[Steve Scherrer]

I have been toying with the idea of doing a better, easier, lighter screen for my outdoor setup.


Right now, I use a very large artists canvas. Two steel 10 foot steel poles are disposed in eyelets drilled into my backyard fence and the canvas hangs between the two poles. I can turn each pole to wrap the material around the pole and tighten up the screen. I also have eyelets on the top of each pole attached to rope that can be pulled down at 45 degree angles (to pull each pole outwardly), and the screen has a rope through a pocket sewn into top of the screen that also falls to either side of the poles at 45 degree angles to keep the center of the screen from sagging.


My thought: Buy 4 4x8 sheets of dense insulation paneling from Home Depot, paint it with white (grey?) paint and somehow dispose it on the fence. The screen, with each sheet set side-by-side, would be 16x8, which I could then paint to roughly 15 x 6.5 feet for a scope screen.


Questions:

1. How do I get each panel attached to my fence so that is is easy to put up and easy to take down? Some kind of track where I can just place panel into the track? Perhaps I can just set up some brackets on the fence in strategic locations to hold the panels. I have a wood fence, about 4-5 feet tall with spaced vertical slats, and posts every 8 feet. So if I start the screen on the fence about 3 feet off the ground, only about 2 feet of the screen will actually contact the fence, the rest will be above the fence. Will I need some kind of top restraining bar or perhaps a clip between panels to keep it all together?


2. How do I make it seamless? White tape that can be painted?



For inspiration, I am looking at this outdoor theater:

Any thoughts?

 

[jsloyer]

I've got an idea for the tracks. If you go to a local glass cutting shop or mirror cutting shop, you can get tracks that basically hold large mirrors on the wall (the ones similar to what's in a gym). Not sure how thick these things get versus the home depot flat panels, but it's worth a try, I think.

 

[tlogan6797]

It doesn't sound like you are concerned about fold-up storage so....


What I did for my 4X8 deck screen is bulld a frame out of 1X4s. I used Blackout Cloth and velcro to attach. Mine is light enough that I attached 4 picture hangers (the kind with the metal loop) to the top of the frame. Then I just attached 4 lengths of electric conduit to the outside edge of the deck and placed a conduit coupler on top (the kind with two screws). Then I just hang the frame on the screws. I put it up and take down in 5 minutes. Yours of course would be bigger, but once you get it up there, you won't be taking it down everytime either. And I built my frame to fold in half so that when I take the screen off it folds up for storage.


Do some more searches on the site you found that pic and you will get PLENTY of ideas and advice. It's a great site!


Good luck,

Tom

 

[victor-eyd]

The nice thing about my setup is that the metal fence behind is so high I was able to use velcro to attach, which I'm sure your already seen but here the pic nonetheless



Here is was prior to painting. I purposely taped the edges with electrical tape as I would almost be certain if I applied tape directly and upon peeling, I take out part of the panel. By having the binding tape (which I used the brand Shurtape- Ill edit once I get the right type#) stick on the electrical tape only, when I peel to remove I only will remove paint over the electrical tape.

As to your situation, I would recommend vertical stripes of wide velcro, and make sure the stuff that outside is the plastic part, not the cloth part of the velcro. All you have to do is correctly line it up at mark where the panel touches the vertical parts of the fence and stripe away. I'd also consider the 2" panel. Its slightly heavier but in my opinion less resistant to sway as you'll be using the full size of the panel

 

[warrenP]

If you can attach to your fence, just use temporary fasteners. I hold my entire screen to my support posts with a few tie-straps, which I just cut and throw away when done. Makes it real fast and easy.


You could try what I've done. If you put a few posts in the ground, right in front of your fence, then 'sit' your screen on those posts, all the weight goes there. Then, all you need of the fence is some small amount of strength to keep the thing from flying away.


Use the same wood as your fence, and you wouldn't even really notice the extra posts in the ground. Here is a pic of mine, the difference would be you have the actual fence, where I had to install vertical support 2x4s:

 

[Steve Scherrer]

All good ideas. I dunno. I want my screen to be super easy to put up, yet still be nice and taut, look impressive, be at least 16 feet wide.


What I do right now is I have two side poles 16 feet across that are slid into eyelets on the fence posts. These poles are 10 feet high and steel (gas line poles). Wrapped like a scroll between them is heavy canvas material, which is also really heavy. I have a pocket sewn in the top of the canvas where a rope line is run, through eyelets on the tops of both poles, and are then disposed at 45 degree angles down and tied to the top of the fence on either side. I also have ropes attached to the tops of the poles to pull the poles outwardly, which are also disposed downward at a 45 degree angle and tied to the top of the fence. These ropes can be tighted for tautness.


But the whole thing is huge and heavy.


I am ok with 4x8 panels, if each are light enough. But I am, as stated above, concerned about seams running vertically when the panels come together.


I went to take another look at that foam paneling, and while it appears to be fairly rigid, and would likely be able to stand up on its own, the surface isn't the best, and even if painted uniformaly, would likely have depressions and gouges, etc. Perhaps I can use the panels, and put some kind of thin plastic surface on each one? Doesn't solve the seam issue, though. One other thought is to get the panels up (or some kind of frame) and then put a 16 foot wide (very light) screen material up somehow over the panels or frame (kind of like what is done above). I don't know if this saves me any time, though.


