Redgrass Games Wet Palette Issue

[Brother Captain Arkley]

I have been using the new Redgrass palette with their new washable membranes but I constantly get this issue...

 

Is it mould? if so how can I prevent it?

[tychobi]

Looks like. Try washing it in white vinegar. If that fails bleach? 

[Brother Captain Arkley]

22 minutes ago, tychobi said:

Looks like. Try washing it in white vinegar. If that fails bleach? 

Its weird I never had an issue with their first palette it just seems its with the washable ones, which they recommend normal water no funny tricks.

[tychobi]

I know my DIY wet pallets get funky sometimes. I don't know what the membrane is like but vinegar is probably the gentlest disinfectant you can come by? Mold is not gonna help your painting or your health. 

[Brother Captain Arkley]

1 minute ago, tychobi said:

I know my DIY wet pallets get funky sometimes. I don't know what the membrane is like but vinegar is probably the gentlest disinfectant you can come by? Mold is not gonna help your painting or your health. 

Oh I totally agree, would like to get to the root of the problem to why these membranes do this in the first place.

[WrathOfTheLion]

Do you use water from the tap or water from a bottle? I don't go as far as use distilled water, but I try to avoid tap water. I've only used the original one, not the washable ones, so I can only spitball here.

[Brother Captain Arkley]

2 minutes ago, WrathOfTheLion said:

Do you use water from the tap or water from a bottle? I don't go as far as use distilled water, but I try to avoid tap water. I've only used the original one, not the washable ones, so I can only spitball here.

I do use tap water... I do have access to distilled and deionised due to work thou.

[WrathOfTheLion]

4 minutes ago, Brother Captain Arkley said:

I do use tap water... I do have access to distilled and deionised due to work thou.

Even just a bottle of water or something like that may help, as it'll have been filtered. It could be you're getting some bloom of whatever exists in the water, which is probably harmless for consumption and general use, but a bit undesirable for this sort of use.

[Brother Captain Arkley]

12 minutes ago, WrathOfTheLion said:

Even just a bottle of water or something like that may help, as it'll have been filtered. It could be you're getting some bloom of whatever exists in the water, which is probably harmless for consumption and general use, but a bit undesirable for this sort of use.

I have cleaned my foam in some watered down bleach, using distilled water and a fresh membrane to see the results.

[Magos Takatus]

I think I'll have to do the same. I've got the original Redgrass wet palette and mine is starting to get a green mould on a semi-regular basis. I don't know why I didn't try vinegar, the number of uses vinegar has are huge, it should have been my first port of call. :)

[Firedrake Cordova]

As the others said, it looks like the start of mould. The advice amongst the community generally seems to be to use filtered water, and to put something copper under the "sponge" due to the anti-microbial effect it has.

 

Hopefully cleaning it in vinegar does the trick - mine got a serious mould infestation (I failed to clean it properly when I put it away for 2+ months and it was more mould than not), and the mould damaged the surface of the foam - I got a replacement foam and have been more careful since!

Edited May 30, 2023 by Firedrake Cordova

[Bung]

Personly i completly advise against reuseable sponges etc. in wetpalettes.

 

Replace the sponges with a new paper kitchen towel everytime you setup your wetpalette and you are on the save side.

 

And yes your paints may be usefull for days / weeks but thats not the purpose of wetpalettes. They are to keep your paints workable for one extended session.

 

Second point the redgrass stuff is mould resistent, that doesnt mean there will not grow mould just that mould wouldnt grow as fast as on other stuff.

[Brother Captain Arkley]

2 hours ago, Firedrake Cordova said:

As the others said, it looks like the start of mould. The advice amongst the community generally seems to be to use filtered water, and to put something copper under the "sponge" due to the anti-microbial effect it has.

 

Hopefully cleaning it in vinegar does the trick - mine got a serious mould infestation (I failed to clean it properly when I put it away for 2+ months and it was more mould than not), and the mould damaged the surface of the foam - I got a replacement foam and have been more careful since!

 

We are talking about 2 or 3 days.

 

This issue is solely been with their new membranes, I never had an issue with the old version.

[Firedrake Cordova]

1 hour ago, Brother Captain Arkley said:

We are talking about 2 or 3 days.

Wow, that's really fast - even faster than when I was using a DIY wet palette in summer  

 

I don't have anything else to suggest (other than maybe trying asking Red Grass?), but I do hope you find a solution  

[Brother Captain Arkley]

2 minutes ago, Firedrake Cordova said:

Wow, that's really fast - even faster than when I was using a DIY wet palette in summer  

 

I don't have anything else to suggest (other than maybe trying asking Red Grass?), but I do hope you find a solution  

 

I am in the process of this too.

 

I have done the following atm, watered down bleach for my foam, using distilled water (perks of work), fresh membrane.

 

I would like to say its a one off but out of the 8 membranes used so far 6 have had mould issues, maybe there is something in the coating of the membrane, maybe I am just unlucky. But the mould developing is not slow its fast.

 

When I have washed the foam before (Old one) I used hot soapy water never an issue.

[LittlePlasticHomies]

Where do you store it? I keep mine in the fridge when not in use.

[Bung]

8 hours ago, Brother Captain Arkley said:

 

I am in the process of this too.

 

I have done the following atm, watered down bleach for my foam, using distilled water (perks of work), fresh membrane.

 

I would like to say its a one off but out of the 8 membranes used so far 6 have had mould issues, maybe there is something in the coating of the membrane, maybe I am just unlucky. But the mould developing is not slow its fast.

 

When I have washed the foam before (Old one) I used hot soapy water never an issue.

 

Dumb question, but did you Clean the Palette to, not only the foam?

The mould spores will keep sitting on that Plastic waiting for fresh real estate.

 

[Brother Captain Arkley]

Just now, Bung said:

 

Dumb question, but did you Clean the Palette to, not only the foam?

The mould spores will keep sitting on that Plastic waiting for fresh real estate.

 

 

Yeah watered down thin bleach.

[MithrilForge]

I have that Product as well, never had these issues though  , Would your Geographical location have anything to do with this!?! ... your not stuck out in the middle of the Bayou or something ... 

 

Good luck though and hope it gets fixed, otherwise start a Nurgle army... 

 

M

[Urauloth]

This doesn't sound right at all. I'm wondering if there could be something wrong with the pack of membranes they sent you. Might be a good precaution to pre-wash the rest and ditch the bag they were in (if they were) just in case? Mould shouldn't be springing up that fast, and if you've washed the palette case and the foam then the logical conclusion is the membranes are iffy.

[Brother Captain Arkley]

4 hours ago, Urauloth said:

This doesn't sound right at all. I'm wondering if there could be something wrong with the pack of membranes they sent you. Might be a good precaution to pre-wash the rest and ditch the bag they were in (if they were) just in case? Mould shouldn't be springing up that fast, and if you've washed the palette case and the foam then the logical conclusion is the membranes are iffy.

 

Yeah given the amount of the new ones I have used and mould appearing that was my thinking too.

 

Their old palette v1 I used over 200 sheets in it, I never once had mould issues. Maybe I do have a bad batch of the new ones.

 

Spoiler

Thank you for contacting us, 

We are sorry to hear that you are having issues with mould buildup in your palette. Below are some tips to help you with this issue. 

It is important to clarify that our wet palettes can not support mould growth "out of the box". Mould will only occur if it is already present in painting space. Once a wet palette is hydrated and paint added, they become a place where mould can take hold, it is not growing on the palette but in the water and is fed by the paint. 

The best way to minimise the chance of mould growing on your wet palette is to eliminate any nearby existing sources first. 
 The following palette tips may also help:

• Using chilled, deionised water rather than tap water.

• If the foam underneath the membrane is also showing signs of mould, we recommend replacing the foam.

• Ensure the spare papers are sealed and stored in a dry place. 

• Try to avoid leaving it "setup" (with water and paint) for long periods of time. If you know you are not going to come back to paint for 24hrs or more, wipe off the membrane and clean the foam and tray then allow both to air dry. I appreciate this may feel like a bit of a hassle but it is far better than having to deal with mould growth. 

• If you can control the temperature and humidity of your painting space, then cooler and dryer is preferable.

• The foam and palette must also be cleaned every time you replace the paper. After cleaning your foam and palette, it is preferable to let the foam air dry completely before using again.

• The palette itself can be cleaned with a mixture of 70% Isopropyl alcohol and warm water. This is the only cleaning agent we recommend using for removing dried paint but it will also help to reduce smells arising from prolonged mould growth.  

• We do not recommend using anything more aggressive than dishwashing liquid and warm water to clean the foam pad. If needed, the pad can be left to soak in a solution of dishwashing liquid and warm water. 

• Although not something we have tested, some pro-painters advocate placing a piece of bare copper wire or a copper penny in the palette tray (beside or under the foam) so it is submerged when the palette is hydrated. Copper has antibacterial properties that may reduce mould build up.

The spoilers have their reply. My answer is simple, I have not really changed how I use my palette, the only thing in my eyes thats really changed is going from the paper to the new membrane.

[Brother Captain Arkley]

10 hours ago, Mumeishi said:

I have that Product as well, never had these issues though  , Would your Geographical location have anything to do with this!?! ... your not stuck out in the middle of the Bayou or something ... 

 

Good luck though and hope it gets fixed, otherwise start a Nurgle army... 

 

M

 

As I say above nothing has actually changed regarding everything else. Only the actual membrane.

[Brother Carpenter]

On 5/29/2023 at 9:41 PM, tychobi said:

I know my DIY wet pallets get funky sometimes. I don't know what the membrane is like but vinegar is probably the gentlest disinfectant you can come by? Mold is not gonna help your painting or your health. 

Unless you play nurgle, then it can be profitable.

But +1 on the health warning.

[Helias_Tancred]

I use the cheap Masterson's Sta-wet palette off of Amazon. It has a thin yellow sponge and you set a piece of parchment over it, etc.... I soak the whole thing in water with some bleach mixed it about once a month or two? I've had it for 6 years and 0 problems. 

 

 

[Brother Captain Arkley]

9 hours ago, Eilio Tiberius said:

I use the cheap Masterson's Sta-wet palette off of Amazon. It has a thin yellow sponge and you set a piece of parchment over it, etc.... I soak the whole thing in water with some bleach mixed it about once a month or two? I've had it for 6 years and 0 problems. 

 

 

See I have used their V1 for about 2 years probably more going through 200+ sheets of parchment in that period not one single issue.

 

This one... Jan 12th this year... Used 8 membranes 6 have developed mould the longest I left it without touching about about a week in April when I got ill.

 

I used ISO 99.9% for cleaning again perks of work.

 

If anything I have been more diligent about cleaning this one compared to my V1 which I know I left for over a month at one point.

 

I refuse to believe my environment has suddenly gone and developed mould in only my V2. Hell I have a tray with a wet cloth in it I use to clean brushes 6 months no mould.

Edited June 2, 2023 by Brother Captain Arkley