Elex360 First Screen

Barklc


Bubba


bubsdaddy (deck)


bubsdaddy (woods)


cafemom


CarlofET


cheftom


CherryHills


Cinema BBQ


Cleveland Wasp


comshark


Danoplex II


DigiMark


don


Emperor PalpaTim


evil-fraggle


gdmanry


hiredpower


Jack_Daniels


jenkins123


kelemvor


LivinInMichigan


morps


movtarget


Orthofunk


p_og


Paul16mm


Pass_The_Off


rfisk


ThatDJTroy


tlogan6797


victor-eyd


victor-eyd (garage)


ward95636

Advanced search

[elex360]

I really appreciate all of the help you all provided me in building my first screen.  I finally was able to get it up, without too much trouble.  I originally was trying to build something similar to Danoplex's setup; however, after measuring out my 1 inch PVC piping incorrectly, I improvised. 

My friend John and I worked together to build the frame out of 1 inch PVC pipe and I used BOC for the screen.  I ordered a 220 inch piece BOC cloth online.  My screen is roughly 204 inches.  I had my mom sew cotton batting to the border (the fold was approximately 1 and a half inches) and then I put grommets throughout the borders and corners (every 3 ft). 

To attach the screen, I used what I believe was nylon thread (my neighbor gave me some that he used to tie down a portion of his camper ... I have since found the stuff at Wal-Mart).  We first attached the top, then pulled the sides tight and connected them.  To finish off the screen, I heavily tied it down to my mailbox.  We figured this would be fine, considering the rods coming out in the back would stop it from moving backwards and the tie down in the back would prevent it from moving forwards.  I thank my buddy John for all the help, as I would not have been able to get this up without him!

For my projector, I used the Panasonic pt-ax200u.  The picture was incredible!  I have attached some screenshots of my screen and a demo of it fully setup.  I had everyone over the other night and forgot to take additional pictures … arggg.  I guess I’ll have to have another movie night.   

[elex360]

I forgot to add a little history.  I first found this site when my colleague and I were discussing with our boss the possibility of hosting a movie night at our college (The Goonies).  We got everything approved, rented the movie through SWANK and then realized ... we need a screen.  After searching through this site for countless hours, reading all of your ideas, we decided to try a few different methods.  The one my colleague and I decided to go with was BOC; however, our boss wanted us to go with something more affordable. 

For my works screen:
We contacted a local billboard company and they gave us a used billboard for free.  Our facilities department built the screen and they did an amazing job (I’ve posted a picture of their screen below).  The billboard material was rather dirty; however, it cleaned up really well and did a pretty good job as far as reflectivity goes.  If anyone here is trying to make an affordable screen, that may be a material you might want to try using.  I can't remember now, but I believe it came somewhere in length of 14 feet by 48 feet.  (this of course is giving me great ideas for a giant screen ) 

With my screen
After reading the countless reviews and posts, I really fell in love with the idea of having my own theater.  I finally set out a plan to build my own screen and finally I have been able to create it.  It's out of BOC (shown in first post).  Recently, I had my first group over and it was a blast!

Like most of you, I am now an addict, debating my next showing.  So I thank you!

Thanks,

Elex360

[movieman]

elex360,  First you should raise the screen up at least 4' on the ground. Next I would make the screen 16 : 9 format if you still the material to do that.  rg

[tlogan6797]

Great job so far!

I agree with getting the screen up off the ground. And wide screen format would hurt any either.

Good luck,
Tom

[elex360]

Thanks!  The screen in the second reply post that you both are referring to is not mine.  My screen is the one thats in a 16x9 format at the top of the post, which is off the ground.  I was just including a history in the second reply post.  I also was highlighting the fact that billboard material can be used.

With my first screen (at the top, also pictured below), what are some ways that I can clean my BOC?  I do have grommits in it. 

After my first showing, the cloth seemed damp and I'm afraid that eventually I may have a mold issue in the future.

Thanks,

Elex360 

[rfisk]

Welcome aboard, elex360.  Great job!  And you're already two screens into this!

OK, this may not be the smartest thing to do but I sometimes use deck cleaner to spruce things up in the yard that have mold or mildew.  Things like rocks, flagstone, deck chairs and I have used it on Trapeze fabric.  It's just the inexpensive stuff that comes in gallon jugs that is basically a diluted bleach mixture, I think.  That might brighten up your BOC if you need it.  And it also might breakdown the coating over time.  So I'd test it a bit.  But that stuff is pretty handy for nuking mildew and mold.  I just put it in a little yard sprayer each spring.  Soak things for about 10 minutes then follow with the garden hose or pressure washer, rinsing things well.  Works great on flagstone and rocks that have turned greenish or dark.  I haven't killed (or even injured) any plants yet but you wouldn't want to soak them.

Thanks for posting about your setup!  I'll get caught up on featured members in the next week or two.

Randy

[Hawkes]

I have BOC myself and have had it left out overnight a few times and no issues so far.  The screen gets dried pretty quickly in the sun the next day before take down so I think that might help me a bit.  In any event, Roc-Lon is a company that makes BOC and here are the cleaning recommendations from their site and even though I probably wouldn't go to the extent of dry cleaning, I would take note of how they say to dry it.  They caution that if the BOC hangs over a rail to dry, to be sure the fabric side is down and not the coated side since the coated side could stick to itself during drying.

http://www.roc-lon.com/useful_info/clean_instr.html

[mamadada]

OK, this may not be the smartest thing to do but I sometimes use deck cleaner to spruce things up in the yard that have mold or mildew.

Okay Randy, now you are my guru for cleaning!  I bought Olympic Deck Wash for about $4.00 per gallon and it cleaned better than anything I've ever used.  A bunch of us fell in love with these plastic Adirondack chairs.  Well, love the chairs...hate the fake wood grain.  Bleach and Jomax still required a brush and scrubbing and there was still dirt in the grain.  Garden sprayer and deck wash...no effort 100% clean in about 5 minutes.  Thank you for making my BYT even easier!!!

[rfisk]

Glad to hear that worked out, mamadada! 

Another cleaning tip: If you ever explode baked potatoes in the oven, they will make an interesting mohair-like blanket all over the oven walls.  The tip is to continue baking until the potato mohair is golden to dark brown, then vacuum it out in strips with the shop vac.  No muss, no fuss.  Baked potato hair would probably be really good to eat too, but I was in a hurry to save face.

Randy

[elex360]

Thank you guys very much for the tips.  I really appreciate it! I just can't wait to have my next showing. 

- Elex360

[aleuni]

I want to know how to explode a potato in an oven.  My brothers and nephews would have a blast with that. 

[elex360]

I finally have new pictures from my last movie night.  We showed Alvin and the Chipmunks on Bluray.  I finished the night off by testing out playing a video I had shot of my brother performing on HD through the PS3.  Everything that night worked out perfectly!  I'm not sure when I’ll get to do my next movie night, as the rain has been so sporadic here in Florida, but I'll have pictures up when I do!

Now I just need to finish cleaning up my backyard to have a permanent screen out there.  If this works, I've embedded a video that I quickly shot of the screen that night.  I have also attached pictures!

<a href="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1391599&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;fullscreen=1&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=01AAEA" target="_blank">http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1391599&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;fullscreen=1&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=01AAEA</a>

[PyramidPyro]

That is an awesome screen.

And I think I'm switching to Vimeo because the quality on there was excellent.

E

[elex360]

Thanks!  Yeah I like that video site as well.  If only they'd let me embed HD content outside of their site. 

- Patrick

[movielover]

great video, i can't imagine the movie looking much better in person.