Best way to put a grid on Ground Glass?

[coriana6jp]

Hi All,

Been using the new 8x10 for several days and loving it. Though I have quickly come to realize I miss having a grid on my ground glass. Just curious as to whats the best way to put one on? I will be doing this with both a glass screen and a plexiglass screen.

Any insight or help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanx!

Gary

 

[Dave Parker]

Gary,

I have a template on the website to that you can either trace onto the ground side of the screen with a pencil or print out on an over head transparency and over lay the screen when you mount it in the camera..

Now my recommendation is for ground glass, I have no idea about plexi as I have never worked with it

Dave Parker
Satin Snow Ground Glass

 

[naturephoto1]

I am not sure if you have this available. I replaced my original Linhof Technikardan 45S with Dave Parker's Satin Snow GG. My original Linhof GG had grid lines. I took the original GG and copied the GG onto clear Overhead transparency material. I trimmed and installed the overlay with the new GG. I can use the overlay with or without the Linhof Fresnel Screen.

Rich

 

[Lee L]

I use QCAD under linux to make laser printer overlays on overhead transparency materials as well. I also have the frames marked for my 6x7 and 6x9 rollfilm holders. You can change line thickness, make dotted lines, etc so that it suits your preferences for visibility without being distracting and make some lines more prominent than others.

Lee

 

[Curt]

Take it to a professional silkscreener and have it down right.

 

[User Removed]

Grab a ruler and a .5 fine point pencil. Do it on the frosted side of course.

You can wash it off later, but it will stay on there for years and its free.

 

[Dave Parker]

Take it to a professional silkscreener and have it down right.

Curt,

Hate to say it, but that is a damn expensive way to do a grid on your screen, I know, I have been experimenting with silk screening screens for a couple of years now, and still have not overcome a way to offer screens at a reasonable price with grids on them, if I were to offer grids on my screens, and take into account I sell more screens than most in the world, I would have to increase my prices by a minimum of 50% for at least two years to recapture the cost of the process...making screens to silk screen glass is not cheap..

The transparency route has been very good and I can change them when they get beat up...

Dave

 

[resummerfield]

Take it to a professional silkscreener and have it down right.

Great suggestion, Curt. So what if it costs more than the plastic overlay...... Consider it a great investment.

 

[donbga]

Great suggestion, Curt. So what if it costs more than the plastic overlay...... Consider it a great investment.

Until it breaks ...

 

[JoJoBrown]

Thin film plastic don't break...it may become yellow, but it don't break with normal use.

Now if your so inclined, you can tear it, but I would not suspect you would if you just overlaid the screen.

JoJo

 

[jd callow]

You could do the following
1) Print a grid out and put it under the glass
2) using a straight edge and a technical drawing pen reproduce the lines from the print out on to the glass

or use a very sharp, HD pencil and the printout as a guide.

 

[Steve Smith]

Hate to say it, but that is a damn expensive way to do a grid on your screen, I know, I have been experimenting with silk screening screens for a couple of years now, and still have not overcome a way to offer screens at a reasonable price with grids on them, if I were to offer grids on my screens, and take into account I sell more screens than most in the world, I would have to increase my prices by a minimum of 50% for at least two years to recapture the cost of the process...making screens to silk screen glass is not cheap..

I have to agree with this. Although a screen printed grid would be ideal, the cost of coating a screen with emulsion, exposing and processing, set up, etc. would outweigh the cost of producing one or even a few parts. If you were printing a few hundred however, that is the ideal solution.

I work for an industrial screen printing company but it's not screen printing as you may know it. We produce medical sensors and electronic circuits using printed conductive inks on polyester as well as membrane touch switches. If I ever want to print a grid onto ground glass I could talk various people into doing it for me - I certainly wouldn't want to pay for it though!

Steve.

 

[Steve Smith]

Just to add to what I have already said:

In order to make a screen, you need a positive image on film. This is exposed onto the screen emulsion with UV light.

Now if you create that film, you already have one of the suggestions above i.e. create a grid on clear film and place it over the glass.

We create our images using either Autocad or gerber editing software. The images are then laser plotted onto Agfa ortho phototooling film.

If you have access to a CAD system and can create your own artwork file, you should be able to locate a local photoplotting company to create you a single piece of artwork for minimum cost. As a guide, we typically have artworks made at about 18" x 24" for about £8 (say $15).

If you can't find a local photoplotter, try a PCB manufacturer or screen printing company. They will either use one or have their own laser plotting equipment.

If anyone wants a rough sketch artwork drawn up in CAD, e-mail me via my website (address below) and I will be happy to do it for you.

Steve.

 

[coriana6jp]

Dear All,

Thanks for all the advice, it pretty much summed up the options thought I had. But, its always good to check. I think for know will go with the overhead transparency. I have a complete version of Autocad 2006 here for some work projects. At some point I will make something and head over my a local screen printer see what they can do. It seems like the ulimate way to go.

Thanks Again for all the helpful advice!

Gary

 

[Mike Wilde]

Grid lines on a trial basis? my thoughts

It may be heresy in large format, but on my 120 medium format mamiya I have drawn H & V proportion lines on the smooth side of the viewing screen with a fine pointed Sharpie marker. It seems to last just fine.

 

[Jim Jones]

For the pattern I use a suitable graph paper or could design and print one on a computer. The pattern is taped onto a work space. The ground glass is positioned, ground side up, on the pattern and taped down. For a tool I use an old ball point pen that no longer leaves ink. The hardened ball leaves an unobtrusive bright line on the glass. A ruler guides the pen.

 

[DannL]

This may have been already mentioned. If so, sorry for the repeat. I prefer professional looking, cheap, removable grids. I design my grid on a general computer drawing program and then print them on plain paper using a 600 dpi laser printer. I repeat this process during the design phase, until I am completely satisfied with the grid design. The "final print" is on transparent overhead projector sheets designed for printing in laser printers (available at most office supply stores). After printing the grid on the sheet, cut the sheet to the size of your ground glass and cut off the four corners of the sheet. Place a small piece of tape in the four corner areas and position on the observer's side of the ground glass. In a month or two when you're tired of your grid, design and print a new one. Professional looking, Cheap, Removable. This method has been around since the invention of the laser printer.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Dave Parker's templates on his website are very handy (satinsnowglass.com). I've used them over the glass, but I've also used the old fashioned pencil and straightedge method, and it works just fine. If you like Dave's or anyone else's grid, but don't want an overlay, it's easy just to print it out on paper and use it as a guide for penciling in lines or format markings (rollfilm, Polaroid, etc.) on the matte side of the glass.