you think it needs as you get to near to the correct thickness, and add a little powder rather than water to get it right.

You can angle the whisk so that the gear kind of 'rolls' around to the surface, and you can see when this is smooth enough.

Remove the whisk paddle just before it stops spinning (ie when it has slowed down) so you don't get a bit air bubble in the bottom that will plop up into your face!

BG say that overmixing leads to tiger stripes.

When you get the hang of it, you can mix without turning off the whisk from start to finish, cleaning the sides and adding powder. I hold bag in one arm, whisk in other and pour it all it in while mixing )There is no need to try this now , as I suppose you might risk getting caught in the paddle.

I am happy with a labourer if he can have two buckets mixed and whisk and bucket cleaned out in 5 minutes, but this is only a gudeline if you are doing it day in day out. If you are not bashing out houses(where one man will use 2-3-4 bags a guage), you need to concentrate on getting organised and being neat and tidy before you worry about speed. No point trying to save one minute and end up cleaning up for hours , or spilling a bucket upstairs !

People often worry too much about speed and quantity, but quality is the key.

I'll time it on monday with a stopwatch !

 

[Micilin]

If you only want a half a bucket, or a bucket, I would use a plunger instead of carryiong a whisk, maybe transformer, washing it out etc.

If I'm doing a ceiling or something that only needs a bucket or two, i'd go back to basics.

No danger of overmixing then!

 

[trowelmonkey1]

great time thanks Newbie! 30-40 degrees all week

will wait for your stopwatch results with interest micilin

seems like i probably have the best strategy for now then by only mixing as much as i think i can get away with, think it probably ends up being around 3 minutes, maybe i'll try only adding a quarter at a time and mixing that thoroughly each time though from now on, can see this having benefits.

as yet haven't suffered tiger stripes so guess i'm not over mixing which is reassuring.

i too sometime get a patch of pimples newbie but they 'hard trowel' out towards the end of the setting so don't really cause me a problem but do wonder as to why i get them, a whole wall can on beautifully then i get a random patch of this acne!

 

[NickB_99]

great time thanks Newbie! 30-40 degrees all week

Nice
Away myself for a few days in Normandy (all the talk of holidays on the posts, feel I should join in!)
Tho I'll be content with anything over 20degs and minimum rain!!!

i too sometime get a patch of pimples newbie but they 'hard trowel' out towards the end of the setting

Glad to hear I'm not alone.
Tho not quite sure what you mean. I'd normally do three trowelling passes using a minimum amount of water. Do you mean hard trowelling after these or extra pressure during one of the trowelling passes?

 

[trowelmonkey1]

you're further south than England mate so nearer the equater, you HAVE to get better weather!

when i say 'hard troweling' i mean using the trowel at about a 45 degree angle to the wall and literally scraping the pimples off, i do this after flattening out and before closing in, i find no amount of pressure or troweling will get rid of these pimples during the plastering process, you say you have success with other techniques?

 

[NickB_99]

you're further south than England mate so nearer the equater, you HAVE to get better weather!

Cheers

i find no amount of pressure or troweling will get rid of these pimples during the plastering process, you say you have success with other techniques?

Not really much success either. As I'm still plastering with 'stabilisers on' , if I get them, I tend to re-pass the same bit during the plastering. I'd prob put a bit more on if needed to cover them.
The downside is it's time consuming to get a finish I'm happy with before proceeding into trowelling.

 

[Richard C]

Mix only as long as you have to; I’ve never timed it & go on look/feel; 3 mins. maybe but 5 mins. seems a long time. If mixing a whole bag, I will rough mix a bit dry initially & then wait a minute or so for the water to have an effect & then re-mix again briefly, adding some water as necessary.

If you over stir with a mechanical mixer, it will put loads of air in the mix & will definitely affect your working time so best to under do it & give it a rake around on the spot board (or in the bucket) as you go. I usually mix a bit on the loose side initially but, on ballance, find it works in my faviour after 3 or 4 hawk fulls to the end.

 

[trowelmonkey1]

great advice Richard and so close to you leaving for holiday...to the death!

makes perfect sense that plan and will adopt it, how are you on the theory of it going off quicker in a bucket than on the spot?