I build six "Old School" drying screens

[John Kasaian]

To go with all my other "old school" photography gear.
2" x1/2" Canadian Doug Fir for the framing. Joints glued with Elmer's Carpenter glue (the yellowish version of Elmers, supposed to be more resistant to moisture) then staples on both sides to hold together for drying since I only had two long clamps and am building a batch of six drying screens.
Then I gave it a good coat of Zinssner "Bulls Eye" Shellac. After everything dries I marked the corners where I wanted the mending plates, pulled out the staples on that side and glued the mending plates in place with Duco-cement to keep them where I wanted them until drilling the pilot holes and screwing the mending plates down.
Tomorrow I'll flip them over, introduce a bend by slightly raising the short ends and clamping down the centers of the long sides, then staple the screen material along a pencil line 3/8" from the inside edge of the framing, release the clamps and let the frame stretch the fabric tight, then staple the long sides, cut off the excess screen material and cover the edges and staple line with half round molding held in place with wire brads, then another coat of "Bulls Eye" Shellac. Then its back to contact printing.

Yeah, I could have used aluminum frames and splines, but this has been a heck of a lot of fun and I suspect they will look "right."

[Louie Powell]

I used ordinary 1x2" clear pine that I ripped in half to make 1x1" sections (actually, 3/4 x 3/4"). I cut rabbets at the ends so that I could create lap joints at the corners. Yellow carpenter's glue (actually, polyurethane glue would have been better because it's more water resistant) to glue the corners together, then used metal mending plates. Finished the wood using water-borne polyurethane floor varnish because its cheap, tough and water resistant, and is so very easy to clean up after using. Stretched plastic window screening over the frames and attached with staples.

Then I build a rack using L-shaped molding to hold the frames about 4" apart. The rack is under my darkroom sink.

To use, I squeegee the prints against a sheet of glass, and then place them on the screens - face down for FB paper, face up for RC. If left alone, FP prints (all DW) will dry thoroughly overnight. I can expedite things by directing a small fan on the prints -brings the drying time down to a couple of hours.

[John Kasaian]

The thickness of the Douglas fir I used looks closer to 1".... but not quite. It's whatever it is that Lowe's sells, anyway.

[Drew Wiley]

John - you should try making a few of those lampshade-shape, then selling them to REI as designer bug headnets. I see lotsa sillier things sold there. You might
get rich. For bigger screens I just use sliding patio door screens (fiberglass). I get em free whenever our door&window warranty crew has to do a replacement on
a new slider.

[John Kasaian]

John - you should try making a few of those lampshade-shape, then selling them to REI as designer bug headnets. I see lotsa sillier things sold there. You might
get rich. For bigger screens I just use sliding patio door screens (fiberglass). I get em free whenever our door&window warranty crew has to do a replacement on
a new slider.

Fiberglass might not stop Sierra skeeters, Drew---I've seen 'em stick their proboscis clean through a heavy cotton flannel shirt sleeve! Maybe a heavy galvanized pail perforated with #9 shot for sight & ventilation and replace the wire bail with a more comfortable chin strap would interest REI? The deluxe model could have a solar panel on top and a charger for the well equipped outdoors person's Smartphone (with GPS app)

[Drew Wiley]

I'm only half joking. I grew up with a kid who noticed the scrap pile of cedar next to the sawmill a short walk down the road, then had kids shape it into little soap
bars in his garage after school. He sold these five per pkg to Eddie Bauer under the label as the Poor Man's Cedar Chest. He sold so many that he has not only supported his family for the past forty years on this item alone, but is well enough off to have his own plane and airstrip up in those foothills. ... But REI is simply nutty selling fashion statements to one-weekend-a-year outdoor wannabees.
I go in there looking for a simple plastic canteen. They have an entire aisle of silly designer cool-looking water bottles for twenty bucks up, but nothing simple.... So I hit up someone I know in the organization and tell them they should likewise install an entire aisle of designer pee bottles for all those winter campers etc who don't want to crawl out of the tent at night. I was spoofing of course; but the stupid things would probably sell there!

