The Frazer Price Palette Box

I came across the Frazer Price Palette Box quite accidentally and had never heard of the make before. The fact that it was brass, boasted enameled mixing surfaces, and was like nothing else I’d seen before certainly got my attention – especially because I know how highly regarded and renowned the brass palettes of Craig Young, House of Hoffman and John Hurtley are.

At the time of writing this post, I had little idea of quite how much interest there may be in the Frazer Price Palette Box, and this page continues to evolve as I learn more or add new content. In response the many visits to this page and the inquiries I receive about the Frazer Price palette, I hope that the addition of a little video introduction will be helpful.

The Frazer Price Palette Box

Below is my pictoral step by step opening of the Frazer Price Palette Box:

The polished brass lid of the Frazer Price Palette Box
The Frazer Price Palette Box
The Frazer Price Palette Box
The Frazer Prize Palette Box
The Frazer Price Palette Box
The Frazer Price Palette Box
The Frazer Price Palette Box next to the Winsor and Newton Artist’s Field Box

The box comes complete with it’s own water wells, one for washing brushes out, one for clean water and, the two mixing areas next to the water wells, are depressions on the side of a small water container.

All in all it’s a beautifully made and well considered item. Despite much searching, I could find out very little about this until I stumbled across some links that took me to a discussion on ‘Painters Online’ – where Frazer Price himself had posted the following information:

“Frazer Price
Posted: 27 May 2011 11:30 AM

Subject: RE: watercolour palettes

I have recently read the group’s comments on palette boxes and mention was made of the Frazer Price Palette Box – probably time that I enter the forum as I am Frazer Price. I designed and had the box manufactured, in Shropshire, and first came on sale in 1985 and continued to be marketed until the early ’90s.

The box came into being because of my frustration with what was available for the travelling watercolourist. I was a publisher and whilst I was travelling extensively for Newsweek I would find time to sketch in one country before spending endless hours on my way to the next port of call and decided my time could be usefully spent by painting on the plane. I had a Gabbi box which was Ok but with only a curtain ring as a holding device it was uncomfortable. Therefore, over time, I designed a lacquered brass bijou type box just over 4″ long, under 3″ wide and 2″ deep. The inside pieces were made from washable plastic with room for 18 half pans or with slides for paint from tubes, a water bottle and a divided reservoir for clean and dirty water. Two fold out enamel mixing trays one with a thumb hole enabling the box to be held comfortably as as a palette. It was launched in the Leisure Painter in 1985 and the advertisements had an endorsement by Rowland Hilder-the only time the great man endorsed anything- the selling price was £28.95 and with a couple of price increases it was marketed until ’93/4 selling over 5000 boxes worldwide. It was also branded and marketed by Talens and Daniel Smith in the States.

A point of interest when the box was first produced- the prototype costing £1,400.- I offered it to Windsor and Newton who initially showed great interest but then pulled out as they considered the box too ‘glamorous’ but asked if I would mind if they produced a plastic box based loosely on the FP box. I had no desire to go into mass production – hence the Cotman box arrived on the scene.

If any of you have archive copies of Leisure Painter you might read an excellent critique by Ray Campbell Smith in the December ’85 issue.

All that’s left now are a dozen boxes for the grandchildren and posterity. All my painting comes from the Frazer Price Palette Box and if you have the time click onto www.frazerprice.shutterfly.com and you’ll see it at work!

I hope this answers some queries and thank you for getting to this far.”

The one I purchased was still in its original box, and with its original receipt – indicating that it had been purchased for £35 (reduced from £39!)- which would suggest mine was one of the more recent early 90s models, but still over 20 years old!

In a 1996 edition of The Leisure Painter, I stumbled across one of the original ads:

Needless to say I’m chuffed to bits with this wonderful piece of craftsmanship and watercolor memorabilia. I was initially torn between using this, or just putting it out on display somewhere… but that really isn’t in my nature! So far I’ve filled it with paints and have done some little exercises in an A6 notebook, so not a proper road test, but it feels great to hold and the enameled mixing surfaces area a joy to mix on.

