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Applying mesh to a wood frame
for synthetic meshes....Cut the mesh so it is 2 ~ 3 inches larger than the frame. Stretch the mesh over the frame so it is evenly taut but not super stretched. Temporarily tack the mesh to the (out)side of the frame to hold it in place, (you might need four hands for this part of the job). Apply an even dribble of Superglue along the mesh, the glue will spread and soak through the mesh and onto the wood. When the glue is dry (less than an hour) remove the tacks and use a sharp blade to trim off the excess overhanging mesh. You can also wave a butane lighter around the frame to singe off any excess threads. Be careful when applying the Superglue as it is watery and will readily run down the wooden frame sides which makes it look unsightly, it can also run onto the mesh which looks worse.
for stainless steel meshes....cut to size and then staple it.
but that will only make you a screen printing frame which is not ideal for sifting. There needs to be a gap between the bottom of the mesh and the surface the sift will fall onto, so nail 0.25 ~ 0.5 inch slats of wood on the glued mesh area and this will raise the mesh off the ground.
Screen printing frames also have sides which are too low for sifting, so it's best to add height to the side of your top screen frame too (so your plant material won't spill over the sides.
Glass is by far the best material to sift over, next would be metal, then paper....materials like plastic, acrylic, unfinished or varnished wood are far from ideal. So get a thick sheet of clear or dark glass cut to the size of the frames or thin glass bonded to a sheet of plywood will be good to work on.
Happy sifting.
for synthetic meshes....Cut the mesh so it is 2 ~ 3 inches larger than the frame. Stretch the mesh over the frame so it is evenly taut but not super stretched. Temporarily tack the mesh to the (out)side of the frame to hold it in place, (you might need four hands for this part of the job). Apply an even dribble of Superglue along the mesh, the glue will spread and soak through the mesh and onto the wood. When the glue is dry (less than an hour) remove the tacks and use a sharp blade to trim off the excess overhanging mesh. You can also wave a butane lighter around the frame to singe off any excess threads. Be careful when applying the Superglue as it is watery and will readily run down the wooden frame sides which makes it look unsightly, it can also run onto the mesh which looks worse.
for stainless steel meshes....cut to size and then staple it.
but that will only make you a screen printing frame which is not ideal for sifting. There needs to be a gap between the bottom of the mesh and the surface the sift will fall onto, so nail 0.25 ~ 0.5 inch slats of wood on the glued mesh area and this will raise the mesh off the ground.
Screen printing frames also have sides which are too low for sifting, so it's best to add height to the side of your top screen frame too (so your plant material won't spill over the sides.
Glass is by far the best material to sift over, next would be metal, then paper....materials like plastic, acrylic, unfinished or varnished wood are far from ideal. So get a thick sheet of clear or dark glass cut to the size of the frames or thin glass bonded to a sheet of plywood will be good to work on.
Happy sifting.
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