Hey guys, I'll try and get the best answer I can for this, but honestly the exposed edge of the frame is where 95% of the breakage occurs.
Pre-coating the mesh will create more issues than other methods of protection. Roller frame protectors can eliminate much of the edge breakage, but they still require a bit of care in handling.
If you want to try the coating technique, Jim had a few tips. Make sure the coating is even. If the coating isn't perfectly even, you would have high and low spots, tensions will become uneven and you will lose some of the trampoline effect of the mesh. A better move to help even the coating would be to place something like a wax paper under the edge - around the roller - and stretch the fabric. Then apply the coating to the mesh over the wax paper so it doesn't stick to the frame. This should allow full penetration of the mesh without impacting the final tension or performance.
You will still have the problem of retensioning the mesh and the lacquer becoming too hard to flex with the tube, but it seems like placing a non stick surface between the tensioned fabric and the coating would be the only way to do it. If you test it out, let us know how it works for you.
