I've a question on Screens

[Gilligan]

Alan do you know of a place around here that remeshes with Murakami's Smartmesh?

[alan802]

Alan do you know of a place around here that remeshes with Murakami's Smartmesh?

Not really, but I would imagine GSG would do it but you never know about using a specific mesh.  I know lot's of suppliers say they'll stretch screens with whatever mesh you want but I've never tried it.  If I were serious about going that route, I'd use Murakami.  They sell them on their website and you know for a fact you'll be getting exactly what you want and I bet you'd get the exact tension they recommend as well.  I know it's more for shipping but this is a serious investment and if you want it done right sometimes you have to pay for it, or suffer the consequences.

[Frog]

One thing I'll always add on restretching is do the math.
More than once I have seen that restretching an old wooden screen (with no guarantee that it wouldn't warp or pull apart at a corner) plus two way shipping, is only marginally cheaper than buying new aluminum static screens either locally, or only shipped one way.
You also need to find out their requirements on prepping your old frames.

[Sbrem]

In defense of wooden frames, my old shop where I was at for 18 years printed hundreds of thousands of shirts with wooden frames, even for huge corporations like Coca-Cola and Bose. In defense of rollers, i wouldn't go back. But wooden frames work very well for simple jobs. The customer picks them up and says, "Wow, these look great!" Again, I would not go back...

Steve

[Gilligan]

One thing I'll always add on restretching is do the math.
More than once I have seen that restretching an old wooden screen (with no guarantee that it wouldn't warp or pull apart at a corner) plus two way shipping, is only marginally cheaper than buying new aluminum static screens either locally, or only shipped one way.
You also need to find out their requirements on prepping your old frames.

I've been doing the math for weeks.

You still have to factor in re-stretching the aluminum ones all the same... and they usually charge more for that (because I guess they can).

[Frog]

You still have to factor in re-stretching the aluminum ones all the same... and they usually charge more for that (because I guess they can).

No. what I have seen in the past was remeshing  a wooden screen at about $15 plus $4 two way shipping (when a case of six was shipped.) while a new aluminum screen was about $21 with $1.50 shipping one way.

These prices are probably way off now, but are representative of what I have seen over the years. Decent wood frames are heavy to ship, which I believe has added to aluminum frames coming down in price.

[RICK STEFANICK]

no, andy your figures are close . the shipping may be a buck or so off but thats close. If you deduct the money you get from from recycling the aluminum after you start to cycle the cost is even lower.

[Prosperi-Tees]

I have a whole bunch of 20x24 wood screens from Pocono in 110 and 158 mesh and they have performed well. Out of 24 I got last year I only have had one warp on me. You have to get the deals they put on Ebay once in a while that include free shipping and I got them for around $12.00 ea. I could throw them all away and not be to worried as I have gotten my moneys worth out of them. They also have lasted pretty well even with my dip tank which wrecked havoc in short time on some wood screens I got from Ryonet when I first started out.

[Frog]

The main point of this thread is getting lost.
It's not whether wooden screens perform well or not. It's whether it's worth it to re-mesh them, or even have them re-meshed by someone else.

[Prosperi-Tees]

You are right my intention was to add that part. For a $12.00 wood screen there would be no way to have it restretched. I would toss it or put a simple one color logo on it and store it, being warped would not matter on some simple 1 color logos.

[Gilligan]

You still have to factor in re-stretching the aluminum ones all the same... and they usually charge more for that (because I guess they can).

No. what I have seen in the past was remeshing  a wooden screen at about $15 plus $4 two way shipping (when a case of six was shipped.) while a new aluminum screen was about $21 with $1.50 shipping one way.

These prices are probably way off now, but are representative of what I have seen over the years. Decent wood frames are heavy to ship, which I believe has added to aluminum frames coming down in price.

Melray's site finally came back up (honestly not sure how long it was down but I noticed the tab was still opened just now so I tried it again.

Wood and aluminum frames cost the same in shipping when you remesh with them.

It's still expensive though!  18.93 to them and 22.72 from them for six 20x24's.

I also have bought from "flyin Brian" on ebay... good deal, and he can make stuff happen even if it's not listed at the time.

[Printficient]

You still have to factor in re-stretching the aluminum ones all the same... and they usually charge more for that (because I guess they can).

No. what I have seen in the past was remeshing  a wooden screen at about $15 plus $4 two way shipping (when a case of six was shipped.) while a new aluminum screen was about $21 with $1.50 shipping one way.

These prices are probably way off now, but are representative of what I have seen over the years. Decent wood frames are heavy to ship, which I believe has added to aluminum frames coming down in price.

Melray's site finally came back up (honestly not sure how long it was down but I noticed the tab was still opened just now so I tried it again.

Wood and aluminum frames cost the same in shipping when you remesh with them.

It's still expensive though!  18.93 to them and 22.72 from them for six 20x24's.

I also have bought from "flyin Brian" on ebay... good deal, and he can make stuff happen even if it's not listed at the time.

See attached.  Remesh cost is 60% of new screen cost in the first column of each size

[screenxpress]

Sonny, I appreciate your response, but what I have (noted in original thread) are crappy 18 x 20 o.d.  frames.  I think you assumed that was i.d.  No worries. 

That coupled with the fact that I would not put any mesh below 156 (probably 230) makes the cost prohibited when shipping is added to it.  Any screen additions in the future would be 20x24 o.d. or rollers (which I already have about 15). 

Hell, I even have about 5 aluminum (20x24) screens with torn mesh and when I called Graphic Solutions here local about remeshing those, they said for .50, I could get new.  So much for trying to be efficient.

[Printficient]

Sonny, I appreciate your response, but what I have (noted in original thread) are crappy 18 x 20 o.d.  frames.  I think you assumed that was i.d.  No worries. 

That coupled with the fact that I would not put any mesh below 156 (probably 230) makes the cost prohibited when shipping is added to it.  Any screen additions in the future would be 20x24 o.d. or rollers (which I already have about 15). 

Hell, I even have about 5 aluminum (20x24) screens with torn mesh and when I called Graphic Solutions here local about remeshing those, they said for .50, I could get new.  So much for trying to be efficient.

Noted.  Here then is the mesh pricing for your retens.  These are by the yard and 60" bolts.  Please note that the microns are specific to our industry and as such are the proper microns for textile printing.

[DouglasGrigar]

Sonny, I appreciate your response, but what I have (noted in original thread) are crappy 18 x 20 o.d.  frames.  I think you assumed that was i.d.  No worries. 

That coupled with the fact that I would not put any mesh below 156 (probably 230) makes the cost prohibited when shipping is added to it.  Any screen additions in the future would be 20x24 o.d. or rollers (which I already have about 15). 

Hell, I even have about 5 aluminum (20x24) screens with torn mesh and when I called Graphic Solutions here local about remeshing those, they said for .50, I could get new.  So much for trying to be efficient.

I made a butcher block style table top from old frame wood once... I wish I knew where it ended up, I would like it back, but lots of things I had B.M.K. (before marriage and kids) I would like back.