# DIY Scoop Coater?



## DrjinG (Feb 1, 2011)

Has anyone made a home-made scoop coater? Seeing pics, they don't look like much more than a piece of small gutter with end caps. DIY would allow for multiple sizes without a lot of money invested.


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## hmmTasty (Jan 31, 2011)

lol i have actually made this, 2 meter micro gutter, some end caps and super glue... ohh a saw and sanding paper. it was simple to make, and worked ok... was hard to hold and sanding took long as it needs to be perfect. the end caps were the hardest as they come out a little but the sander did the trick. i only made it as i have some big *** over sized screen lol, i wouldn't recommend it for every day use maybe once in a blue moon .


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## poker (May 27, 2009)

I read a post here of a person putting down 2 table spoons and then spreading it with a credit card.


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## BogginOnaBudget (Sep 20, 2010)

poker said:


> I read a post here of a person putting down 2 table spoons and then spreading it with a credit card.


thats sounds like inconsistency in the making!!! just buy a scoop coater.. i can understand the small gutter if you have a huge oversized screen, that you use every now and then... but credit cards? some people come up with some crazy $h!t..


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## bomber315 (Jun 18, 2010)

i find it is best to just by the stuff thats already made... unless you can for sure do the same... scoop coaters arent that expensive... 

Screen Printing Scoop Coater / Emulsion Scoop Coater


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## BogginOnaBudget (Sep 20, 2010)

bomber315 said:


> i find it is best to just by the stuff thats already made... unless you can for sure do the same... scoop coaters arent that expensive...
> 
> Screen Printing Scoop Coater / Emulsion Scoop Coater


Highly Agreed !! save up $20 and buy one, i dont believe gutter comes with a thin side and a rounded side, for thinner or thicker coats of emulsion... im all for DIY stuff but some supplies you have to buy premade specially for the screen printing


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## DrjinG (Feb 1, 2011)

Thanks to all for your help and opinions. I'm big on DIY, but agree that there is value in buying quality equipment due to quality outcome and efficiency gains. Just trying to keep costs as low as possible for something I want to do for fun...


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## thutch15 (Sep 8, 2008)

I personally feel that DIY is better for the higher $$ items.... where you can see a savings. Saving a couple bucks is not work having poor screens.


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## taricp35 (Dec 10, 2008)

poker said:


> I read a post here of a person putting down 2 table spoons and then spreading it with a credit card.


If you watch Youtube and look at some of the Chinese videos or some of the videos from Central America, yes you will see that they pour emulsion on the screen and spread it with a thin flat material. _(Looks longer than a credit card)_ Does it work? it appears so. Would I try it? No I would just buy a scoop coater and make it easy on myself.


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## bomber315 (Jun 18, 2010)

yeah save money by making your own platens, not your own scoop coater... time is money


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## rufusjohnston (May 6, 2010)

my 38" scoop coater custom made cost me $140, not really cost effective when it comes to a micro gutter, oh well u live and you learn


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## DrjinG (Feb 1, 2011)

rufusjohnston said:


> my 38" scoop coater custom made cost me $140, not really cost effective when it comes to a micro gutter, oh well u live and you learn


38" coater!! Holy moly, that's unwieldy!


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## rufusjohnston (May 6, 2010)

yea it was for a job i had to do, where the client wanted a all over print on sweatshirt fleece material, the print size was 36"x54" for one fabric yard, i could not overlap due to the immense detail in the print, lot of fun to design and build but now its sitting in the corner of my shop not doing anything, nore have i used it in 2 years


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## rufusjohnston (May 6, 2010)

u can however, make one, you will need a sheetmetal brake or access to one, a sheet of stainless and a tig welder. I can see how this would be hard for someone to access, i also have a full sheetmetal fabrication shop to make anything i need. Find a good sheetmetal guy, give him a design im sure he can make one.


