BIG diy screen questions and solutions...

roohster2 · 30-09-2005, 10:19 AM

Hi guys,

just made myself a fixed screen from blackout material, thought I may as well go for the biggest one I could fit in my lounge, so made it 90" x 51"!

I couldn't leave it fixed to the wall, as it has to go in front of the tv, so came up with a simple solution... I mounted it on one of those "portable clothes rails" - basically a bigtubular frame on wheels.

It works a treat, just wheel it into the lounge when I want to use the pj, wheel it back into the dining room when I've finished!

A cheap and neat solution!
Fabric £15
wood for fame £8
clothes rail £12 (from b&q)

A couple of questions:

What's the best way to add a black border? Velvet seems to be the most popular solution, but I cant find any velvet ribbon wider than 1".

Would grey screen cloth be a better option, or once I start buying "proper" screen material, would I be better off just buying a screen?

The pj is ceiling mounted, and obviously uses a fair mount of keystone correction.... as a result there is a lot of "overspill" of light below the screen (the "non picture" area) - any way round this? Suppose I could just try mounting the projector on a longer pole....

Gary Lightfoot · 06-10-2005, 12:23 PM

I made a frame using 18mm x 44mm wood from Wickes, and then bought some plush black velvet from Ebay (do a search for 'Sorcerer velvet).

I then cut it into 4.5" strips and glued it to the frame, and that slides over the screen and is a snug fit. I'll also be using the material as masking, so the excess shouldn't go to waste.

Gary

Cmar-Ireland · 06-10-2005, 2:45 PM

Door frame timber makes a great, cheap screen frame once covered in velvet

roohster2 · 03-11-2005, 2:43 PM

And here it is...

03-11-2005, 5:45 PM

sorry maybe im just stupid but could you not just paint a black border on?

(although im still unsure asto why a border is needed, besides the fact it makes it look better)

Gary Lightfoot · 04-11-2005, 12:36 AM

Paint can be used to good effect but black velvet does a better job in absorbing any light spill you may have and it gives a sharper edge.

Gary.

stevegreen · 04-11-2005, 9:13 AM

I will be looking at making my own screen in the near future, that looks fantastic

Daft question, is blackout material 'white' or 'fawn' in colour. I've never seen any without a picture on it

Gary Lightfoot · 05-11-2005, 2:10 AM

I think you can get blackout cloth in various colours, including off-white, so try to find one that looks as white as possible. Tale a piece of white printer paper as a reference and see how closely you can match it.

Gary.

stevegreen · 05-11-2005, 12:31 PM

Thanks Gary. I have seen some superb results from homemade screens on here so I hope to get somewhere near them when I try myself. I have seen 'Foamex' mentioned a few times and have a contact of sorts so I may also look into that more closely

calibos · 06-11-2005, 12:51 AM

Fabulous DIY screen you made Roohster2 but good god thats some bad VB you have there. I assume you have an AE700. No wonder the owners were up in arms! Have you learned to live with it or is it a lot less visible in reality and its the camera thats made it look more obvious?

Found some mild VB on my new AE900 but luckily was able to tweak it out from the service menu.

bikersteve · 06-11-2005, 12:01 PM

Hi people.

i'm new to this forum but can see there's a lot of fantastic knowledge and good stuff out there !
Am new member & have been a bit of a Hi-Fi buff / anorak for years BUT just took 1st step into AV world and bought PJ - I now need a screen, ...... I am very able DIY'er but want to make sure I put effort into correct design / aproach -

So..... guidance / tips etc... please

Reading the posts i am inclined towards a MDF screen ( will prob use 12mm ? ) as I can fix it permanently to a wall - now the questions ......
Is it best to paint it ( by small roller i note - but what colour ? what product ? ) or to cover it in some form of material ( what material ? )
I can see from the posts that the black velvet border is a must ( why so wide ? i note one post suggests 4" width ? ) ... but how do you get the "inner edge" of the border perfectly square.

I am not that inclined towards the frame idea and stretching a material over the frame - i presume this is the foamex material i have read about on the varous messages ?

cheers guys & looking forward to getting some further tips

Steve

PJTX100 · 06-11-2005, 4:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bikersteve

Hi people.
Reading the posts i am inclined towards a MDF screen ( will prob use 12mm ? )

What size? 12mm may be very heavy. I used 6mm.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bikersteve

Is it best to paint it ( by small roller i note - but what colour ? what product ? ) or to cover it in some form of material ( what material ? )

Paint, small roller will do, matt white is best. Paint both sides to minimise it warping. Some wooden batons may be a good idea to add bracing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bikersteve

I can see from the posts that the black velvet border is a must ( why so wide ? i note one post suggests 4" width ? ) ... but how do you get the "inner edge" of the border perfectly square.

I painted mine matt black, that works fine but probably not quite as good as velvet, I imagine the pile absorbs light better. Size-wise it's your call, mine is approx a 3" border all round. Use decent masking tape, project the image onto the white screen as a template! Job's a good 'un.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bikersteve

I am not that inclined towards the frame idea and stretching a material over the frame - i presume this is the foamex material i have read about on the varous messages ?

No, foamex is a very light alternative to MDF - it looks interesting too. But I imagine it's a lot more flexible so you need to be careful to get it perfectly flat. Stretched material can be as cheap as blackout cloth or quite expensive but effective screen cloth specifically made for the job...PJ

PJTX100 · 06-11-2005, 4:54 PM

Congrats Roohster. Not only is that a cracking screen, it's also the best shot of VB I've ever seen. Would you mind me posting a link to it from the PJ forum? Lots of people ask what VB looks like...PJ