Any tips on cleaning dried paint off of a Strada plein air easel?

[ADA]

I recently got an incredible deal on ebay for a Strada Mid easel. So far, I love it! But there are paint smears on it from the previous owner and I'm bothered by them. I'm probably being silly, since I'm sure I'll get paint smears on it myself going forward. But at any rate, I wondered if anyone knows of a good way to removed dried oil paint from the metal surface of a Strada.

And while I'm on the topic of removing dried paint, I'd also appreciate anyone's suggestions for the best way to clean the Strada bamboo palette inserts. I find the paint itself comes off easily, but when the paint also contains Galkyd gel, it's a different story; it's very hard to remove once dried. I was worried about damaging the surface as I worked to remove it with multiple Gamsol soakings and repeated scraping with a palette knife, but it seems to be pretty much OK now. The best solution to this will probably not to allow paint to dry on the palette anyway! Still, I wonder if there's a better way.

I realize that there may not be anyone else here who uses a Strada, but thought I'd toss out the question, just in case.

TIA!

 

[Bongo]

I would try mineral spirits, and a razor blade. If you cover the sides with tape you won't have to worry about getting paint on it. I use a Mabef half-box French easel, and try to keep it clean, but a certain amount of paint splatter is inevitable.

I cover the palette with butcher paper - which is the same stuff as the paper palettes you can buy. So no cleaning required. Also use a "Palette Garage" so no wasted paint. --

 

[ADA]

I would try mineral spirits, and a razor blade. If you cover the sides with tape you won't have to worry about getting paint on it. I use a Mabef half-box French easel, and try to keep it clean, but a certain amount of paint splatter is inevitable.

I cover the palette with butcher paper - which is the same stuff as the paper palettes you can buy. So no cleaning required. Also use a "Palette Garage" so no wasted paint. --

Thanks for your reply! I should have mentioned that I already tried mineral spirits and it didn't work. Maybe a razor blade would help, but the possibility of scratching the finish has me worried, since I'm not certain what sort of paint it is on the aluminum body. Maybe Sennelier Green for Oil Thinner would work, but it's so strong that I'm afraid to use it in my paint. Maybe first trying it on a smudge that's on the bottom, and trying your razor blade approach there too, would be the best approach.

If none of that works, guess I'll just have to live with it. Weighed against the happiness of having a new (to me) Strada, I'm just fine with that. And in general, I'm also very happy with the bamboo palette. I'll just have to make sure from now on to clean it before any paint with Galkyd in it dries.

I have a paint garage that came with the Strada. How do you use and clean it? Doesn't the paint start to build up inside and if so, isn't that a problem?

 

[Bongo]

I cover the tray with a 2"wide piece of blue tape - fits perfect. The tube, as you can see is splattered with paint - but it doesn't affect it. Before you put the tray in the tube, wipe down the edges and this will help prevent the paint getting on the tube. But some will eventually get on it. I stuff a paper towel, dampened with gamsol to sort of clean it, that is all dried paint on the inside you,re seeing.

When I go out, I have a piece of 1 1/2" diameter ABS pipe instead of the plastic tube permanently attached to the outside of my bag.
Turns out to be the same size as the original tube.

Also I use liquin instead of galkyd and haven't noticed it being any stickier than paint - dunno you might try it if you can't find another solution.

 

[ADA]

View attachment 47574

I cover the tray with a 2"wide piece of blue tape - fits perfect. The tube, as you can see is splattered with paint - but it doesn't affect it. Before you put the tray in the tube, wipe down the edges and this will help prevent the paint getting on the tube. But some will eventually get on it. I stuff a paper towel, dampened with gamsol to sort of clean it, that is all dried paint on the inside you,re seeing.

When I go out, I have a piece of 1 1/2" diameter ABS pipe instead of the plastic tube permanently attached to the outside of my bag.
Turns out to be the same size as the original tube.
View attachment 47575

Also I use liquin instead of galkyd and haven't noticed it being any stickier than paint - dunno you might try it if you can't find another solution.

