The Official Silver Fire V.2 Thread. - Page 24

Hi I've been reading these forums for a few months now after I got my projector Epson 8350. I'm still not sure which SF V2.5 to use. I will be spraying on a 4x8 komatex board and the projector will be 13ft away. There is moderate light that's primarily coming from the skylight. The two windows are actually shaded by the trees so there's no sunlight coming through those windows into the room. I plan to block the skylight when watching which should drop the room between low and moderate lighting.

I had purchase the no name sprayer, but I don't quite understand what you guys mean about spraying duster coats and full coats. Are duster coats sprayed with less volume or do I just move the sprayer faster from side to side? How many coats does komatex require and how long are the drying periods in between?

Lastly, any ideas on how to setup the komatex for spraying? I'd like to set it up off the ground, but I don't have an easel that large. Do you think putting two chairs on the bottom corners and clamping it is good enough? What other easy makeshift stands do people try? Thanks for your help.

I can mount it directly to the wall. Since I plan to do 48"x85" for a 98" diagonal, can I just screw in the sides and not have screws on the top or bottom of the screen since I'm painting up to them? I know one side can easily hit a stud but the other side's studs doesn't seem to fall in my excess area. Are there drywall screws that I can use to hold it in or will I need wall anchors which will be a bigger PITA lining it up?

How many coats are recommended on komatex and which SF V2.5 should I use 3.0 or 4.0? Thanks.

Thank you, I'm feeling good about the 5.0 mix. I had not even considered using a ND filter to cut down on the brightness. After painted and cured if i'm still noticing hot spotting I'll play with the idea of using an ND2 or 4 filter.

My research has now moved onto the spraying aspect of this venture. I've read a lot and feel pretty confident with the speed and distance for the coats. I ran across a thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...1#post20467571) where the sprayer reported that SF produced a noticeable texture. This is something that I want to minimize as much as possible. What I'm loving about the unpainted Sintra surface, is the perfectly flat surface that it provides compared to the slightly textured painted wall that I was projecting on prior to mounting it. My viewing distance is a little over 8' so any texture is very noticeable.

Do you have any words of wisdom to provide the smoothest surface while spraying? Logic, at least in my mind, dictates that heavier coats instead of numerous dusters should provide something smoother, but my experience with spraying is non-existant.

Im making progress after this weekend.

Sanded my wall down to repaint it a darker charcoal/black color background.

Got the 120" diagonal Sintra board (actually i think it measures 122" but was going to play with the 1" on each side for screwing into wall? Still researching how to mount it to the wall..

I've got all the paint supplies except for nylon strainer, paint bucket mixer. Got the Rustoleum from Amazon, Liquitex stuff from Michaels (They have on buy 2 get 1 free sale so basically 3/$10), 4 yards of velvet from Hobby Lobby and 27' of trim to wrap around the screen and Miniwax Satin from HD. Will attempt this with my air HVLP spray gun since I already have two of them..have it on a double regulator so should never run out a consistent pressure stream.

Trying to figure out where to start first and can't decide but i think I have 90% of all materials needed so far just need to get it mounted and spray.

How much screen gain is SF V2.5 3.0 vs 4.0? For my screen size of 98" from my Epson 8350 13ft away, it seems I'm right on the edge of being able to watch in low to high ambient lighting according to the projector calculator. Currently my room has moderate lighting but I plan to cover up a skylight so I'll be in the middle of low to moderate. My viewing habits would be sports during the day and movies at night, probably a 50/50 split. What would you recommend?

Finally finished painting last night! After practicing a LOT I took the gun over to the screen itself and realized that I had been worrying myself over nothing at all. It took seven coats; three dusters, three a bit heavier, and a final duster. In the end it came out looking pretty amazing.

Here's a shot of the finish, I'll be posting many more of the entire build once i have all the finishings in place.

That's encouraging to know that that's about "about as smooth and texture free as one can expect to get". Somehow I envisioned that the screen would be extremely smooth with no texture whatsoever, so I was a bit discouraged when mine had a texture. The image looks fantastic on my screen, and you can't see any kind of texture even up close, but I thought I did a mediocre job at best.

hey guys.

nice to hear the new glowing reports of finished sf and mm screens today... seems you guys have been enjoying your collection of movies on the new screens instead of sharing.

selfish i must say.
well at least your family and friends are reaping the benefits.

i've got much work to do...
hoping one day i can share a couple of my outside the box ideas with you.

Got the drill atttachment paint mixer today..

Is there a difference between these two filters?

http://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-4755-Oi.../dp/B001NSYV58

http://www.amazon.com/Neiko-Tools-Li.../dp/B002GQ3SUA

My guess is the Tekton since it does up to 150psi..?

