# How to keep the newman roller frames from moving?



## mydemac (Jul 8, 2010)

Hello everyone! I'm new into screen printing and have been reading this forum for the past 2 months and I have to admit this place is awesome! Thanks everyone for their posts, I've learned alot and have alot more to learn. Screen printing is such a learning curve that I haven't printed a shirt for a month, just learning the basics; such as exposure, proper tensions, off contact, etc. I made a halide exposure unit, washout booth and dry cabinet, all from this forum. Save me tons of $$$.

I've decide to start with Newman Roller Frames, since tension is key in getting good and consistant prints. I've bought 9 used newman roller frames and 180 mesh from a local guy who was getting out of the business. Bought a torque wrench and added a cheater bar to my cresent wrench to give it more leverage, made a tension meter with a dial indicator and a hockey puck to give it the base. Although it won't give me the actual Newman reading, but I can use that compare to a brand new alumnium frame that i bought to keep a consistant tension. And here is the problem and was hoping that someone who have stretch rollerman manually can help. 

How do you keep the rollerframe from moving the table when you are trying turn the rollerframes or torque the frame? 

My frames are moving like butter everytime I try to tighten them. It makes it so hard to keep the frame square when this happens. Is there a method to this or it is just something comes with enough practice? I was thinking of making a table with clamps to keep it from moving. Has anyone made a table similar to this? 

Thanks everyone!

Myke


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## PrintsCharming (Jan 21, 2009)

bolt your table to the ground or make a heavy table that wont move. Do you have a square bar on your frame?

this video may help:

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vkaum4y09o8[/media]


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## choover73 (Sep 22, 2010)

Do either one of you know where I can get frame glue to mesh my screens from? I have been getting it from Ryonet. But Im wondering if there is a cheaper glue out there that will work.


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## PrintsCharming (Jan 21, 2009)

choover73 said:


> Do either one of you know where I can get frame glue to mesh my screens from? I have been getting it from Ryonet. But Im wondering if there is a cheaper glue out there that will work.


If there is a particular brand you like, go straight to the source. Or look in your area for a screenprinting distributor. 

However Myke was talking about roller frames which do not require glue.


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## mydemac (Jul 8, 2010)

Sorry, what I meant ask is "How do I keep the Roller Frame from moving ON the table, not move the table. .

Thanks for the video clip Chris, I've watch this over and over. But cannot figure why his frame doesnt move and move does. BTW, I have a square bar.

Also, if anyone tell me how to square my frame? I had some success with tensioning the mesh, but the frame is not sqaure. I've tried tighten the bolten and busted a few of them because I torque it too hard.


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## macmiller (Jul 23, 2007)

It's tough unless you have a Newman stretching table. Shur-loc also makes a nice one, expect to pay at least $800. I use a piece of mdf bigger than the frame and clamp the frame to it with clamps on the square bar end, making sure that it's not clamped in the mesh groove. With 4 roller sides, this won't work.

Find a used tension meter on ebay or something. I used to go by how tight some of my static frames were, to find out once I got a meter that even a brand new screen is only about 18 newtons. I keep my rollers between 28-30 newtons and I can't tell you how much better the prints are.


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## PrintsCharming (Jan 21, 2009)

mydemac said:


> Also, if anyone tell me how to square my frame?


This is hard to explain and I'm not sure how it works but it always did for me. After the screen is tensioned and depending on which corners of the frame are lifting up off the table. I would loosen a corner quickly and then re tighten and do the same on the opposite corner depending on how bad it was. this would level it out and be sure to put your meter on too make sure it didnt loose tension. I havn't used newman frames in 3 years so my explanation is a little vague. Perhaps someone else can explain it a little better. 

Get a Newton meter and look for a tension guide. 

And honestly, I personally wouldn't use roller frames without a stretching table. I know alot of people do but I can't imagine how frustrating or inacurate it must be.


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## mydemac (Jul 8, 2010)

Thanks, Chris. I'll give that a shot to see how it comes out. At this point in my process, I cannot afford to get a stretch table. I would consider getting a newman tension meter, just waiting to see if I can get a good deal on one. I didnt realize that certain mesh require different newman, so that would difinitely require me to get a newman screen tension meter. 

I have a DIY tension meter that i use that is made out of a dial indicator, works like a drum dial. I would use it to test the tension on a new frame and take that result and apply it to my rollerframe mesh. If I get 1 1/2 more reading the the test frame, then I should have a really good tension on the one that I just stretch. It's not precise, but I can really feel the difference in the tension. It only cost me $10 to make it. Call it a poor man's tension meter, but its ok not for until I get comfortable with stretching the frame.


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## Kime (Aug 1, 2008)

mydemac said:


> Thanks, Chris. I'll give that a shot to see how it comes out. At this point in my process, I cannot afford to get a stretch table. I would consider getting a newman tension meter, just waiting to see if I can get a good deal on one. I didnt realize that certain mesh require different newman, so that would difinitely require me to get a newman screen tension meter.
> 
> I have a DIY tension meter that i use that is made out of a dial indicator, works like a drum dial. I would use it to test the tension on a new frame and take that result and apply it to my rollerframe mesh. If I get 1 1/2 more reading the the test frame, then I should have a really good tension on the one that I just stretch. It's not precise, but I can really feel the difference in the tension. It only cost me $10 to make it. Call it a poor man's tension meter, but its ok not for until I get comfortable with stretching the frame.