[John Kasaian]

Back to work!
The half round molding won't allow the screens to stack easily. What I need is a molding called Screen Bead, but apparently thye only make the stuff in pine, which looks cheesey against the grain of the Doug fir. Aside from either painting them or milling Screen Bead from Douglas fir, does anyone have any suggestions? I guess I could paint the molding in a complimentary color (green, black or red?)
Right now I'm knocking out three more of these "mini" drying screens for a total of nine.

[Drew Wiley]

Screen bead is typically avail in birch and alder too, John. ... but not ... uh, er, just "anywhere" .. Birch and fir age about the same in terms of reddening. Alder needs
a tiny slip of thinned-out stain to do the trick. Fir won't mill that small. Do you have a hardwood dealer anywhere in that part of the world?

[John Kasaian]

Screen bead is typically avail in birch and alder too, John. ... but not ... uh, er, just "anywhere" .. Birch and fir age about the same in terms of reddening. Alder needs
a tiny slip of thinned-out stain to do the trick. Fir won't mill that small. Do you have a hardwood dealer anywhere in that part of the world?

Next market day, when I hitch Bessie and Nellie to the buckboard and head into town, I'll ask at the General Store:)

There are a few places that have hardwood---I'll see if I can get the Birch. I did find Oak at Lowes, but it seems like overkill for something like drying frames. Thanks!

[neil poulsen]

I used metal screening that one can purchase at a Home Depot. Works great. But, it of course doesn't have that neat, shellac look.

[John Kasaian]

I used metal screening that one can purchase at a Home Depot. Works great. But, it of course doesn't have that neat, shellac look.

I've nothing against using aluminum frames and fiberglass screening, but wooden frames sure look good:)

[John Kasaian]

Yester day I found a piece of scrap the right size hiding n my garage, so now I've got ten of these drying frames! Whoa!:D
The last four are my Mk IIs (or Mk I-AI?) an improvement with better, 4 screw mending plates using smaller screws (Stanley National 1-1/2"x1-3/8" number N220-087 V119)

[chris_4622]

John,

Shellac is not a good choice for areas that will get wet. Although that didn't keep me from using it on the 5x7 camera I made.

[John Kasaian]

John,

Shellac is not a good choice for areas that will get wet. Although that didn't keep me from using it on the 5x7 camera I made.
the damp prints shouldn't come into contact with the wood----if I do my part. While there are plenty of other finishes and materials, my objective isn't to build fine furniture or spend a lot of money on something so utilitarian as drying screens. Teak and silicone bronze aren't in the budget, nor is oak and brass, but that is no reason why they can't be pleasing to the eye---my eyes anyway. Besides, I get a great deal of pleasure building stuff that I'll be putting into use.
Anyway, in the next year or two I'll likely replace my larger drying screens and I'm learning a lot replicating the old timey looking wood ones:)

[chris_4622]

the damp prints shouldn't come into contact with the wood----if I do my part. While there are plenty of other finishes and materials, my objective isn't to build fine furniture or spend a lot of money on something so utilitarian as drying screens. Teak and silicone bronze aren't in the budget, nor is oak and brass, but that is no reason why they can't be pleasing to the eye---my eyes anyway. Besides, I get a great deal of pleasure building stuff that I'll be putting into use.
Anyway, in the next year or two I'll likely replace my larger drying screens and I'm learning a lot replicating the old timey looking wood ones:)

All valid reasons. I wasn't trying to change your mind so much as just giving you some useful information about shellac. As I mentioned I used it on the camera I made knowing it wouldn't stand up to the wet weather, and it hasn't but I still like it.

[Roger Thoms]

Here's your Doug Fir screen molding if your still looking. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Kelleher-1-4-in-x-3-4-in-Douglas-Fir-Flat-Screen-Moulding-F340/100321743#.UbiEXMu9KSM

Roger

[andreios]

John, I have to make window screens this weekend, I plan to have some leftover material... Could you perhaps share a snapshot with us that are not so gifted and experienced hand-workers? Thanks!