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## ScreenFoo (Aug 9, 2011)

Just an FYI--a Tetko scoopcoater is sold by the inch-- and an inch runs not too much over a buck. Any big sign/screen supply shop will be able to fab any size you need inexpensively, a few inches up to many feet.


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## Dkenzie1 (Sep 22, 2011)

I have used a credit card for our hat screens They are small just slightly bigger than the card. Extremely hard to get consistency. If I was to make one I think I would try a material like Pvc pipe cut in half.


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## selanac (Jan 8, 2007)

You could also use Capillary Film, and squeege it on to your screen.


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## TYGERON (Apr 26, 2009)

A piece of angle iron with caps on the ends works beautifully for those intent on the DIY thing.

Thumbs up to DIY'ers. It's not always about saving time, money or practicality. It's the challenge of "Doing It Yourself". 

And DIY doesn't have to equate to poor quality.


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## cyclesurgeon (Sep 10, 2010)

TYGERON said:


> A piece of angle iron with caps on the ends works beautifully for those intent on the DIY thing.
> 
> Thumbs up to DIY'ers. It's not always about saving time, money or practicality. It's the challenge of "Doing It Yourself".
> 
> And DIY doesn't have to equate to poor quality.


Right on Dr.! I made three of my own for the cost of the stick of aluminum angle and an hour of my time and I get terrific results...for a hobby garage boy anyway. I never have any problems with my screens anyway and my DIY Franken-screen press and DIY Franken-heat press kick butt. 

The makin' is always more fun than the usin'.


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## TYGERON (Apr 26, 2009)

cyclesurgeon said:


> Right on Dr.! I made three of my own for the cost of the stick of aluminum angle and an hour of my time and I get terrific results...for a hobby garage boy anyway. I never have any problems with my screens anyway and my DIY Franken-screen press and DIY Franken-heat press kick butt.
> 
> The makin' is always more fun than the usin'.


Doctor!

Haa-haaaa!! 

I remembered the coater but not the maker. And you magically appear!

You still got the pic to post?? (Next best thing to a house call...LOL)

And how's the 4 color process??


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## ScreenFoo (Aug 9, 2011)

I definitely wasn't bashing DIY, but I always feel bad when someone spends more time *and* money on something DIY. Unless of course, it's way cooler than what you can buy. 

Aluminum angle *is* pretty cheap, even if you aren't getting it scrap, but I'm no good with a Tig--a filet brazed cargo trailer for the old mountain bike is about the extent of my metalworking abilities...


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## cyclesurgeon (Sep 10, 2010)

TYGERON said:


> Doctor!
> 
> Haa-haaaa!!
> 
> ...


My ink should be here this coming week and I've got just the print to play with...which I'll post after I print.

Master Foo - No offense taken and no heat applied to the angle. Just some holes drilled and small stainless steel screws securing a wooden handle and end plugs, which are sealed with emulsion. 1.5 in angle holds enough emulsion to evenly coat 2 20 X 24 screens front and back.


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## tabletop (Mar 1, 2011)

I made this one before actually seeing one in person .Its not very deep but you get the idea. I sealed it with emulsion and set it outside in the sun to harden . sealed up great . just used pop rivets and a small bit . I had a metal break at my disposal at that time yet you could bend with metal sandwiched between 4x4s and use c-clamps to hold them with metal inbetween and bend ...

oh yeah had to make sure debur and remove the edges . I used it it works great its just not gonna put down alot of emulsion.


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## BroJames (Jul 8, 2008)

Who needs coaters? Just pour some emulsion on your screen and squeegee it.

No, I neveer tried that but others have and it should work. 



poker said:


> I read a post here of a person putting down 2 table spoons and then spreading it with a credit card.


My first squeegee is a celphone card. Thinner than a credit card. I used only about a tablespoon of emulsion on an 18"x18" screen.

But that is because I was taught to coat that way. I later learned that some screen printing suppliers sell coaters made from stainless sheets. Cost about 1/5-1/6 the price of an aluminum coater. I shifted to 14" aluminum screen printing coaters but kept the 6" & 10" stainless sheet coaters. I'd change to 10" aluminum coaters if I use that size often. 

