Making your own frames for scrims.

Annie Wengenroth · January 5, 2005

At work today they were throwing out 2 6'x6' pieces of black single scrim fabric from our butterfly kits due to a rip in each one, so I grabbed them thinking maybe I can salvage something out of it. What can I say, I'm a packrat. So is there a way to make my own frames for scrims? I would imagine that then you could just stretch it over the frames, similar to stretching canvas. Ideas?

Yeah...my apartment is starting to look like a rental house exploded in here...!

Bob Hayes · January 5, 2005

I?ve made frames out of PVC pipe and elbows on location but found they twist too much. You might be able to make them into screen frames like for your house window but again they might not be very strong. If you look at the 6?x6 breakdown frames made with thin steel or aluminum pipes and elbows there aren?t that tough or expensive to make.

J. Lamar King IMPOSTOR · January 5, 2005

I like to make frames out of aluminum angle stock. You can get some that is like a half inch on one side and 3/4th's on the other. Make it into a square by using those flat steel corner reinforcements made for picture frames. They have a place for two bolts on each leg. Bolt through the 1/2 inch side and that is the face of the frame where you put the material. The 3/4 side pinches easily into a grip head. The only drawback is the frame does suffer from twist but not much.

Phil Rhodes · January 5, 2005

Hi,

Would that I worked somwhere they throw out big bits of fabric..

I keep thinking of ways to make collapsible frames for flags and scrims. Perhaps link four bars together with hinged corners and have diagonal bracing, or something.

As for the exploded-rental-house issue, I used to have a cupboard containing all my equipment. Now I have a large pile of equipment behind which is, somewhere, a cupboard.

Phil

Rich Steel · January 5, 2005

Hi Phil,

Matthews has already manufactured a system, see the attached link:

Cirro Lite

Rich Steel · January 5, 2005

Forgot to say Phil, with the exchange rate being so bloody good at the moment you can pick up a road rags kit for £75 (GBP). Get shopping........

Phil Rhodes · January 5, 2005

Hi,

I saw those things, but they seem rather... well... small. I'm most often interested in trying to get rid of the overcast, and while I'm sure road rags are very handy for taking chunks out of the California sunlight, I'm sure you're aware (especially in Scotland!) that a 2x3ft flag is about as much use a fire extinguisher in an asbestos house.

Never really got nets either. I mean, I can do "dimmer" easily enough!

Phil

Annie Wengenroth · January 5, 2005

Thanks for your suggestions, looks like I"ll be hitting a hardware store or two this weekend! I've been keeping a closer eye out on what gets tossed around work, figuring some of it is fixable or good for parts. Of course I can't take all of it because some of the broken equipment goes down to the engineers, but I'm trying to grab stuff here and there. I can't believe what people throw away in general that is perfectly useable with a little creative thinking. I mean, if you can get it for free... and fix it for less than what you would have paid for it new... then that's gotta be a good thing...

John Sprung · January 6, 2005

I can't believe what people throw away in general that is perfectly useable with a little creative thinking. I mean, if you can get it for free... and fix it for less than what you would have paid for it new... then that's gotta be a good thing...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Are you sure you're not my long lost daughter? ;-)

I must have at least one empty 24x36" open side frame in the garage. All it takes is 1/4" steel bar bent up for three sides, and piano wire for the fourth. Weld on a handle and you're good to go.

-- J.S.

Annie Wengenroth · January 7, 2005

It gets better! Today we began stripping off the old fabric from the 18 x 24 scrim kits so now I've got some silks as well. One has a tiny burn in it but there are definitely some good pieces there. I was thinking of making a few bigger frames and then some smaller ones, similar to a dot and finger kit. And then maybe a pair of pants. :P

Riku Naskali · January 7, 2005

Well, you could make frames out of aluminum like the pro frames are done. But it's not cheap.

I think pvc is fine for smaller frames, and you can also reinforce it with spraying some expanding polyurethane inside it. You can also make frames out of wood, but they aren't really too transportable.