I’ll hopefully be able to use it more thoroughly in the week’s ahead but in the meantime, I’m really excited about this new palette addition. Who knows… it might be the last one I need to make!

After painting with the Frazer Price Palette Box for a short while, I decided to make a few modifications so it better suited how I like to paint. I have written about these modifications in another post: My Customised Frazer Price Palette Box.

I would love to hear from anyone else that has one of these, or if anyone’s seen anything similar, or just to find out what your favorite palette is?

July 2020 market value update

I try to keep a close eye out for these Frazer Price palettes on eBay. Partly in the hope that I may be able to pick another one up at a bargain price and partly just out of interest to see how much they sell for/how much people are willing to pay for them.

As in all things – condition is hugely important but, even taking into account the excellent condition of one that I recently saw on eBay – I was still surprised to see it fetch £235.00!

June 2021 – Product Update – The Frazer Price Palette is back!

It’s wonderful news that Jackson’s Art Supplies have re-introduced the Frazer Price Palette Box! They are currently offering two options, an empty Frazer Price Palette Box retailing at £100 and one part filled Frazer Price Palette Box, that comes with 12 half pans of Jacksons’ artist quality watercolours retailing for £125. In the interests of balance, I should also point out that the palette is also now available from for a similar ’empty box price’ at Ken Bromley Art Supplies.

As far as I can see, this new version looks identical to the original version with the exception of the pans for the paint. The new remake comes with a tray into which you can slide either individual half pans or full pans, which offers the ultimate in flexibility. The original versions came with three individual trays, each featuring two full pans and two half pans.

Here’s the video that Jacksons Art Supplies have created to accompany the relaunch:

On the one hand, I’m delighted that this has been reintroduced. It’s a wonderful product that I imagine many watercolour painters and enthusiasts will love to paint with one. I also think at this price, has the potential to hit a real gap in the market.

On the other hand, however, it means that the value of my own personal collection of them will plummet overnight!

Deep down, I’d love to think that my championing of the Frazer Price Palette Box – every year, this page alone is one of the most visited parts of my entire site! – has in some way contributed to resurgence of interest in this wonderful palette.

Further customisations to my Frazer Price Palette

My idea was to create a single large mixing well out of a small enamelled pie dish. I had already bought one of these some time ago so all I needed was some time and a bit of consideration as to how to do it! I had intended to document this process more thoroughly but, as it was, I got a bit carried away and only thought about photographing it when I was pretty much done and dusted with it.

Here are a few images however that I hope will make it clear! I first secured the pie dish to a piece of wood that I could in turn secure onto a workbench. I then took my trusty angle grinder armed with a fine cutting disk and set to work.

Hope this works as a paletted because it’s ruined for pies

I’d already marked out the pie dish by sitting it into the palette, drawing a line around the palette and then using masking tape to mark the line that I needed to cut along. The main challenge was that I was trying to cut a straight line when the pie dish was curved in three directions!

After much cutting, re-cutting, grinding and finally a bit of filing to smooth off the rough edges, I eventually had a dish that fitted into the palette. It wasn’t perfect, but I figured that with the amount of thought and time I’d put into this so far, I had to see it through!

Fits almost like a glove!

As you can see from these images, there was a little bit of a gap here and there, the some of the enamel has been chipped in the cutting process but I thought that I could patch up all of this with some carefully applied silicone:

Silicone added seal the edges

I’ve only been able to use this a few times since completing it and so far, it’s great! It feels wonderful to mix paints on this surface and it’s big enough to cope with larger brushes and significanlty more water that anything I’d been able to do previously.

