Paint Tray

Bongo

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When not in use the tray -with paint - is stored in a tube. I've never seen this sold anywhere, but would be easy enough to make.



tray1.jpg
 
why make it .. looks like the shape of a piece of angle iron and I'm sure in plastic as well. Her paint colors are far from pure when she is done from the habit of dipping her brush into the paint to add to her current mixture. As well, there is no space of blocker in between her paint colors. I find that weird as it takes such a minute bit to taint another color.
 
Here is a shot near the end of her painting
tray3.jpg

color separation looks good to me - much better than the piles of paint look after I paint:unsure:

I think there are dividers between colors, but only a few mm high. The tray has to fit snug on the palette as it does on hers, otherwise, it would tip or slide around.

Since I'm using a paper palette now, I'm looking for the best way to keep the color piles separate from the paper - so I could easily keep the colors and toss the used paper. Now I have to scoop the colors - put them in a container - then dig them out when I want to use them again. A hassle and wastes paint in the process.

The "genius" with this design is the 90degree angle. If the colors were just on a flat strip there would be no easy way to store and carry off the field and back to your car. With the 90 degree you can slip the colors into a tube and the angle keeps the paint from getting mushed up.

tray4.jpg
 
The "genius" with this design is the 90degree angle. If the colors were just on a flat strip there would be no easy way to store and carry off the field and back to your car. With the 90 degree you can slip the colors into a tube and the angle keeps the paint from getting mushed up.
I have to agree with that part of the deal.

I blew it up with 700 dpi and I can't see any dividers .. only see paint melting into paint. Not the end of the world unless you were looking for a perfectly clean mix. A plastic 90 angle and a hacksaw and you are good to go. Post it if you try it out. Plastic plumber pipe would make a good tube and you can buy caps for it.
 
I would use a piece of 90degree wood molding and glue "match sticks" for dividers. Wood because you cannot easily glue to PVC.
Of course, the wood would have to be sealed. Since my palette is flat and doesn't have a border like hers - I would make the tray the width of the palette and then use small binder clamps to hold it in place.
 
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Just by luck I found some PVC L molding laying around that turns out to be a perfect size. It's crusted in acrylic paint, but can be cleaned up. I cut off a piece to experiment with.
trayA.jpg


I was able to glue a matchstick using Superglue. - but it was a nightmare trying to get it in place, and the plastic has to be really clean.
But I discovered you can lay down a bead of hot glue quite easily and it sticks! If I go with the hot glue I will do a much neater job than I did here - this was just a "proof of concept" experiment.
trayB.jpg

An "L" that is an inch on each side - like this one - is the maximum size you can use in a 1 1/2" pipe - You could use a thinner metal molding and have more room for paint - and of course you could use a bigger diameter pipe. But I think this is a good size for me.
20220307_143625_copy_800x450.jpg

My palette is 18" wide, and as you can see I can put out all my colors without dividers and keep them separated. Also I would put white on the palette and not take up space with it on the tray.

So I'm first going to try an 18" tray without dividers. The hot glue strips don't look like they'd do much anyway.

So all I have to do is clean up the molding and cut it and the pipe to size and I'm there. The real test will be to see how it works out in the field.
 
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