# Decent mixer for my crew



## stonecutter (May 13, 2010)

sitdwnandhngon said:


> I has two solid and two barred. I imagine though the only way to get a good mix is to go extra wet, then put it at 90 degrees and add dry product until it rolls nicely down the drum.


I dont really have to go extra wet. I just add water, 1/2 the sand and then all the mortar. Tip the barrel 90 degrees for literally 30 secs-1min then add the rest of the sand and water. 

When I mix mortar its always a pretty dry mix for stone because I dont lay brick.

You'd think I was getting commission from Imer the way I talk about the minuteman:laughing:...its just that I was a skeptic until we got one and beat on it...and it preformed well.


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## stonecutter (May 13, 2010)

dom-mas said:


> A barrel mixer isn't bad for mixing a stone or re-ponting mix, but I always need to use the technique I described. My paddle mixer bogs down and jams up from some of the stiff mixes I make and even then they are a little wet for my liking. I'm always on the lookout for a mixer that has screw type blades rather than paddles, I've only seen one but it mixed any consistency of mud very well, and basically couldn't jamb up. I'd almost imagine you could mix concrete in it.


My stone mixer never had a problem..it was a beast. This is it..

https://www.stone-equip.com/index.h...5a56b42532289.26828385/category_id/67/lang/EN


Those screw type barrel blades are cool...I havent seen many of those around though.


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

stonecutter said:


> My stone mixer never had a problem..it was a beast. This is it..
> 
> https://www.stone-equip.com/index.h...5a56b42532289.26828385/category_id/67/lang/EN
> 
> ...


 Yeah I'd love to find one. Like I say I've only seen one before and it's owned by another guy in my small town. Funny thing is that he's more of a bricklayer and the stone mixes he makes are almost unusable in my opinion. I subbed to him on a job he had overextended himself on and there were pieces of 3/4 gravel in the mortar that he mixed for laying stone. My mixer (a stowe) would have jammed for sure


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## stonecutter (May 13, 2010)

dom-mas said:


> there were pieces of 3/4 gravel in the mortar that he mixed for laying stone.


YIKES!!! what did the joints look like?


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

Oh the 3/4 was just randomly in the sand. Probably from the loader not being cleaned between loading gravel and sand


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## stonecutter (May 13, 2010)

dom-mas said:


> Oh the 3/4 was just randomly in the sand. Probably from the loader not being cleaned between loading gravel and sand


:laughing: that would have been some big joint work.


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## Diamond D. (Nov 12, 2009)

stonecutter said:


> *My stone mixer never had a problem*..it was a beast. *This is it..*
> 
> https://www.stone-equip.com/index.h...5a56b42532289.26828385/category_id/67/lang/EN


Damn dude, you really keep it clean. :jester:



dom-mas said:


> A barrel mixer isn't bad for *mixing a stone or re-ponting mix*, but I always need to use the technique I described. * My paddle mixer bogs down and jams up from some of the stiff mixes I make and even then they are a little wet for my liking.*


I've found when mixing stone mud in a paddle mixer, that mixing your ingredients dry first, then slowly and uniformly spraying in the water to your desired consistency, works best.
Never had a problem with bogging.
Don't rush it! the bogging is caused by inconsistent wet and dry patches, and inevitably your mix will end up to wet.

Pointing mud, I prefer to just use the wheelbarrow.
I like to keep it fresh...
...And for the amount of pointing mud used, I'd rather not worry about cleaning the mixer or even making a mess.

Hoe, hoe, hoe,
D.


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## stonecutter (May 13, 2010)

Diamond D. said:


> Damn dude, you really keep it clean. :jester:
> 
> Hoe, hoe, hoe,
> D.


Darn right! Now if I could get my boots to look like superseal I would look pretty sharp.:laughing:


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## CJKarl (Nov 21, 2006)

I have a Belle 150, made in England. Very tough. Only use it for concrete, small footing or a small slab. Very happy with it. I've had it for about 10 years.
http://toollines.com/Belle/belle_minimix_150.html


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## jomama (Oct 25, 2008)

dom-mas said:


> Yeah I'd love to find one. Like I say I've only seen one before and it's owned by another guy in my small town. Funny thing is that he's more of a bricklayer and the stone mixes he makes are almost unusable in my opinion. I subbed to him on a job he had overextended himself on and there were pieces of 3/4 gravel in the mortar that he mixed for laying stone. My mixer (a stowe) would have jammed for sure


Crown makes a spiral mixer option:

http://www.crownequip.com/index.cfm?SC=10&PT=11

I've used one in the past, and it certainly mixes fast with little effort, and it does have the clearance to at least pass pea-stone grout/concrete w/o problems. I was set to buy a new one, except that we found it took a long time to clean out at the end of the day.

I will vouge for Crown and say that they make a very good mixer. I've had a few Stones, which are OK, but cheap "throw-away" mixers IMO. I had a Gilson too, and my FIL worked there for 35+ years. I still think that overall the build & features (especially the enclosed gearbox) of the Crowns make them the nicest mixers, at least of the one's I've owned and used.


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## Brickie (Jun 15, 2006)

This company out of Wisconsin, MBW, makes some really good mixers:

http://www.mbw.com/pdf/lit/L16484_mixers.pdf


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## puppys (Feb 20, 2012)

Same ratio of cement, water, aggregate.

Technique of the materials.

sorry, ole man.... mason with two Jack Russels....


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