Retractable - Black Widow DIY Screen 85"

Hi all,

here is the start of my screen making, i got the frame done today and tested the mounting and retention on the ceiling.

its stapled together on both sides and i used L brackets on the corners just to add some more strength.







Comments please.

i should have some more updates later in the week of the canvas going on and the painting starting.

It looks like a decent enough job, but i do have to wonder what the point of a DIY screen is given the low cost of very nice quality electric remote screens on ebay?

Its not a criticism, its a genuine question, i was faced with the same dilemma a few years back, and went the electric screen route.

Jez said:

It looks like a decent enough job, but i do have to wonder what the point of a DIY screen is given the low cost of very nice quality electric remote screens on ebay?

Its not a criticism, its a genuine question, i was faced with the same dilemma a few years back, and went the electric screen route.

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the Black Widow refers to a paint combination that has been found to be better than normal electric screens with high gain etc.

the colour is grey with a special aluminum paint addetive to make whites reflect bright but make the blacks darker due to the grey colour and not white.

here is an example from another forum:



StevenG

Interesting idea for sure, not sure i'd like that on my ceiling though. Keep us updated, would like to see how it turns out.

Nice idea, is the paint very expensive?

MikeHunt79 said:

Nice idea, is the paint very expensive?

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the paint mixture is 4 parts johnstones S0907-Y70R and 1 part Auto-Air Aluminum Fine.

Auto Air Aluminum (AAA) is about £8 a bottle for 120ml of which youd need 2 bottles to do a 960ml tin of S0907-Y70R which is another £8

so your looking at £30 for the paint alone but from the results id say its worth it.

the base colour from johnstones is a light peachy colour and when the aluminum paint is added it goes that grey colour with the aluminum reflecting the light.

StevenG

hey thats cool. to have it recessed into the ceiling when it folds up would be epic.

I take it you don't live with a women then? Hope it works well becuase is sure as hell is ugly.

StevenG said:

the Black Widow refers to a paint combination that has been found to be better than normal electric screens with high gain etc.

the colour is grey with a special aluminum paint addetive to make whites reflect bright but make the blacks darker due to the grey colour and not white.

here is an example from another forum:

StevenG

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Looks like it's had a negative impact on the whites though? Are you sure that it's just not a solution for PJ's that struggle with blacks?

I'd read about this on the avforum and have been toying with trying it out. Mr Sukebe recommends a slightly grey paint (can't remember the name) as well but I don't think it's quite as dark as this.

I just can't decide on one of these paints or buying a proper screen!

a1ex2001 said:

I take it you don't live with a women then? Hope it works well becuase is sure as hell is ugly.

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christ give the guy a break its not even finished yet.

Okay so 2 deliveries today, canvas and projector. surprised how small the projector is to be honest.. very impressed.







stretching the canvas wasnt too hard once i got the hang of it and removed all the ripples.

i'll get some pics of the screen in more detail at a later date. the spraying wont start till next week now due to a delay in getting my compressor.

thanks for looking and please feel free to comment

a1ex2001 said:

I take it you don't live with a women then? Hope it works well becuase is sure as hell is ugly.

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I live with a very gorgeous girl and she thinks it looks fine. and as pointed out its not finished yet and will be painted white to match the ceiling. the flappy bits of canvas on the back will also be stapled down.

For me it lacks the visual punch which adds the most to a projected image - a big solid light absorbing border. Screens without borders don't hold the image properly and that comes across in that image above. I appreciate that the contrast levels will be marginally improved over a pre made screen, but everything else would look far more professional and the wow factor would be increased 5 fold. If you can add a border somehow then you may have a good compromise.

Jez said:

For me it lacks the visual punch which adds the most to a projected image - a big solid light absorbing border. Screens without borders don't hold the image properly and that comes across in that image above. I appreciate that the contrast levels will be marginally improved over a pre made screen, but everything else would look far more professional and the wow factor would be increased 5 fold. If you can add a border somehow then you may have a good compromise.

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the screen will be sprayed when i get the compressor etc and a 33mm black boarder will be added using some 12mm thick wood and some black non-reflective paint. time will tell my friend keep an eye out for updates

StevenG said:

the screen will be sprayed when i get the compressor etc and a 33mm black boarder will be added using some 12mm thick wood and some black non-reflective paint. time will tell my friend keep an eye out for updates

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Will be interesting to see how it pans out

Looking good, you need to get some trunking for those cables though

Are you going to cover the back in? A sheet of hardboard would probably fill that in nicely. Might have to put two peices on though if the screen is taller than 1.22m.

Some pics/details of the projector would be nice too

DigitalReaper said:

Looking good, you need to get some trunking for those cables though

Are you going to cover the back in? A sheet of hardboard would probably fill that in nicely. Might have to put two peices on though if the screen is taller than 1.22m.

Some pics/details of the projector would be nice too

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i did have it in my head to do this, but after building the frame i decided that it would just add too much weight. it doesnt look as bad as i thought its all white and matches in with the ceiling anyway, i would have to find a lighter alternative if i was to fill the back in with something.

i'll get some pics up today of the projector and its the Optoma HD65 720p Projector

neil_g said:

christ give the guy a break its not even finished yet.

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Leave it out, was a perfectly fair comment even finished neatly there are not many women that will let you get away with hanging that from the ceiling (In my experience)

StevenG said:

I live with a very gorgeous girl and she thinks it looks fine. and as pointed out its not finished yet and will be painted white to match the ceiling. the flappy bits of canvas on the back will also be stapled down.

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That is one rare lady, consider yourself lucky. Still think even finished it will look like a barn door strapped to the ceiling, a pro screen with electric motor would be my solution of choice and getting that past the misses would be tricky!

a1ex2001 said:

That is one rare lady, consider yourself lucky. Still think even finished it will look like a barn door strapped to the ceiling, a pro screen with electric motor would be my solution of choice and getting that past the misses would be tricky!

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I had thought of this but it would have cost about the same as my custom solution. i just like the fact that i can pick the finish on the screen to suit my needs e.g. the black widow grey.

Here are some quick snaps of the screen.. it does look much better than the pictures show but i dont have an slr to take decent photos with lol









720p via dsub from pc using media player classic with MKV video files.

StevenG

StevenG said:

i did have it in my head to do this, but after building the frame i decided that it would just add too much weight. it doesnt look as bad as i thought its all white and matches in with the ceiling anyway, i would have to find a lighter alternative if i was to fill the back in with something.

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Maybe some light cardboard, or some A1/A0 sheets of paper (google for 'flip chart'). Not sure if the paper would sag or not though.