If this post was of interest, you might also like some of these:

Thoughts on The Frazer Price Palette Box

97 thoughts on “The Frazer Price Palette Box”

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  4. I’ve read all the reviews on the Jacksons Art site about the new Fraser Price box and it is solid brass it is, however, electro-plated rather than varnished to maintain its shine. Thank you for this blog about you original palette, as I’m obviously addicted to palettes, I’ve just pushed the boat out to buy the empty version! SOOO exciting! I’d be interested to know how heavy yours is as I do like to travel light?
    Many thanks for the article.
    Hil

    1. Hi Hil and apologies for not replying sooner, your message slipped under my radar! Hopefully, by the time you get this, you’ll already be enjoying your new Frazer Price Palette! In terms of the weights someone else has been in touch and said that their original palette weighs 261gramms while the new one comes in fractionally/unnoticeably lighter at 254gramms! My working palette, which I’ve changed slightly by removing the waterbottle and replacing it with bigger wells etc, plus with paints, comes in at 280gramms. Hope that this is helpful Hil and, even moreso, I hope you’re happy with your latest palette!

      1. Thanks John for the information about the weight. I now have mine and am using it almost everyday en plein air. It’s a fantastic palette and very comfortable to handle. I filled half mine with watercolour and half gouache so my travel pack has gone from carrying 2 palettes to one. I’m really pleased with the compact quality and strong build.
        Hil

        1. Thanks Hil, so pleased you like it and that you’re already putting it to good use. I’m off on holiday tomorrow and have just packed mine so will hopefully get some use from it over the next week or so! It also makes me smile whenever I use it, even if my sketches don’t!

  5. Don’t worry, your original Frazer Price box shouldn’t be de-valued. The new one recently reissued by Jacksons is not solid brass – it’s plated.

    1. Thanks for this Sharon – I hadn’t realised that these new ones were plated rather than solid so thanks very much for this – makes me feel a whole lot better!

      1. Thanks Peggy, I haven’t had the opportuniy to examine one close up – I wouldn’t have thought there should much difference between them to be honest!

          1. Ah, I see, thanks for letting me know Peggy, much appreciated. I’ve had quite a few comments now on here and on my YouTube video about the new palette and they’ve mainly served to provide me with some comfort in the knowledge that I have the original version!

      2. The originals had some exterior differences too. One plain, one with scrollwork. I have one with a small square indentation to place a small plate with etched initials. I’m tempted to get one to compare with an original but they’re still pretty pricey.

        1. Hmmm, feels like it might be an expensive investment to just make a comparison that, from what I’ve heard so far, is only going to confirm that the originals may be fractionally heavier – but overall they are better quality.

          1. The weights are pretty close. The plastic insert for the paints is a bit lighter. The Antique Frazer 261 grams, The New Jackson’s Frazer 254 grams.

          2. Thanks so much for this Peggy! – I did, out of curiosity weight mine too. bearing in mind I’ve swapped some bits out of the original and have replaced them with different bits, and mine has some paints in it, I think mine came in just shy of 280 grams, so really not a lot in it between the two weightwise. I can only assume there are savings in the materials/manufacturing for the electroplated new ones?

          3. Haha, sorry Tony, I totally missed your irony (perhaps no surprise from someone that struggles with the concept of ‘one is enough for anybody!’ 🙂

          4. I have a lovely boxed limited edition Diana series40 kolinsky sable no. 12 with silver furrel too .
            If you are a collector.

          5. I know that range but have never had the pleasure of using one as they’ve always been beyond my price range and hard to justify when I already have so many brushes that are good (but perhaps not quite SO good!). I am sorely tempted, but it would depend on the price you had in mind. (If you like, you can drop me an email via the form on my contact page). Many thanks Tony

    2. Yes, I know it’s plated. I imagine some people won’t care as it will be lighter to hold. I’m actually tempted to get one of the new ones because of that and because it is likely magnets will stick to it. Plus I am hesitant to take my original with me anywhere out of the house for fear of losing it or it getting stolen.

      1. Haha, thanks for this Mary but I’m reading this message after having read your other message where you mention your need to ‘downsize’ your watercolour collection!! (Though let’s be honest, these don’t take up much space!)