If you are using Newman mesh then you probably want it at more like 2 times the tension of the static frame. I checked a pretty new static frame I had only used once with my new Newman meter and it came out at 18 newtons. 

The really long, thick handled (but lightweight) Newman wrench (that costs so much) really helps you to control the frame while you tighten so I think it would be harder to keep the frame in place with the setup you are using. Since you don't have one you might try having someone hold the frame in position while you work.


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## ShirlandDesign (Nov 29, 2009)

I ended up with one knee on a corner, a hand diagonally across on the other corner and the free hand wrenching it tight. I basically had to crawl up on it to get the job done.


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## thedeadpress (Mar 12, 2009)

Are you proping the frame up on some cut bits of squeegee when tensioning as this will not only stop the frame moving about but also give you some clearance for the tourque wrench.

Your diy tension meter will work fine but you do need to get reading off a frame that you know the tension of. As has been said prevously a new static frame probably won't be high enough. Find someone local who has newmans and will let you take a reading off a frame at 40newtons to put you in the ball park.

I've seen people build a jig that bolts to the table and then use toggle clamps to hold the frame in position.

Don't loose heart, your one step ahead of the competition using high tension frames straight from the outset. 

We torque the bolts less than the book value and haven't had any problems - It also means that you can easily adjust a frame thats out of square. Check out the ron jennings youtube videos - he knows his stuff.


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## tpitman (Jul 30, 2007)

When you talk about getting the frame square, do you mean level? The frames pretty much square themselves when you tighten the bolts, and like the last post, I don't use a torque wrench, I just tighten them up to what I think is sufficient, and they always hold.
As for getting them level, I've got a newman table, but if I find a frame with a high corner, what I usually do is place it on the floor with three blocks of MDF under three corners, leaving the high corner unsupported, then hold the frame down with one knee and one hand, then bear down a little on the high corner to get it down a bit. Check it on the glass on your exposure unit and it's usually good.
If you've got one of those long magnesium Newman wrenches, or any long wrench that'll fit, the recommended way (I think) is to loosen ONE bolt from the corner diagonally opposite the high corner, then place the wrench on the lug of the high corner and force it down and hold it while you retighten the loosened bolt on the opposite (diagonally) corner.
Regardless of what method you use, make sure the table you're building frames on is FLAT.


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## mydemac (Jul 8, 2010)

John, are you sure you weren't playing twister with the roller frame 

Thanks everyone!

I was able to successfully tension a roller frame this weekend. I guess it takes time and patience. I was able to build a bracket frame that would hold down the end that i wasn't doing the tension. It clamped onto the table with a slider to adjust the length of the each side of the roller frames, since they are not the same length on all fours. And placing a squeegee really help too!

I'm going to need a lot more practice to get the hang of tensioning the frames, but I think i know the correct steps to getting this done right. Call me a newb, but when i was started i thought i had to tighten the bolt in order for the roller frame to properly tension..."duh"! I realize that I had to tension the rollers, I guess that's why they called it "roller frames". That explains why i busted some bolts trying to tighten the roller frames. . That goes the same for leveling the frame, thanks Tom for your tip.

I tested it the tension, compare to a new static frame and it came out to be 1 1/2 time the tension of the static. Woohoo! But I got alittle more ambitious and decided to do give it alittle more tension and busted the mesh. I didnt realize that my corners didn't have any more slack. Oh well, but a lesson learned. But you're right Veugo100, I should test it against a frame that is tested with the actual Newman reading. Thanks for the tip!


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## PrintsCharming (Jan 21, 2009)

mydemac said:


> But I got alittle more ambitious and decided to do give it alittle more tension and busted the mesh. I didnt realize that my corners didn't have any more slack. Oh well, but a lesson learned. Thanks for the tip!


don't forget to soften your corners! And understand that different mesh count require different tension. The higher the mesh the higher risk of popping. Also too (especially if you buy used frames) make sure there are no burs in the metal, this will also aid in a pop'd screen!


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## starchild (Jul 22, 2009)

I learned to screen and tension my MZX roller frames watching Charlie Taublieb's - Using Roller Frames instructional DVD that I rented on smartflix.com for $9 for the week. It was a big help to me.. and hope it helps any new users to roller frames.


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## dheadri (May 24, 2012)

I had the local weld shop make me a bracket that is a little wider than the frame just by like a inch or 2 goes up and over the frame and i screwed it to a heavy wood table that way it could not just lift up when I was adjusting it all and all like 100 bucks in the table and welded bar really they just bent a piece on the press brake for me but same difference. Since the original I have put a heavy hing on one side and the other has like a lock like a sliding gate lock on it so i can lift it up when not in use.


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