Consistency of spread is overrated. I would say that in most cases and unless you do really high quality jobs you can DIY coaters although I opted for a commercial coater.


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## ScreenFoo (Aug 9, 2011)

@BroJames
I'm a firm believer that an even stencil makes everything easier all the way through reclaiming, but I agree with your point--unless you're doing really detailed work you don't need to get too crazy. Also, if you work quickly enough so you're done while it's still very wet, it seems to me the emulsion wants to flow into an even sheet.

@cyclesurgeon-- Master...let's not get crazy now.  Never thought about wood for ends--Poly coated/shellac, or did you just use the emulsion as wood sealer? (I use it for wood glue all the time) Sounds like a cool design, although I'm so used to the standard channel, I don't know if I could use a handle.
I would mention that if you have a really shallow coater, you may want to fill it every time--the amount of emulsion that flows is directly linked to how much is behind it pushing. Especially if you're doing process. 

Cool pics, Ryan. (Looks like it holds and works well) It's amazing what you can brakeform with welders pliers too, they're cheap.

You could probably get fancy and form one out of a single sheet, or a v and endcaps that would seal up with emulsion.


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## TYGERON (Apr 26, 2009)

ScreenFoo;1008292
@[U said:


> cyclesurgeon[/U]-- Master...let's not get crazy now.  Never thought about wood for ends--Poly coated/shellac, or did you just use the emulsion as wood sealer? (I use it for wood glue all the time) Sounds like a cool design, although I'm so used to the standard channel, I don't know if I could use a handle.


When he posts a pic and you see it, you're gonna go, "Hey! That looks just like a real store bought scoop coater" LOL!!


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## cyclesurgeon (Sep 10, 2010)

OK, here are a couple of my homemade jobs before I sealed the plugs with emulsion. I'm afraid that Tygeron may have exaggerated about the esthetic quality, but they do work great and didn't take long to make. I've also since made a 4 in one for doing chest prints and the like. Next up, a copy of Tygeron's hat platen.


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## BroJames (Jul 8, 2008)

ScreenFoo said:


> @BroJames
> I'm a firm believer that an even stencil makes everything easier all the way through reclaiming, but I agree with your point--unless you're doing really detailed work you don't need to get too crazy. Also, if you work quickly enough so you're done while it's still very wet, it seems to me the emulsion wants to flow into an even sheet.
> ...


In that respect I miss those stencils. Wonder if anybody has tried using a cutter/plotter to cut stencils.

Having a coating and drying space also makes a big difference. I will be knocking down my drying cabinet with exhaust soon. Needed extra space at home even if the drying cabinet is up on the shelf. After that coating and drying emulsion will be really a pain for me.


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## Skeddie (Nov 19, 2011)

cyclesurgeon what size angle did you use. I have some 1 1/4" floating around and think I give one of those a try.


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## cyclesurgeon (Sep 10, 2010)

Skeddie said:


> cyclesurgeon what size angle did you use. I have some 1 1/4" floating around and think I give one of those a try.


11/4 should work fine. You will just have to be light handed when pouring the emulsion into the coater.


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## tdfthebrand (Dec 16, 2014)

am buying mines...have to set the mind on making nice images and prints.


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## selanac (Jan 8, 2007)

Scoop coaters don't cost very much. Check out this link:

Screen Printing Supplies - Scoop Coaters - U.S. Printing & Supplies


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## cyclesurgeon (Sep 10, 2010)

selanac said:


> Scoop coaters don't cost very much. Check out this link:
> 
> Screen Printing Supplies - Scoop Coaters - U.S. Printing & Supplies


Y'all gotta look at the age of this thread. I built that scoop coater 5 or more years ago. BTB, for my hobby set up it has worked great, but I would buy one if I was doing screens everyday.


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