Thanks for the tip. I hope to complete the project this weekend and hopefully I'll have some pictures worth posting.

Here is the painted screen up on the wall. I tried taking some screen shots of it in action last night, but apparently the ISO was set too high in the camera. The images looked fine in the camera, but once I brought them to the computer they were far too grainy. I'll try again tonight and post up the results.

Not a pro, but here are a few shots I got of Horton. I don't have a very good camera, so it's probably not the best representation of the actual image. This is on Eco mode, so normal mode would be even brighter. Pretty good considering it's a relatively cheap projector.

Sounds good. I'll get some shots of other movies with maybe a better camera.

Hey guys, So im going to be ready to do my first Silver fire DIY screen in 2 weeks and need to make sure I'm choosing the right DIY paint job.
I have the Viewsonic pjd6211 projector and will be needing best paint job to give me a gain in brightness because when I activate the projector into 3D mode the brightness is literally cut IN HALF from the normal 2500 lumens, no joke. I was able to buy a 6 x 4 foot, 1/4 thick clear plexiglass from my roommate for 50 bucks and want to take advantage of it .
I have the no name spray painter, which actually has a name, lol and will be using it. Now I know you want a thin mixture for the mirror so which version of sliver fire will i need for this job. Second Do i want to use the Thrifty white board for the backing of the plexiglass or use sheet from a Roll of Mylar?
Is Silver fire the best solution for this DIY screen?? I painted my bedroom couple months ago and it is now a very dark color. I have complete capability of turning the room into a bat cave by covering up the 1 window i have so ambient light wont be an issue. I'm guessing when i get ready to start the actual project I'll start a dedicated thread for those who can help me with this project. Thanks for everyone's help.

Hey guys. I'm LouG and I've been trolling this forum as a guest for a while getting my Silver Fire v2.5/4.0 painted. Just wanted to write a testimony to the amazingness that is Silver Fire v2.5.

I had previously purchased a home made mixture online, but remained skeptical to it being anything more than gray paint. I decided I wanted a little more control over the elements of my screen mixture, so a quick search found me here.

I have an Optoma GT750E and opted for 4.0 gain. Silver Fire v2.5 makes your whites pop, your darks drop, and your color glow! It's like there is a 120" LED HDTV inside my wall.

And the real kicker? I did everything COMPLETELY wrong. I'm far too lazy to claim myself an AV nerd, and as a result there are blemishes in the walls to make most on this forum cringe--and I foam rolled the entire thing.

My point being: I'm so happy with how my half-assed attempt came out I can't even imagine what Silver Fire looks like done the proper way...

Whoever created Silver Fire put in some serious R&D. I had no idea paint could do things like this. The reflective elements and color balance have in many instances (to my eyes at least) created an illusion of 3D out of 2D content. I really wish I could afford the glasses to see how 3D content looks.

A friend of mine once said, "Why don't you just use the white wall that's already there?" I can't wait to show him exactly why.

Hey MM..What would be your reply to most post above LouG?? Getting ready to paint next weekend and need to make sure I buy the right mixture.

So, which backing would you recommend using for a 2d/3d setup?? The TWH backing or the Roll of Mylar? Yeah, 1/4 thinck plexiglass is thick but I don't wont to pass it up at only $50. which would give me the greatest gain of the 2??

1/4 plexi is pretty heavy... but i would have the smoothest surface to start from. you'll want to roll 3 coats of white upw on the backside, then do SF on the front side.

unless you know what you are doing with mylar... then no.

if you don't have the option of sintra/komatex...
or even the 1/4inch melamine from menards...

then go with TWH.

Okay first, if i go with the TWH then i'm guessing i don't need the 3 coats of white UPW on the plexiglass. I would perfer going with the TWH anyway cause less work then having to paint the back. So when it comes to mounting the THW behind the Plexiglass on the wall I'm guessing i'll just put the TWH on the wall first then put the plexiglass over it and tighting them together with the little latches i use to attach my bathroom mirrors to the wall.
Second, which will give me a better screen the TWH or the Mylar as a backing?? As the post reads, I"m guessing its a little difficult to work with mylar. What are the problems you have working with mylar in this type of setup?? I have no problem working with Myler and wouldn't be afraid to learn how to mount it on correctly if it means a better screen. Thanks for your info pb_max and look forward to your reply on this. Thanks everyone who is helping on this. can't wait to do it next weekend.
Since it is a 3D setup that i'm focusing on, the one that gives me the brightness, edge is the one i would be going for involving the TWH or the Mylar as a backing.

narhic_fd;

you can go with eith.er the twh or the mylar behind the plexi... sandwiched as you said... so long as you can get the mylar firmly sandwiched up against the plexi.

as for the differences... the mylar backing will tend to have the better black levels.