[John Kasaian]

Here's your Doug Fir screen molding if your still looking. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Kelleher-1-4-in-x-3-4-in-Douglas-Fir-Flat-Screen-Moulding-F340/100321743#.UbiEXMu9KSM

RogerThanks Roger!

[John Kasaian]

John, I have to make window screens this weekend, I plan to have some leftover material... Could you perhaps share a snapshot with us that are not so gifted and experienced hand-workers? Thanks!

I don't haven't the screen beading on them yet--(I haven't been the Home Depot to check them out!) I can show you what I've do so far if my daughter gets home soon (she knows how to post pictures, I don't :o) What has held me up is the grain issue on the screen beading and the terrible wood screws that came with the second batch of mending plates. If you will be using the same kind of Chinese made mending plate, I recommend buying the plates and wood screws separately.
For real window screens which will be out in the weather I would suggest a better finish than shellac (oil base enamel comes to mind) Tools that really come in handy are a power miter saw (I didn't miter the corners on my screens but a miter saw makes very square cuts) a small hammer like a tack hammer, drill for the pilot holes for screwing on the mending plates and a staple gun.

[Drew Wiley]

Good luck with that one. We're the biggest Kelleher distributor in the nation, and we don't carry it here. There's a reason. Small profiles of doug fir turn into splinters.
It's very difficult to mill, plus you have to get tight-grain old-growth stock to even attempt it.

[Drew Wiley]

... to follow up on that, the better the fir, the more pitchy it is too, and you have to solvent scrub it for it to take a finish, and then it needs to be oil-based, blah,
blah... and I am an expert on this nonsense. Spent all morning dealing with equip and tech advice and tangling with partially misinformed manufacturers related to
a historic register remodel around here. But I'm really thinking out loud. We just got in a big load of lovely tight-grained reddish stair nosing, and I'm cogitating
ripping some of that down and regluing it into picture frame moulding. A lot of work, but it would give me the color of cherry hardwood at a fraction the material
cost, and a unique look. But not a job for someone trying to sand by hand. Vertical-grain fir is infamous for peeling off long deep splinters until its fully sealed. I
have the fancy gear to do it right, and almost started a setup last nite, but copped out and developed some of my backlog of 8x10 film instead.

[Roger Thoms]

Thanks Roger!

Not sure if your local Home Depot will actually have it but it gives you a part number. What you really need is a table saw, then you could mill up exactly what you need. I'm not sure about the comment that you can't mill Douglas Fir in small demensions, I certainly haven't had any problems. My kitchen cabinets are Doug Fir and the wood strips that hold the glass in are 1/4" x 1/4" and so far so good, 83 years old btw. Sure for small stuff you want tighter grain stock.

Roger

[Drew Wiley]

Most of those home center type operations don't even use registered grading rules for lumber but arbitrary descriptions, so you never know what you'll get. They
often sell hemlock in lieu of fir for example - maybe no big deal if you're building and sandbox, but potentially catastrophic if you're building a building. About 80% of
the vertical-grained fir that gets cut goes to Japan at a premium price. Like everything else, current dimensional lumber doesn't have the same grain structure.
Fir is viciously splintery. We'd stockpile decades of the good stuff. You can't just go out and cut it. Then the damn military would come in an order 40K of it at a time
according to a federal specification for pitch content, take the very best stock, and torch the whole pile for a twenty minute fire extinguisher training session.
Your tax dollars at work.

[John Kasaian]

Thanks for all your comments. I'll see if the local Home Depot has the stuff, how much it is and if the grain is compatible, or ash if it is available (I'd guess that driving wire brads through Fir would be, well, memorable.) If not, I'll paint some pipe and be done with it---hunter green might offer a nice contrast. The biggest challenge so far has been the cheap import screws that come with the four hole mending plates. They're rubbish----I threw them all out and replaced them with #7x1/2" pan head sheet metal screws--a 100% improvement! The Phillips heads on the original screws would strip out if you just looked at them too hard. :rolleyes:

[John Kasaian]

Yeah it's not carried by anyone out here in the sticks (Fresno) I guess I'll end up with two tone screens, LOL!