    3. Hi, As i understand it the palette is made from brass and then electroplated for longer durability.

      1. Hi David and many thanks for this and yes, after some early confusion, that’s my understanding too. (though to be honest the original palettes that I have are all about 30 years old and all look fine so I’m not quite sure how much more durable they need them to be!) – I also see that they’re available via Ken Bromley Art Supplies, as well as from Jacksons. Thanks for getting in touch David, much appreciated!

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    1. Hi Magny and thanks so much for this. The W&N field box is a great set, really wonderful for on the go sketching! The Frazer Price ones are great and I really enjoy painting with mine. They do still come up every now and then on eBay so it’s worth keeping an eye out. I’ve just been to visit your wonderful site which is really impressive and packed full of great advice and inspiration – many congratulations! Now that I’m following you I look forward to seeing much more. Many thanks Magny!

      1. Thank you John for the lovely feedback. I really appreciate that you visited my site. I love to help people be creative and to stay in touch with other creative people and I am now following you :-). I only discovered your blog today. Your paintings are WONDERFUL and I will be back to browse your site over the weekend. What watercolor brands do you use the most? I am enjoying my W&N field kit, but I must admit that I changed out the colour pans that came with it for my own favorite colours. Maybe I will review it for one of my blog posts soon.

        1. Thanks so much Magny, especially for the kind words about my paintings, I really appreciate it. You’re already preaching to the converted when you speak about the power, positivity and sheer pleasure that can be derived from creativity, in whatever form you pursue it – it’s wonderful and is now a core part of my life – albeit very focussed on watercolour painting in particular!

          For my paints I only use Winsor and Newton Professional range. I haven’t tried all of the many other manufacturers out there, I’ve just decided to stick with W&N. I think that for the field set you’ve purchased they do one that contains ‘Cotman’ paints, and one that contains the Professional Range. I think you’re quite right to swap the palette about though so that it suits you just how you want it. I also think you should review it – so many people love reviews of equipment (I think my next post will be to introduce my latest palette investment!). Thanks again Magny

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  14. Embarrassed to say…I have two.

    I originally saw one on a blog as a Daniel Smith travel palette. Apparently a few were commissioned and marketing in the U.S. by Daniel Smith. Even more rare than the Frazer-Price. When I eventually learned it was a Frazer-Price and based in the U.K. I started looking at the U.K eBay website. I found one but the lady changed her mind and pulled the auction. Then another that wouldn’t ship to the U.S. Finally I found two and bid on them both and won. Both. When it rains it pours. Not sure what I paid for each but it wasn’t 200 pounds. I think one I bought for a bit more than $100 U.S. Both were missing one of the slide in trays but since I use my own whole and half pans it doesn’t matter. both came in their original boxes and one has the original insert pamphlet. One does have a place for engraving initials. I’ve never had that done as I don’t want them to make a mistake and ruin my box. Now that I’ve read you can have a plate made and just attach it, I might do that. I am so proud of my boxes. Both are in great condition with very little wear if any. No scratches to speak of either. No major ones. I really like it better than the Winsor and Newton. I have one but have never used it. Now that I have the F-P I should just sell the W-N.

    1. Hi there and thanks for this! If it makes you feel any better, I also have two – but in my case it wasn’t a mistake but more to do with a degree of obsessive-ness! After falling head over heels with my first one, I felt that I definitely needed a spare Frazer Price one just in case anything untoward should happen to my original one! By my reckoning, between us, we’ve got just under 1% of the original 5,000 made!

      1. LOL. I haven’t done the math but am tickled I have 0.5% of the original 5,000.

        I did consider selling the second but, like you, decided to hold on to it as a back-up incase one was lost, stolen or damaged or I needed some spare parts. Plastic gives me the willies as it ages and no matter how careful you are with it, it eventually cracks or breaks.

        There’s an engraving place near my parents’. I’m going there tomorrow so maybe I’ll take my box with me and see if they can engrave a small plate for it.

