Best place to buy a cheap quality frame for a 20 X 20 ft green screen?

phudsontx said:
For a 20X20 PVC is way too flexible. You should use 1 1/4" speed rail and just buy these: http://normsgrip.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=29845. With the discount Norm's offers the mounts and corners are $475.
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Speedrail - AKA "Aluminum Pipe". I'd recommend buying lengths of 1 1/4" aluminum pipe (schedule 40) from a place like the Metals Supermarket and fittings from Norm's, Modern, or American.

Electrical conduit would be my first low budget choice. You can get it at Lowe's or The Home Depot along with corner fittings, etc.

PVC contains phthalates, lead, cadmium, and/or organotins, and manufacture or burning of it results in *dioxin* added to our ecosystem. It should be banned. Avoid.
 
What is the cheapest option to buy one? or some cheap options? I'm not much of a handyman and I would rather use the same time it took me to build a crappy one making more than enough to buy a good one. Is that 1500 dollar one as cheap as its going to get for something decent? This one from b&h? If it is I can suck it up and buy it.

I see them ranging from 830 - 1500 ish. Can you clue me in as to what the differences there are?

If spending an extra 700 is going to be the difference of the thing being blown over by an ac unit in a warehouse or a high ceiling fan or something I will go with the more expensive one.

I don't know anything about them. I have a 20x20ft green screen from la raghouse with the eyelits that I tie to a muslin stand right now and its really wrinky drink.
 
and if im not going to get anything even decent for that price let me know, i guess cheap and quality was wishful thinking
 
If you buy speedrail cut to length. Check here: http://www.metalsdepot.com/Cart3/viewCart1.phtml?LimAcc=$LimAcc&aident=

So here is the price: $56.40 per twenty feet X 4 TOTAL = $225.60
$475.00 for corners and mounts

GRAND TOTAL FOR 20X20 $760.60

That's it. Now get Matthews, Norms or American High High stands, sand bags and rope.
 
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Chris,

Your quote:

"PVC contains phthalates, lead, cadmium, and/or organotins, and manufacture or burning of it results in *dioxin* added to our ecosystem. It should be banned. Avoid."

I had better rip up all the hundreds of feet of PVC pipe around my property from well head to house and irrigation lines and replace it with what:

cast or ductile iron = expensive and heavy, not readily available in home owner sizes under 2"
galvanized steel = limited life when buried and heavy on the zinc
stainless steel = VERY expensive
Bronze = even MORE expensive
Copper = not suitable for direct burial

And your practical suggestion is??

I am not saying PVC is without health and enviro hazard, but the alternatives have issues also and or aren't practical.

Grant

As far as the OP question goes, sch40 aluminum pipe will work great and could also double as dolly track.
 
ggrantly said:
Chris,

Your quote:

"PVC contains phthalates, lead, cadmium, and/or organotins, and manufacture or burning of it results in *dioxin* added to our ecosystem. It should be banned. Avoid."

I had better rip up all the hundreds of feet of PVC pipe around my property from well head to house and irrigation lines and replace it with what:

cast or ductile iron = expensive and heavy, not readily available in home owner sizes under 2"
galvanized steel = limited life when buried and heavy on the zinc
stainless steel = VERY expensive
Bronze = even MORE expensive
Copper = not suitable for direct burial

And your practical suggestion is??

I am not saying PVC is without health and enviro hazard, but the alternatives have issues also and or aren't practical.

Grant

As far as the OP question goes, sch40 aluminum pipe will work great and could also double as dolly track.
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Because PVC keeps getting brought up in these forums as a potential material to build with, I'll add some of my thoughts on it.

First, the bad news:

VCM (the key material from which PVC is made) is categorized as a Group 1 Carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a branch of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Exposure to PVC dust may cause pulmonary dysfunctions.

Exposure to DEHP (plasticizer used in PVC) has produced a range of adverse effects on the development of the male reproductive system and production of normal sperm in young animals.

Dioxin is created during all phases of PVC production, as well as in its disposal by incineration or accidental fire.

Dioxin has been found in PVC process waste in concentrations as high as 200,750 parts per billion, which compares closely with that found in Agent Orange production wastes.

There is a six-fold increase in the risk for seminoma, one type of testicular cancer, among plastic workers exposed to polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

I could go on with this stuff, but really, I think it's enough to point out the above and that "many municipalities across the US are banning PVC or strongly recommending that it be phased out."

I myself have spoken to a scientist who works for Praxair about this and was told that the plasticizers in PVC leech out over time without a doubt. I'll add the following which, as I see it, is the single greatest problem with use of PVC:

"Because of their size, children receive a proportionately larger exposure than adults, and are biologically more vulnerable. They receive a greater dose of DEHP on a mg/kg basis. They absorb more DEHP, convert more DEHP to MEHP (the toxic metabolite of DEHP), excrete less of the MEHP, and are more sensitive to the adverse effects of DEHP than adults are. An expert panel convened in 2000 by the Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (CERHR) of the National Toxicology Program concluded that they had 'serious concern that exposure may adversely affect male reproductive tract development.'"

So, I'm sorry if I cannot in any way agree with your assertion "the alternatives have issues also and or aren't practical" as outweighing the health concerns because PVC is BAD news.

As for alternatives (for plumbing) I'd suggest steel or polypropylene.

As for people who can't afford the right tools to do the job - I suggest you get a different hobby.
 
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Chris,

I can't disagree with anything you said except you have no concept of the realities of direct burial construction. Steel has a very limited life underground, think replacement in under 10 years due to anerobic crevice corrosion. Ductile iron is the best metal solution, but is pretty much not available in small sizes and for the most part is welded in place at each length and elbow so it is quite expensive (think minimum 4' wide trench for the welder to work). It is used extensively for municipal work 4" and up. Poly is being used in houses, in smaller sizes, and may be the future, but thus far, isn't used much underground, under pressure, in larger sizes (not sure why) and much of the early poly products have been recalled do to premature failures (think house flood).

In any event, you are entitled to your opinion. My irritation is that your dogma, while largely correct from a theoretical point of view, doesn't match up to reality on the ground. OK PVC should be replaced, agreed. Do you own acerage with a well and water system with 500+ feet of pipe in the ground? What in fact would you do, or what have you actually done, with your own water system, if you have one. Would you be willing to spend thousands to replace the PVC on YOUR property? Many people who live in the city think water comes from a pipe, electricity comes from the wall, and food comes from the store. Not saying that is you, but like I said, you do need realistic alternatives.

Since this isn't a plumbing bulletin board, I am returning to video pursuits,
Grant
 
As suggested above, find a local metal supply in your area and purchase speedrail aluminum schedule 40 tubing. Any metal supply can cut it to length, but you may be on the hook for the full raw material cost.

We have an American Grip and Matthews corners and ears option for 1 1/4 tubing that is affordable and allows you to build smaller frames from the same components (e.g., 12x12').

You will need combo stands, sandbags and sash cord rope to make this safe - especially outdoors. If you don't have the confidence to assemble this from basic parts, you should consider hiring a grip to operate this (and any other) rigged equipment you're considering.

A 20' overhead is a serious piece of very potentially dangerous gear and should be treated as such. Basic rigging knowledge is a must.
 
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