Justin I have the tropicana tray. Ive had it for about 3 yrs now before that I had other brands they were smaller and had a sponge in the bottom.
I dont have any problems in the winter but during the summer you need to put the ceramic tray in a cold burnout furnace and run it up to about 1500 F and shut the furnace off and mabey crack the door. But let it cool till you can touch it. There are instructions that come with it. I do it about once every 2 months + -.
I use build up liquid to help hold the shape of the porc.
If you find a good brush let me know. Ive been using the Renfart brushes but they dont hold their tip well and after the tip is gone they dont hold a flat shape well to contour. If I used them for my entire buildups I dont think they would last 2 weeks.
Heres my spatulas the ends are thin and a bit flexable. Im looking to order some new ones, let me know what you find. They were both as wide at the tip as they are at the base when they were new. I got about 10 yrs out of that worn one. I never realized how worn it was till I order a new one.