Custom Paint Pallet

Are you tired of dropping your paint pallet? I am too, so, I made a paint pallet that conforms to my hand, allowing me to better grip it. Additionally, this pallet is water-resistant, allowing easy cleanup between uses.

Elegoo Mars 2 Pro 3D printer, standard resin, 2 ounces of Model Magic (or other air-dry clay), water-resistant Mod Podge (or other water-resistant sealant).

Print the main part of the pallet. I chose a rectangular pallet to best use the space of my small, rectangular build plate. The print design I used, from Thingiverse, by Rlundo, is attached.

I used a scraper and hammer to remove the print from the build plate: to do this, I took the build plate off my printer and placed it on a solid surface (my patio), then wedged the scraper between the build plate and print, and gently tapped the end of the scrapper's handle. This method could warp your build plate if you hammer too vigorously, so, use care.

Rinse the print with rubbing alcohol. I poured rubbing alcohol over my print while it was in a bowl, then agitated it a little with my hand.

I cured my print for 4 days in my window, but it was still tacky, so, I cured it under a UV device for 7 minutes. I focused this time on the side with the concave portions, but I did cure the flat side under UV for about 2 of these 7 minutes as well.

Shape clay around the cured print, then imprint your non-dominant hand into the clay in the orientation in which you would normally hold a pallet. I used 2 ounces (1/2 package) of Model Magic, but any air-dry clay will suffice. To mold the clay around the print, I morphed the clay into a slightly larger rectangle than that of my print, then pressed the print into the clay (be careful to not press the print too deeply into the clay, or it will protrude through the bottom of the clay). Then, I gently pushed the clay around the edges of the print. Lastly, I held the pallet as I normally would, and applied pressure to imprint my fingers into the clay.

I will smooth out the rough edge of the clay in the next step.

To rid the clay of cracks and rough edges, I wet a paint brush with water, and gently brushed the areas I wanted to correct. The water increases the dry-time of the clay, but improves the look of the product.

I air-dried the clay for 5 days. Note that Model Magic attains a slightly spongy texture when dry.

The bottom of my pallet cracked as the clay dried. I am not entirely sure why the clay contracted so much, but the structural integrity can be returned with sealant in the next step.

Apply a water-resistant sealant on the clay portion of the pallet. I applied 2 layers of water-resistant Mod Podge to the top side of the clay portion (the top being the side with the concave sections) and 4 layers to the bottom (the flat side). The extra layers of Mod Podge on the bottom was to fill in the cracks that formed while drying the clay.

When applying to the top side, I put a little extra sealant in the crevices between the clay and the 3D printed portion. That way, no water will get trapped between the clay and 3D printed part when I wash the pallet after use.

I air-dried the pallet at least 24 hours between each layer of sealant.

The pallet is complete! I tested the ease with which the pallet cleans up by pouring paint on it, then washing it off with water and my hand. My pallet came completely clean and, as far as I can tell, held up to water without damage.