It took me a bit to figure out, but I see that you were clever enough to make your own paint garage! The one that came with mine was a manufactured "Box N Paint", which fits perfectly inside my pochade box:

...the bottom has a textured surface that's impossible, apparently, to remove all the paint from. This was an extra that happened to come along with my purchase of the used Strada, and really, it takes up too much valuable palette space. I've got a tiny sealable silicone paint palette box (about 6" x 11"), and I'll try using that instead for saving left over paint.

I'm clearly being a little (well, a lot!) too obsessive about cleaning all the old paint of the pochade box and accessories. Thanks for all the info you've offered, Bongo!

 

[ADA]

It took me a bit to figure out, but I see that you were clever enough to make your own paint garage! The one that came with mine was a manufactured "Box N Paint", which fits perfectly inside my pochade box:View attachment 47580
...the bottom has a textured surface that's impossible, apparently, to remove all the paint from. This was an extra that happened to come along with my purchase of the used Strada, and really, it takes up too much valuable palette space. I've got a tiny sealable silicone paint palette box (about 6" x 11"), and I'll try using that instead for saving left over paint. In the past, I've used a plastic A4 document box with a piece of palette paper taped to the inside. I'm still curious about whether you leave old, dried/drying paint in your paint garage and how that may work when you add new paint. But I'm clearly being a little (well, a lot!) too obsessive about cleaning all the old paint of the pochade box and accessories. Thanks for all the info you've offered, Bongo!

 

[Bongo]

Oh I see the confusion -- I have PALETTE Garage - and you have PAINT Garage. Two different products. I was "clever" to use tape and a piece of ABS pipe - but the Palette Garage has been around for a while - or maybe I should say was - I couldn't find any links to it.

 

[ADA]

Oh I see the confusion -- I have PALETTE Garage - and you have PAINT Garage. Two different products. I was "clever" to use tape and a piece of ABS pipe - but the Palette Garage has been around for a while - or maybe I should say was - I couldn't find any links to it.

I'm glad we're on the same page now! Well, almost...I'm not clear on what a palette garage is!

The Box N Paint brand paint garage can be found here: https://www.boxnpaint.com/. But as I mentioned, I'm not sure it represents the best use of precious palette space.

 

[Bongo]

I'm glad we're on the same page now! Well, almost...I'm not clear on what a palette garage is!

I load the tray with paint and use it in the studio. When I'm done painting I slide it into the tube and keep it the freezer until I'm ready to paint again.

I use the same tray of paint in studio and outside. At the end of a session any unused paint is on the tray, nothing to scrape up, reload as necessary, store in the freezer. Only paint I take on the street is what's on the tray and a tube of Titanium white.

 

[ADA]

View attachment 47589
I load the tray with paint and use it in the studio. When I'm done painting I slide it into the tube and keep it the freezer until I'm ready to paint again.

View attachment 47588

I use the same tray of paint in studio and outside. At the end of a session any unused paint is on the tray, nothing to scrape up, reload as necessary, store in the freezer. Only paint I take on the street is what's on the tray and a tube of Titanium white.

 

[ADA]

You say Palette Garage and I say Paint Garage...

We're really talking about the exact same thing, except you came up with a solution on your own and I merely purchased one.

 

[ADA]

For anyone else who may come along later, and who has a Strada with paint smears on it that they'd like to get rid of, I heard from a Strada rep yesterday (thank you, Mindy!), suggested that the way to remove paint from the pochade is to use acetone. Nail polish remover does work! It takes an awful lot of effort, though; after working on one smear of approximately 1" x 1.5" for roughly 15 minutes, it's still not all gone, although it's considerably reduced. This will be a long term project. She also said she thinks that it would work on Strada bamboo palettes (paint comes off of these easily, unless there's been Galkyd mixed in).