        1. haha, yes – I think we’re in danger of being accused of monopolising the Frazer Price Palette market in order to drive up prices! I haven’t really considered having mine engraved. I think one of them already has some initials on it but I’m sure they could be polished off and done again… thanks for prompting me to consider something that wasn’t remotely on my radar! 😉

      2. The box is solid brass and seems pretty substantial. Unless they are really deep, shouldn’t be a problem to have the initals polished off and redone. They could even give the entire box a one over to polish off any superficial scratches and make it shine again.

        1. Thanks for this – although I must confess to liking a bit of wear and tear! I don’t want it to look more like an exhibit in a museum than a hard working palette! 😁

        1. Hi Peg and thanks for this. I had seen the Frazer Price brush case when perusing the Jacksons website some time ago. Hmmm might even make a good Christmas present suggestion! (I’ll take another look at the dimensions! Wonderful to think that I’m only one person removed from the inventor himself! I don’t know what I’d say to him but I’d like for him to know that his palettes are still used, cherished and giving pleasure to many all these years on! Thanks again Peg

      3. Hi, Peg.

        I own that brush case. Stumbled across it at Jackson’s when I was doing searches for the Frazer-Price box. It’s nicely made but I’ve never taken it out for use.

        BTW I have what may be a Winsor and Newton prototype design bridge between the Frazer Price box that they were going to market but didn’t and the Field Box they eventually designed in plastic. Just won the auction on eBay and am waiting for it to arrive. I’ve got an e-mail inquiry to Winsor and Newton asking them if this is their prototype.

        What do you guys think?

        https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Brass-Artists-Brass-Field-Watercolour-Paint-Box-with-Folding-Palette/391930065688?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

        1. Wow, that’s fabulous! My initial reaction is that this looks much older than an FP prototype. The types of latches and fastenings seem much more elaborate than anything that would have been produced even 20 years ago – looks like a real treasure of a find to me!

      4. Yes. I thought it was a real find. But I don’t think it’s that old. The tarnished brass and hand made quality gives that impression. But I do think it is a one-off prototype because it is using shelf available fittings (like that screw) rather than custom milled stuff. The rest could be hand manufactured like the custom boxes now. The cup with tab and slot design is reminiscent of some of the vintage field boxes that Winsor and Newton and Rowney put out in the 60s and before. (Probably made for them by FOME.) But those two flaps and the mixing area of the bottle scream Field Box to me. I have yet to hear from Winsor and Newton but I will be very surprised if this isn’t one of theirs. Perhaps a model before they finalized the design and went into production on the plastic one. It should get here within a week or two. Then I can have a closer look.

        1. I love your investigative tenacity! My money’s still on it pre-dating the Frazer Price by a good few years but I hope you’ll keep me posted with any news!? (Totally coincidentally another FP box has just come on eBay! I’ll keep an eye on it but more out of curiosity than genuine interest. I think! Three would just be greedy!)

      5. I heard back from Winsor and Newton requesting pics, which I sent but haven’t heard anything since.

        I have more information. The box arrived today and I polished it up and found some very light engraving. One was a name: Gary Mansfield. On the side it says “Sample Box” and inside there is: Pat. Applied No. 197883/76. All hand done with an etching pen. I’ll be sending this additional info to W&N to see if that helps them track down any information on this. I’m going to take a photo of it next to the plastic field box for comparison but it is roughly the same size. The mixing wells seem to be a bit deeper than the field box which will make it nice to use if I can figure out how to load pans in it.

        The box itself is nicely made albeit more homemade. Nothing on the par with a Craig Young for instance. It seems to be a thinner brass. It’s what I would expect from a prototype.

        1. Sounds like you’ve unearthed something really unique and special. I wonder if there’s a way you can find out more by tracking it through the patents system – I would imagine they would have a pretty methodical archive!?

