An honest open letter to manufacturers from a shop regarding screen racks.

[inkbrigade]

Just imagine how many things you could apply that mathematics to.

Using frogs logic I'm stupid for not buying a challenger III

[Frog]

Jamie, though this was a little tongue in cheek (since I'm a cheap SOB myself), it is pretty standard sales presentation, that usually ends with, how can you not afford to buy this?

The reason that your Challenger comparison doesn't work (if indeed it doesn't) is that you probably don't have the volume to justify it. If, however, in fact, you could pay for it in time savings in six months as in this example, how could you not afford to buy it?

Now, as I said, I am a cheap SOB, but I also understand the fallacy of being penny wise, and pound foolish. It just takes me some real effort sometimes to get over the initial hesitancy.

[Evo]

I'm actually looking at welders right now. I am hopefully moving my shop in the next month or two and I will be setting up a welder in the new place. I've been looking into making a filter basin/sump for the washout booth, as well as new screen and squeegee racks and a few other shop do-dads. I'm pretty handy with a tig torch and I know a guy in town that does powder coating. Should be fun.


Probably won't be any aluminum racks, as I don't think I can afford a good AC/DC unit at first. It will just be a DC machine for stainless and mild steel.

I'll let y'all know how it goes.

[screenxpress]

Holy Crap.  Welding and all that stuff.  Guess my earlier method of chop sawing boxed aluminum and threaded rods when assembling purchased low end bread racks was just too mundane, lololololol.

Not to mention.  Once you weld it, you've finalized your size....for the most part, unless your pull out the torch again.

[Evo]

Holy Crap.  Welding and all that stuff.  Guess my earlier method of chop sawing boxed aluminum and threaded rods when assembling purchased low end bread racks was just too mundane, lololololol.

Not to mention.  Once you weld it, you've finalized your size....for the most part, unless your pull out the torch again.

I have a rack here that I am going to try to re-make. It has double stepped rails and fits 23" or 25" wide frames up to 36" long. It's kinda the perfect rack, and I've never found (or even seen) another like it.

[Frog]

In the past, I have seen a solution for frames of many sizes.
 "Shelves" that are "L" shaped and only hold two sides of multi-sized screens?

They were also angled slightly downward towards the back of the structure so that wicked gravity didn't play tricks.

[Evo]

Here is an extremely crude drawing of what I'm talking about...

[DouglasGrigar]

I'm actually looking at welders right now. I am hopefully moving my shop in the next month or two and I will be setting up a welder in the new place. I've been looking into making a filter basin/sump for the washout booth, as well as new screen and squeegee racks and a few other shop do-dads. I'm pretty handy with a tig torch and I know a guy in town that does powder coating. Should be fun.


Probably won't be any aluminum racks, as I don't think I can afford a good AC/DC unit at first. It will just be a DC machine for stainless and mild steel.

I'll let y'all know how it goes.

It would be static what would be wrong with good quality rivets?

[Evo]

It would be static what would be wrong with good quality rivets?

Once a jig is made, welding (tig or mig) is actually a much faster way to join metals, especially when it would be repeated fastening points like the shelf rails on a rack. (figure 24 screens, maybe 3 weld points per rail that's 144 points.

Rivets are the second step in fastening, after cutting and drilling. I'd rather so 144 small welds then 144 drilled holes then 144 rivets.

With welding you cut everything, drop it into a jig or clamp it up, then go to town.


If it were say a shipped piece that needed to be assembled on the other end at the corners, then yeah, rivets would be a great choice.

[ZooCity]

I have one of the newman racks and a rusty-ass baking rack.  I should take a picture of them sitting next to each other, it's ridiculous. 

Got the newman rack used.  Would I have paid retail for that thing?.... hard tellin, but man are they sweet and very fast to pull screens in/out. 

I too, would get right in line for a handful of affordable "job carts" to rack screens on with ink and blades up top.  One big issue is everyone's assuming you use 23" wide or narrower frames.

[Evo]

Anyone tried these?

http://www.screeneez.com

[inkbrigade]

Anyone tried these?

http://www.screeneez.com

I called and emailed these guys today.

I also came across these which look amazing!
http://www.benkoproducts.com/screen-drying-cabinet.html



I called and emailed them today. I'll let you know the price when i get one.

[ebscreen]

Baker's racks that hold the pans sideways (Defunct Krispy Kremes in these parts) are perfect for 25x36.
Non-adjustable and hence very solid. Even when doing 25MPH around the press.