Gonna ponder this a bit more...

 

[Steve Scherrer]



Quote:
Originally Posted by jsloyer /forum/post/12998860


I've got an idea for the tracks. If you go to a local glass cutting shop or mirror cutting shop, you can get tracks that basically hold large mirrors on the wall (the ones similar to what's in a gym). Not sure how thick these things get versus the home depot flat panels, but it's worth a try, I think.

Actually, this has given me a very interesting idea...


Perhaps I can use these tracks (will have to do some searching...) to hold up corrugated plastic panelling that you can get at the local hardware store (not sure if they are at Home Depot, but I have seen them at Menards here in the midwest). They are white, and mostly rigid, but I think they do bow a bit. They are pretty light. these could probably be put in tracks on the fence., and perhaps more tracks could be used to hold up the sides (at least on the outside panels) and across the top to hold the whole thing together. Will research a bit...

 

[victor-eyd]

steve,


Are you talking about the flat (about 1/16" thick) white 4x8 plastic sheets similar to what you'd find in a commercial bathroom?

 

[Steve Scherrer]



Quote:
Originally Posted by victor-eyd /forum/post/13058573


steve,


Are you talking about the flat (about 1/16" thick) white 4x8 plastic sheets similar to what you'd find in a commercial bathroom?

No--at my local big hardware store, there is a white paneling that is corrugated. The surfaces are white, but there is a corrugated plastic cellular structure inside. The total thickness is probably 1/4 to 1/2 inch.


I guess the idea is to make it as light as possible so they are easy to set up. In a perfect world, the four panels that would make up the screen could accordion up and easily unfold. However, I think I can do it with two panel together, and only really worry about the seam in the middle (assuming I can find a wihte tape or something to "hinge" the material and close the seam between two panels.


I was visiting the hardware store and took a further look at the foam paneling. The stuff I saw can be 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch, is very stiff, and I think it would make a very good base. The problem is that the surface is not very good, one side is silver, the other is printed with the company's logo. The panels are very light. I was thinking of using this foam as a base, and then add the very thin pink foam paneling (which is much more fragile but has an almost perfect surface. Put the two panels together and you could get the best of both worlds, a very thick, stiff panel with a perfect surface that can be painted.

 

[victor-eyd]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Scherrer /forum/post/13087308


assuming I can find a wihte tape or something to "hinge" the material and close the seam between two panels

I don't think I've seen that panel here at my home depot or lowes but I did find this. Its wide and the price is right

white duct tape

http://www.tapebrothers.com/White-Du...e-p/260wh2.htm


Victor

 

[Steve Scherrer]

Good thought--but isn't Duct tape kind of shiny? I would think you would want a matte cloth-type tape. Like this 2" gaffers tape:

http://www.tapebrothers.com/Pro-Gaff...ds-p/pgwh2.htm

 

[victor-eyd]

I don't know if the duct tape will be shiny but you're right about the gaffer's tape

 

[StevieJ]

I was thinking of hanging something from the swingset (one of the big Rainbow ones) for easy set up and take down. What type of material do you all suggest would work well? besides a couple of white bed sheets sewn together.

 

[tlogan6797]



Quote:
What type of material do you all suggest would work well? besides a couple of white bed sheets sewn together.

Either Blackout Cloth (BOC) available at most fabric stores (may need to sew together to get the dimensions you are after and add your own method of installation (gromemts, pockets, etc), or do a search for "trapeze" fabric (it can be ordered to size and the groemmets can be added bythe manufacturer was well).


Good luck,

Tom

 

[victor-eyd]



Quote:
Originally Posted by tlogan6797 /forum/post/13101281


Either Blackout Cloth (BOC) available at most fabric stores (may need to sew together to get the dimensions you are after and add your own method of installation (gromemts, pockets, etc), or do a search for "trapeze" fabric (it can be ordered to size and the groemmets can be added bythe manufacturer was well).


Good luck,

Tom

What about this idea. Its basically a variation on a scroll design, but is kept taut by poles or beams on the top and bottom. The bottom might also have additional weights to prevent the screen from moving side to side

Victor

 

[jsloyer]

Victor- That is my idea for a screen minus the weights. I'm thinking it will work - but have to wait until warmer weather here in DC to give it a go. I was going create a 2" PVC frame and put a pole on top and bottom only pulling enough to get the wrinkles/sag out wo/ having to do side poles/grommets/cabling/etc.


Since you're in sunny California where's it NEVER cold (except for the snow this yr near LA?!), I hereby order you to execute on your top/bottom/weight screen creation and report back with your findings!


Thanks,

Jim

 

[victor-eyd]

Thanks for the request but I've got my eyes set on getting three (or four) larger cardboard panels than the ones you see above.


Free of course from my office.


The panels are now 60" x 110" so I'll be entering the 200" club soon.


btw, I live in SF Bay area (and on top of a hill) so its rarely warm up here, sadly.

Victor