          1. I was thinking the same thing. This would probably be a UK patent and they may or may not be online. I can give it a try. Correction on that number 19783/76. Maybe with both a name and a number I’ll get a hit.

            Really hoping Winsor and Newton would come up with some info. Maybe they will now that I have a name and number. Maybe Gary Mansfield worked for them and was tasked with coming up with a different design when they passed on the Frazer Price box? I can’t believe this is unrelated to their W&N field box. There are too many design elements that are similar.

            I was playing around with it (I’m at my parents’) and I figured out how to get the pans in and out but I have none with me so don’t know how many will fit. Can’t wait to get home but I’m having dinner and then making them a pie so won’t be home until midnight PST. (I’m in California) So it’s going to be a late night of playing with my new toy.

            I’m going to take some photos on a grid with the W&N for comparison and then load them on to a blog post. I’ll send you a link when I have so you can see. I’ll take some photos of the different parts taken apart too. It really is an ingenious design.

            Oh, and the white isn’t enameled, just painted. Pretty sure.

            Mary

            Sent from my iPad

            >

      6. Hate to break the bad news but your math is off by a decimal. 1% of 5,000 is 50 not 5. Still congrats for having this great treasure.

        1. Haha – yes! Of course you’re right Jeff and a perfect example too of why my accounts are always in such a state! From now on I’ll stick try and stick painting! Many thanks for pointing this out – it’s embarrassing, but appreciated!

    2. I finally saw a picture of the Daniel Smith version of this palette. If I owned the second one, it would be the Daniel Smith version. How many of those were produced?

      1. Hi Peg – I’m afraid I have no idea! I don’t know whether the 5,000k that were produced includes those that were sold under the Daniel Smith name, or whether the Daniel Smith ones were in addition to the Frazer Price originals. I’m in the UK and so far I’ve only seen the Frazer Prize versions come up for sale. Sorry that I can’t be of any more help with this.

    3. I have one ,had it for years from new .Had know idea how they are revered. I just use it and it does tend to spit out some excellent paintings

      1. Hi Tony and thanks for dropping in to say hello – always a pleasure to meet another Frazer Price devotee! (would love to know your secret to spitting out some excellent paintings – I imagine it may be down to a lot more than just the palette!!)

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  16. Hi, I have one of these that I am about to put up for sale. It belonged to Douglas E West (father in law) artist. It still has it’s original box, slight damage to top as he had his initials on a separate plate on the top, we have removed his initials but has left a mark but new plate could be fitted over. Other than that it is in near perfect condition as he looked after all his art equipment with military precision. Was about to put it on eBay and wonder how much I should put as a reserve on it.

    1. Hi Mairead – I may have to look up your father in law – his name sounds familiar! Not sure I’m qualified to offer advice on reserve prices! There’s one on eBay that comes up today – started without any reserve and is already at £60 and likely to go up from that. The last one I saw went for around £186. When they’ve been listed really high, like starting at £200 – they’ve often hung around for a while as it’s a high start price in my opinion. I think the best thing you can do is provide a really good description and photographs so people can see it properly. The fact they’re selling for nearly £200 means there are collectors out there keeping an eye out for these palettes. I’m reluctant to suggest a reserve price but hope that this is of some help (plus there’s no guarantees – I think I paid around £60–£70 for mine) good luck with the sale though. If you do list it I daresay I’ll be keeping my eye on it!

      1. Hi John, thank you for coming back to me. Think we will put it on without reserve but will take me a couple of days as camera is playing up at the moment. It still has it’s Frazer Price sticker on the bottom but I can see he used it, tiny traces of paint in the corners. He mostly did watercolours with a very Victorian feel, lots of prints on eBay, the odd original turns up, we have some but most of his best ones were sold, as is the life of an artist. Most of his things did include the original receipts but I know he was given this as a present so no receipt. We moved last year so only now getting round to clearing some boxes and we were making up a job lot of watercolour pads, brushes and the box to put into a local auction where I doubt it would have make more than £10, so really appreciate your information and for taking the time to come back to me.

