What is the most DIY/jerry-rig/ghetto part of your production?

[Fresh Baked Printing]

When I first started in the early 70's, the company had a homemade process camera. The film back was reinforced glass with artists' wax smeared all over it to stick the film to, in place of a vacuum... I can just hear "What's a process camera?" or "What's a film back?" from some of the younger guys...

Steve

Respect to the "old timers".

[Denis Kolar]

My squeeze sharpener. Three pieces of wood and sandpaper.

That is my next "project"

[Homer]

"What's a process camera?"

[Shawn (EIP)]

"What's a process camera?"

Didn't they use elmers glue and diazo for emulsion back then? Film was a oiled paper.

[Sbrem]

"What's a process camera?"

Didn't they use elmers glue and diazo for emulsion back then? Film was a oiled paper.

That's how I described emulsion back then, looked like it, smelled like it... We actually paid more for film in those days than we do now for inkjet film and ink. Plus, we tray developed; into the developer, to the stop bath, to the fixer to final washing. Holy crap there were a lot of steps...

Steve

[mk162]

i grew up with a stat camera.  I hated the million steps, the chemical bath, the negative paper.

the shops that started with digital should be thankful.  They are cheaper and faster to operate.  It was like pulling teeth to get my dad to abandon the old camera.  They finally stopped making the paper for them. 

[Sbrem]

i grew up with a stat camera.  I hated the million steps, the chemical bath, the negative paper.

the shops that started with digital should be thankful.  They are cheaper and faster to operate.  It was like pulling teeth to get my dad to abandon the old camera.  They finally stopped making the paper for them.

not to mention making edits...

[screenxpress]

Oh, my 2c.

I have a DIY pin registration system going, a DIY Newman Roller stretching table (but going to redo ala Northland), and a DIY hood over the dryer to exhaust out heat from inflow and outflow.

Everything else is (now) normal screen printing purchased equipment.

That system sounds not bad compared to what I have done. I have 1 platen with marks on it. I put the positive on the platen and line it up on the marks. Then install 2 sided scotch tape to the positive and clamp the screen in place. Pull the screen down and the positive is now in place. Now thats ghetto.  But it works really well

Mine was pretty easy.  I make my own platens out of MDF and Formica covering.  So I made one kind of large rectangle with a nice size notch cut out where the screen clamps comes down.  Then flattened out some angle brackets and after drilling and locking in a bolt, fastened the 3 brackets to the underside of the platen 3 points stick up to stop the screen (using Newmans but will work for std 20x24 static), 2 in back outside the clamp and 1 on side.  then glued 3 short posts to the glass on exposure unit.  Taped the registrations bullets to the glass so I can lay and tape each film on top, set the screen to the stops and expose.  Have not run it all through yet, but should almost be able to bypass press alignment.  I'll post when done.

[tpitman]

Unless I'm reading this wrong, put your "bullets on the mdf platen you use to align the screens to the clamp, double-stick tape the top of your films, and let the screen down on top while butted up against the three angle iron bits. Eliminates doing it on the glass. Not to say that the other way won't work because I did that with a pin registration scheme by gluing 3/4" PVC caps to the glass with silicone, but doing it all on the same jig simplifies things a bit.
I also had a bitch of a time getting those damn caps off the glass without busting something.
I like to avoid placing my screen frames in exactly the same spot on the glass everytime anyway, hoping to avoid any tears in the blanket from repeated stressing in the same spots with every exposure. Maybe it doesn't make any difference in the life of the blanket, but it can't hurt, and I'm cheap.

[screenxpress]

I did some thinking and see where you're coming from.

The only thing that bothers me is the screens would be in the clamps twice and my back clamp leaves me a little concerned it would 'nail it' twice.  I'll definitely keep that as an option though.

I've already glued 3 short wooden cut sections of closet rod to the glass.  I did some soul searching on the glue to use and decided to use contact cement.  I understand contact cement will dissolve with paint thinner.  Got that tip from my neighbor who used to install Formica on counter tops.  If they had to redo one, they poured some thinner into the crack and once it started loosening up, they could pry it off the rest of the way.  Hope he's right, lol.

[Frog]

Heat will also loosen contact cement. That's how I used to resole my Birkenstocks, with a heat gun.

[Binkspot]

I wouldn't call any of our stuff ghetto but we have a lot of DIY. I think all shops have something DIY just to make the job easier.
Some of our stuff is our reg system, squeegee tree, vac pallet, ink dispensing guns, spot gun station, ear muff pallet, laser alignment, etc.

[ZooCity]

That ink gun looks rad.  Plans?

[sweetts]

I wouldn't call any of our stuff ghetto but we have a lot of DIY. I think all shops have something DIY just to make the job easier.
Some of our stuff is our reg system, squeegee tree, vac pallet, ink dispensing guns, spot gun station, ear muff pallet, laser alignment, etc.

Love the spot gun vac great idea

[Binkspot]

That ink gun looks rad.  Plans?

In my head. 3/4" PVC pipe, 5/16" rod threaded at both ends, a few o-rings and the pistons I make on my lathe out of blocks of UHMW plastic. These are first generation, next ones will be aluminium.