Since I can only post text, here's a few pics of the "LoganPhyve bottle turner for kids who want to learn how to mix good and do other stuff good, too".
I wound up using a new batch bottle that was a tad smaller than 1000ml for a 950ml batch, and wasn't able to shake it due to the small amount of air left in the bottle (it was supposed to be a 1L bottle).
I decided turning the bottle for a long time was the best way to mix this batch, so I constructed this little bottle turner out of some of my kid's K'NEX. The idea was to emulate a hot-dog roller like you see in gas stations.
The larger wheels can be driven either way; I run them so they are rolling their side of the bottle upward. The other set of wheels just free-wheel on their axle and let the bottle sit in its "cradle" and spin. The wheels can be moved inward/outward on their axis, so this can be adapted to fit any number of bottles with a diameter large enough to prevent falling in between the axles.
I left my batch on for about an hour and I actually think this is the mix I've done yet, I pretty much only vape wintergreen menthol, which is shake-n-vape and I am very pleased with the results of such an inexpensive and cheap contraption.
Necessity is the mother of invention, they say. Maybe this will help someone else out there.
It's glorious.
Thanks, lol. For as stupid simple as it is, it works really well.
Nice job, it's the KISS principle in the flesh. Did you happen to count revolutions to find out the RPM?
I need something like this for my nic bottles. As of now I just roll them side to side on a countertop once they warm up from the freezer. Maybe a lapidary tumbler would do.
It's somewhere around 50 - 60RPM, seems to turn the bottle at about one full rev per second. Nice and slow so the air bubble stays at the top.
This of course also depends on how fresh the batteries are. It does slow down when it gets tired and will eventually stop. I'm actually looking for a walwart powered motor so I can ditch the batteries. I had some rechargeable in there but because there's no limit on the voltage draw like on a digital appliance, it will take the batteries down past their safe discharge point. A variable walwart would also provide the option of as slower or even a slightly faster spin.
Every time I see one of these posts, I'm like this is interesting, but, I also feel compelled to post this in the hope that it will make my fellow mixers lives easier.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vortex_mixer
Got mine used and refurbished off eBay, nothing beats it.
I doubt this would have worked for the size of my bottle, or the amount of air left in it, but it's a good find.