        1. My pleasure Mairead. Just seen that the one I mentioned previously that was at £60-ish eventually went for just over £130. I’d definitely mention it’s heritage and association to a well known artist too as this will give it added appeal/kudos and by all means pop a link in to this blog post too as that may help (or not!). As I say, I’ll be keeping a watchful eye out (tho unlikely to bid unless it’s looking like a complete steal – which isn’t exactly what you’re after!) Good luck tho – glad to be of some assistance.

      2. Hi
        I to have one of these in the original box , it was my lafather in laws who was always painting with water colours.
        I will be putting it up for sale.was good to read your post as to find advice how much they sell for.

        1. So pleased that it’s been helpful. I think there’s still a lot of variance for what they eventually sell for so I think there’s still a lot of luck involved! Will you be selling on eBay? (If so I’ll keep an eye out!)

      3. Hi John
        I do not have an eBay account, do you think
        It will be the best place to sell my late father in laws box

        1. Hi Sue – eBay’s great because so many people use it and because there’s no limit – it will go for as much as someone’s willing to pay for it. There are other sites , such as gumtree etc where you set your own price but I couldn’t really say which is best. I just know from personal experience that I’ve bought a lot on eBay. Good luck Sue, whatever you decide to do!

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  19. Hi John,
    I acquired one of these elegant boxes in great shape a few years ago and contacted Tony Frazier the maker of this prototype. He sent me a copy of the article from Leisure Painter. Very sweet of him. I contact Daniel Smith about more information on the box. However, current internet contacts there have no knowledge of the box.

    Peg

    1. Hi Peg and thanks for this, do you happen to still have the Leisure Painter article – I’d love to see a copy of it if it was possible? It’s strange how little information there is about them considering what great items they are. I’ve been using mine a bit recently on some small studies and I’m really enjoying painting with it but would like to give it a stiffer test! Since buying this one I’ve seen a couple more of these crop up on ebay – one going for about £150 and the other still advertised at £195! Do you still use yours? Thanks for getting in touch.

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  21. Hi, was sorting through my late uncles belongings a few weeks ago and happened to come across one of these boxes still in the orginal box and never used. Until now i have not managed to find out much about it online.

    1. RACHAEL PHILLIPS

      The info was very usefull thanks 🙂 I cant seeing myself using it as the only thing i can paint is walls lol Just a quick question maybe you could help me with,,, When it was new did it come with the paint colours all ready in it? Thanks

      1. Glad it was of some use Rachael. To the best of my knowledge, the palette was sold empty. It came supplied with three trays of four sections that could be filled with paints from tubes, or you could remove these three trays by sliding them out and replace them with pre-filled pans of colour. If you’re thinking of selling, particularly if it was on ebay or something similar, do feel free to contact my privately via my contact page as I have some tips that might help you realise its full potential!

  22. Wow – I would love one of those. I have used the W&N one for years now but I find the plastic mixing areas stain. I am guessing the Frazer Price one is no longer on sale commercially?

    1. Hi there and yes, I’ve had the same issue with my W&N box. My understanding is that the Frazer Price one’s went out of production in the early 90s. I found this one on ebay and got it for what I think was a bargain, considering its condition and how scarce they probably are now. I should warn you though, (before you think I’m crazily wealthy – or indeed crazy and wealthy!) there’s one currently listed on ebay for an eye watering £449! I think I just struck lucky on this occasion!

    1. Sorry Rebecca – that wasn’t my intention of course but must confess to feeling like I’ve completely lucked-out with this find!

        1. Thanks Rebecca, quite agree! I’ve also done a great deal of agonising about what colours to go with! All I need to do now is to use it!

    1. Thanks Margaret – am looking forward to getting comfortable with the new palette. We’re off on a short break at the end of the month which is when I’m planning on getting to know it better. As for the recognition- I must confess it’s given me quite a lift!

I'd love to hear any thoughts you have about this

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