[Drew Wiley]

You have no right to refer to Fresno as the "sticks", John... we true hillbillies take pride in heritage and reserve that term for something actually forested. And yeah,
I do have a lot of leftover hardwood beading from the African Mahogany kitchen I did up in the hills; but I use it for various things here too. When you start making
serious money marketing your designer Deardorff-labeled drying screens, I'll sell you some stainless steel pins and a 23 ga micropinner to make life easy. Make sure you use true brass corner braces with silicone bronze screws. A leather handle on each screen would help too.... and maybe little bubble levels on each side, just to
make sure the screens are flat!

[John Kasaian]

You have no right to refer to Fresno as the "sticks", John... we true hillbillies take pride in heritage and reserve that term for something actually forested. And yeah,
I do have a lot of leftover hardwood beading from the African Mahogany kitchen I did up in the hills; but I use it for various things here too. When you start making
serious money marketing your designer Deardorff-labeled drying screens, I'll sell you some stainless steel pins and a 23 ga micropinner to make life easy. Make sure you use true brass corner braces with silicone bronze screws. A leather handle on each screen would help too.... and maybe little bubble levels on each side, just to
make sure the screens are flat!
I could probably sell one (and all I'd need to do is sell ONE) and retire.

[bob carnie]

9705497055

I held off posting until I could find these pics.

We have found this screen system to work wonderfully for us.
We use small 2 x4 6 inch on each corner to stack one rack on top of each other, the space allows air to get through and overnight
we get nicely dried prints.

We always place face down so we are periodically washing down our screens with hot water.

Home depot supplys all material and they are very robust but also lightweight as that is not Arnold in the pic.

[Drew Wiley]

I just order up a stack of premade fiberglass screens from time to time from one of my mfg sources. Only a few go to the darkroom - most got to the house to replace the ones that have been shredded from the cats swatting at moths on the outside etc. (No cats are allowed in the darkroom). Yesterday, I told my housecats if they behaved, I'd take them to the movies to see The Great Catsby.... I believe it is starring Leonardo DiCatrio.

[John Kasaian]

That's a slick set up, Bob! I wish I had the space for something like that.
9705497055

I held off posting until I could find these pics.

We have found this screen system to work wonderfully for us.
We use small 2 x4 6 inch on each corner to stack one rack on top of each other, the space allows air to get through and overnight
we get nicely dried prints.

We always place face down so we are periodically washing down our screens with hot water.

Home depot supplys all material and they are very robust but also lightweight as that is not Arnold in the pic.

[John Kasaian]

I came across some better grained screen bead and tried to darken them up a bit with Norwich Pine stain. Not perfect but close enough.

[AtlantaTerry]

When I need some 20x30 inch drying screens I go to an art supply store where they sell pre-cut lengths of unfinished wood stretcher strips (normally used by artists to attach canvas).

Each 30" stretcher costs USD $2.89. The 20" costs USD $1.79.

They are already made with a dovetail cut on each end (I think that is the term). Since they are already cut you simply slide them together with a bit of glue in place. Then check for them to be square and set them aside to dry. Paint if you like, but it is not needed. When the glue is dry wrap with Fiberglas screening from one side to the other and staple in place.

Quick, cheap and only a few simple tools needed. Cost: about USD $10 each.

http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/standard-20-stretcher-strip-592105/
http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/standard-30-stretcher-strip-592188/

[bob carnie]

100022100023

John
I made these about 6 years ago, they stand up to heavy use, to dry a complete show I have 7 of these, I place small 2 x4 chuncks on each corner and stack layer on layer, with prints face down
this way the air gets in between and my print air dry overnight.

I am 60 and think I will still be able to handle these screens by myself for years, simple design , I clean them every few months with scalding hot water.
They stand in a corner when not in use so for me its a wonderful system. the Black mesh is purchased at home depot, as you note they are pretty big and need braces which I use 1x 2 strapping.

I started with the Zone V1 screens years ago and they are not as robust as these big boys.

My dog barney took these pictures btw.