I was in the middle of a tile job and didn't want to run all the way to the store to buy a paddle mixer to chuck into my drill. I was tired of mixing the mortar/thinset by hand, so I spent a few minutes and used what I had on hand and made one that works great. It may take a little longer to get a good mix compared to a store bought version, but it gets the job done and saved me a trip.

Check out the video to see how I made it and to see it in action.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve0kZhT__CU

Step 1:

Need:

threaded rod - approx 20" long
propane or MAPP gas torch
pliers (or thick gloves)

The concept is simple, when you heat steel so it's red hot, it's very easy to bend. I used a torch to heat some 1/4" threaded rod and bent a square into one end of it. The other end gets chucked into a drill and can be used to mix just about anything - paint, drywall mud, mortar, concrete, milk shake, etc.

I think I've mentioned this in one of my other instructables, but if you don't keep threaded rod on hand, you should. I've found a few handy uses for it over the years. You can pick up standard sizes (1/4 and 3/8) by the 10' length in the big box stores for about $6. Just look near the electrical conduit. Might as well pickup a box of 100 nuts too.

Things I've fixed or modified with threaded rod include: