I've been wanting to create a portable paint rack that would allow me to take my mini painting out of my workshop and to whatever other table I felt like painting at. My original plan was to take a 14"x22" SKADIS and put legs and a handle on it, but when I went to IKEA to buy it I found the Vattenkar desk organizer. The Vattenkar, which is more 13"x17", comes with a built in handle, base, and covers that help prevent tools from falling out. It feels like this thing was made for this purpose.

After building it, I discovered that the back cover was much taller than the front cover and got in the way of accessing the paints in the rack. I almost decided to not install it, but since it just slides in and out, I realized I could turn it into a tool itself and make it a large palette for painting minis that packs back into the organizer. So I designed a modular palette system to glue to the inside of it and replace my old palette.

As an aside, if you like the look of the Vattenkar paint rack as a whole and want to make your own, I have collected the models I have used for building this collection here: https://www.printables.com/@n8many/collections/2078277

Overview

This set of prints forms a modular paint palette system for mixing and thinning paints, intended for working on miniatures. It consists of the following modules:

MainTray: Main connecting piece, but also a surface to mix paints on

PaintPalette: Left/right modules for holding and mixing paints.

PaperHolder: Rear module that holds half of an 8.5"x11" or A4 paper as a sacrificial surface for thinning paints.

BrushRest: Front module that allows for brushes to rest over the MainTray.

Printing Instructions:

• PLA is recommended for this, since it will need to be glued to the inside of the large panel.
  • PETG may be easier to clean paint off of though.
• Print most parts with the flat side down, the bridging over the holes for the ties is already accounted for in their thickness.
• The alignment guide is optional, but will help get the finished assembly mostly square and centered when gluing down (some fine adjustment may be needed for left to right center).
• When gluing this down, I recommend only gluing the center tray to allow you to switch out the outer models later (though doing so may be difficult…)

MainTray

• The MainTray may need helper disks in the corners to prevent the corners from curling up.

PaperHolder

• Print the top part of the PaperHolder on its back.
• The screws for the PaperHolder are M3x14 and you will need to glue the Screwcovers onto them to prevent them from spinning.
• The base of the PaperHolder has holes for M3 heat set inserts, which should be installed from the top.

SectionTies

• The SectionTies are intended to fit tightly and not have any wiggle once pushed in. They are easiest to install with both pieces flat on a table over the tie. They should not need any glue to stay together.
• You may need to adjust your extrusion multiplier to get these to fit correctly.

Remixing Tips:

I've included step files for all of the modules so that you can design your own. The following are the recommended heights for each module.

Main Module: 4mm max (to allow paper to go over it)

Front/Rear Module: 6mm at edges

Side Modules: 6mm on inside, but can go taller at exterior

All modules should not be so tall as to collide with objects on the pegboard itself.

Use the step files to get the footprint of each module for properly shaping and aligning the holes for the ties. I would recommend importing the step file, then cutting it at 3mm from the base to form the base of your module.