Home Forums Explore Media Acrylics Stay Wet Palette

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  • #452580
    amature
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        New to acrylics.:wave:
        Are the Stay wet palettes worth buying or should I make my own with apropriate sized air tight box, Kitchen paper towel/sponge and baking parchment/paper.:confused:
        Thanks in advance

        #580398
        ~JMW~
        Default

            I would make it , and see if that works for you before buying something..
            I’ve used a plastic coffee container lids, deli trays, old plates, pie pan with a damp paper towel , works fine for me..
            It depends on how much you want to spend ,or re purposing is always an option…

            ~Joy~

            #580410
            DaveCrow
            Default

                I have one and really like it.

                I think you could make essentially the same thing with wet paper towels or sponge in the bottom of a dish and baking parchment on top for the paints.

                I find it most useful for keeping paints open while I am working. It will keep paints from one day to the next, but I find I can be too long between painting sessions sometimes.

                Sta-Wets can and will mold if you leave them wet and shut up too long.

                "Let the paint be paint" --John Marin

                #580399
                talisman
                Default

                    Someone on WC! told me to put some copper wire under the sponge to help with the mold and it does work, no mold since I added that.


                    Dianna WC! Guide: Fantasy/Sci-Fi Art
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                    #580400
                    vandogh
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                        I got mine in a yard sale for 2.50 and it works great. I can keep paints usable for up to a week.

                        #580413
                        contumacious
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                            I use one and really like it. I have two. A smaller one for my source palette and the biggest one for my mixing palette. The yellow sponge lasts a long time. Just rinse it out regularly and drop it in boiling water to kill any mold spores. I wash and re-use the paper liners several times over on both sides.

                            The paper cover sheets last longer than I would have thought they would. I don’t know how they compare to parchment paper as far as durability but at .22 cents per sheet I haven’t bothered to try parchment paper since the cost is about the same. I think the three pack of sponge material would probably last me a year. The 30 pack of cover sheets at least 6 months.

                            After having mixed my colors with a palette knife on glass, plastic and the Stay Wet, I will never go back to anything else. The mixing is so smooth and nice. I only need to spray the palette a few times per hour. Usually only spray the areas with no paint on them to keep it wet. My paints, even my thinner mixed spots have never dried out. I store them in the refrigerator when not in use. Pennies under the sponge apparently have enough copper in the plated zinc to keep the mold away. No mold, ever.

                            #580402

                            Someone on WC! told me to put some copper wire under the sponge to help with the mold and it does work, no mold since I added that.

                            Just be careful Copper does that because it changes the Ph of water… and you do not want your paint to either be acidic or too much alcaline.

                            "no no! You are doing it all wrong, in the internet we are supposed to be stubborn, inflexible and arrogant. One cannot simply be suddenly reasonable and reflexive in the internet, that breaks years of internet tradition as a medium of anger, arrogance, bigotry and self entitlement. Damm these internet newcomers being nice to to others!!!"

                            "If brute force does not solve your problem, then you are not using enough!"

                            #580406
                            Mary
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                                I have been using one and just recently bought a second one. Since I also use Golden Open Acrylics, I never have to worry about my paint drying out.

                                I don’t use the sponge. I have a glass palette in one, which I use for my whatever large work I have on my easel. I use the new one for smaller shorter-term pieces and just slip the whole pad of palette paper in with whatever mixes I’m using when I have to take a break.

                                I really like my current set-up.

                                Mary.

                                Mary Thompson
                                http://www.wildpinesstudio.net

                                Constructive Criticism Always Welcome.

                                #580414
                                contumacious
                                Default

                                    Just be careful Copper does that because it changes the Ph of water… and you do not want your paint to either be acidic or too much alcaline.

                                    My guess is that there is not much of a change to the Ph of the water that is actually in contact with the paints. Since there are two layers between the copper and the paint, plus that water is not moving about much in the sponge. According to Wikipedia it is the metallic ions that inhibit the mold growth.

                                    [INDENT]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimicrobial_properties_of_copper[/INDENT][INDENT]The oligodynamic effect was discovered in 1893 as a toxic effect of metal ions on living cells, algae, molds, spores, fungi, viruses, prokaryotic, and eukaryotic microorganisms, even in relatively low concentrations.[3] This antimicrobial effect is shown by ions of copper as well as mercury, silver, iron, lead, zinc, bismuth, gold, and aluminium.
                                    [/INDENT]

                                    #580412
                                    kin3
                                    Default

                                        I have two. One for acrylic and one for oil. When I use acrylic I always use it and it works great. The price is not that much so when if ever they become broken, if ever, I will buy another one.

                                        #580415
                                        contumacious
                                        Default

                                            New to acrylics.:wave:
                                            Are the Stay wet palettes worth buying or should I make my own with apropriate sized air tight box, Kitchen paper towel/sponge and baking parchment/paper.:confused:
                                            Thanks in advance

                                            I forgot to mention in my first post in this thread, that I have searched for well over 2 years for a light weight, low profile, air tight container that is as large as the red / blue lidded 12×16 Masterson box. The largest I found that was sort of OK was a 15.5″ x 19″ with round corners, made by Sterilite, but it is not air tight and is too tall for what I like for refrigerator storage. Model 1976, $20 on Amazon.

                                            http://www.sterilite.com/SelectProduct.html?id=667&view=0&picture=1&tab=Specifications&ProductCategory=258&section=1

                                            If any of you know where to find something LARGER than the Masterson 12″x16″ that is not much taller (less than 3″) and is air tight, please post a link!

                                            #580409
                                            autolisp
                                            Default

                                                I would not use that type of container as it appears to have depressions in the base. I prefer a flat mixing surface. I made my stay-wet palette from foam board and plastic angle section sealed with a plastics adhesive around the inside of the base.

                                                I'm not a new member. But the database thinks I am!

                                                #580401
                                                amature
                                                Default

                                                    New to acrylics.:wave:
                                                    Are the Stay wet palettes worth buying or should I make my own with apropriate sized air tight box, Kitchen paper towel/sponge and baking parchment/paper.:confused:
                                                    Thanks in advance

                                                    Can’t reply to all So.
                                                    Once again to all thank you for your input.

                                                    #580407
                                                    ddattler
                                                    Default

                                                        Acryl-A-Miser Air Tight Palette System. Available at Jerrys Artarama . I’ve used one for years. As long as I keep the seal clean, the paints stay usable for well over a week, using open acrylics.

                                                        http://wildlifearts.com
                                                        Practice what you know, and it will help to make clear what now you do not know. ~ Rembrandt

                                                        In Art, Learning to see is at least as important as the actual creation of Art. ~ George Benedict,

                                                        #580404

                                                        I live in a dry climate (especially with heating in the winter) and had trouble getting the “Sea-Wet” technology to work. Portions of the paper would dry and buckle. If I wetted things enough to prevent this, the paint became too soupy when I stored it. I still use the palette but I lay out modest amounts of fresh paint on a wet paper towel for each painting session. Gary

                                                        "Painting is a verb"

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