DIY mounting station for drum scanner... anyone?

[mortensen]

My 20 year old Scanmate4000 is now up and running, but finding a mounting station to wet mount is difficult...

Has any of you made your own mounting stations? I have access to a laser cutter at work and plan on cutting acrylic frames and assemble a mounting station (heavily) inspired by the Aztec - but with fewer movable parts and joints. My problem is finding platen rollers and small rubber wheels. I will upload pictures of a sketch design soon.

But please share your thoughts, prototypes and working DIY mounting stations.

[Noah A]

Glad to hear that your scanner is up and running. Sorry I don't have specific advice, but you might ask this question at the Scan Hi-End yahoo group if you haven't already. Or just poke around over there, I seem to remember someone mentioning a source for replacement rollers, but that was a few years ago.

[mortensen]

I have searched over there, but did not find anything... maybe because of insufficient patience
(I wish it was a forum instead of a yahoo group; such a bad platform!)

I assume the rollers are crucial to the wet mounting process in order to add even pressure... if you can take a good photo of your mounting station it will be great to see.

[Noah A]

Unfortunately my mounting station (and scanner) are a few hundred miles away--I recently moved to Ohio for my wife's job and a few things haven't made the move yet, including my scanner (since I didn't want to pack it in the back of a bumpy moving truck). I do need to get it soon though, so I might be able to do a photo in a few weeks if no one else posts one.

I know what you mean about the yahoo group. I gave up on it, and in fact I was going to try to find the post for you about the rollers but I couldn't even manage to find it and I also got frustrated and gave up.

If you search for silicone rollers, lots of manufacturers pop up. So you might just need to contact a few to see if they sell them individually or just to high-volume buyers. Aztek is really helpful too, you might just ask them about buying a replacement roller. They've sold me replacement parts for my scanner even though I bought the scanner elsewhere. They might not be the cheapest option though.

[vinny]

I have a screen drum mounting station listed in the classifieds if that helps, not sure if it'd work for you. It's a pretty simple design and not nearly as easy to use as the Aztek I've seen used.

[mortensen]

THANKS for the silicon roller tip! amazon sells them as individual spare parts for printers. GREAT!

and thanks, Vinny - a picture in your ad and a some dimensions on the drums that fit would help... shipping from the US to Denmark (with customs) would make it a lot more than $200, though

[mortensen]

A couple of screencaps from sketchup of the wip-design of a mounting station for scanmate drums.
lasercut plywood, a sheet of plexi (etched), 4 threaded ø30 rubber wheels (if anyone sells anything close to those specs...) and a silicone pressure roller (spare part for printers).

[mob81]

I'll post one (scanmate drum mount station) on the classified soon...I bought it few month back but never opened!

[Sideshow Bob]

If you plan on making this you should design it so that the metal end of the drum is on the right or you will have problems mounting. I have a couple of DMS's that I can send photos of if you still need them.
Mr.Gale

A couple of screencaps from sketchup of the wip-design of a mounting station for scanmate drums.
lasercut plywood, a sheet of plexi (etched), 4 threaded ø30 rubber wheels (if anyone sells anything close to those specs...) and a silicone pressure roller (spare part for printers).

[mortensen]

Hi Bob - I did build this, or at least a DIY mounting station very close to the design above. I'm left-handed, hence the orientation of the drum
See photos:



3mm lasercut HDF in 'doubles', which were glued together afterwards (the laser cutter could not cut 6mm), 5mm plexi, 6mm threaded steel rod with screws, lasercut wheels and bolts. I've put tape on the wheels and rod to prevent them from scratching the drum. The separate pressure thing is made from a 22mm wooden stick, laser cut HDF and pipe insulation. The whole thing works, but the alignment and built quality is of course inferior to the real thing. This mounting station is not a solid block...