Things You'll Need:
- Brushes
- Polyurethane Finishes
- Wood : Pre-routered Framing Material Or Kiln-dried 2x2s
- Wood Glues
- 1-inch Wood Screws
- C-clamps
- Medium-grit Sandpaper
- Miter Saws
- Variable-speed Drills
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Step 1
Decide how large your frame will be.
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Step 2
Choose a type of frame. Your options, essentially, are two: framing wood that is pre-routered for stretching the silk screen (and often precut in standard sizes), and plain wood (2-by-2) that you buy at a hardware store or lumberyard. Option 1 is easier but more expensive.
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Step 3
Buy your supplies.
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Step 1
Cut wood to the desired size, unless it's precut, using a mitre saw.
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Step 2
Join pieces two at a time to form corners, using screws and wood glue.
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Step 3
Allow to dry.
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Step 4
Coat with polyurethane finish to seal and protect the wood.
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Step 1
Buy kiln-dried lumber (2-by-2). Eyeball it to choose the least-warped pieces.
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Step 2
Cut to the desired length, using a mitre saw. If you're an experienced carpenter, try lap-joint construction for greater stability.
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Step 3
Join pieces two at a time to form corners, using screws and wood glue.
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Step 4
Allow the frame to dry.
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Step 5
Sand any sharp corners or edges to protect your fabric.
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Step 6
Coat with polyurethane finish to seal and protect the wood.
Comments
timhsouthern said
on 11/18/2007 Is there any articles about how to Stretch the screen to the frame? I sue the Speedball Frames that are pre-routered and I am tryning to put new screens into the frame. I ahve having great difficulty getting equal tension. Any Suggestions?
Anonymous said
on 6/30/2006 We have made a silk screen frame from an old cupboard door, the ones with the center insert. Or, if you need a larger one, use an old window frame without the glass.
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 I live on an island in Maine and I don't have easy access to art supply stores or lumber yards. I am also not adept at carpentry. I was once stuck without a frame when the muse struck. I used a wooden embroidery hoop to secure the fabric. This is good for making small prints.
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 Here is a tip on how to apply pre-cut silk to the frame with contact cement. You will need to leave around 4 inches from each side of the fabric. Mark the existing frame on the silk with a marker but take into consideration that silkscreen does STRETCH. Apply glue on the screen and frame once (let it dry till when you place your finger it feels dry). When it does dry, repeat the process. And now take a wooden spoon or something similar and place a corner of the silk to the one corner and press it hard with that spoon. Make sure that you DO NOT make contact with other parts (you can place meat paper or anything that will keep things apart). When one corner is done diagonally, do the same with the other corner but try to use force to stretch the silk to the desired hardness.Pull the paper out from the third corner and apply the pressure and try to stretch the screen again. Apply the pressure again so the contact cement (glue) will make a better bond. If you see a light spot, this means that the glue is not holding anything. Apply pressure again and rub down with lots of force. Repeat the same thing with the fourth corner and anything inbetween. Leave a stretched screen for 24 hours to bond together. The next day cut off the extra silk. Be sure that you are applying glue in a well ventilated space. If you are suffering from asthma or any other difficulty, do not get yourself into the silk screen printing.
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 Take a two by two (long enough so that you can saw all needed pieces from it) and using a table saw, put a groove down the middle the width of the string you're using to tighten the screen. Then using a radial saw, cut 45-degree angles to make the frame.