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Author Topic: Un Curler Plans?  (Read 23773 times)

Curtis Miller

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Un Curler Plans?
« Reply #20 on: April 08, 2010, 02:37:13 pm »

I want to share my experience with the D-Curler design above. I downloaded the .pdf and built a couple of them according to the plans. No real trouble with the build, though it's not an inconsequential effort.

One note on the window films. There are two types and they're not clearly marked as to which is which. One is the static cling type and the other is actually adhesive based. The smoke color mentioned in the pdf is a static cling type. I mistakenly bought an adhesive based one because it was the size that best fit my plans. Wound up trashing it and it cost $18. Anything that is frosted or claims to have metal content is probably not the right kind.

It's a very clever plan and yields a very workable arrangement. The vinyl makes a nice surface for the print to lie on and the static cling film works perfectly to hold the print in place while you go do something else. It takes only a moment really to flatten the print. No need to leave it for a long time. I'm using about a 2" diameter piece of pvc pipe and it seems about perfect.

However, there is one major problem that I have been unable to solve. Because of the bump formed on the roll where the print meets the roller, the device will leave a subtle crease in the print each time the leading edge rolls over the print. With my roller, that meant a crease about every 6" or so. Nothing I have found so far has eliminated that crease. No amount of increasing or decreasing pressure or loosening the tension on the roll has solved the problem at all. You won't see the crease in good flat light but with any oblique light source it will be painfully obvious. And there seems to be no way to remove it once it's there.

I would, of course, welcome input from anyone who has solved this problem because the device is fast and easy to use and removed the roll from a print almost immediately. But the crease has been a fatal flaw for me. I have not tried the side strips mentioned above. They might just work as they could prevent the paper from touching the rest of the print. It's worth a try, but I suspect there might still be an issue. The leading edge of the paper wants very badly to pull away from the roll and that's what causes the crease.

What has, however, worked very well for me is simply to spray a very light mist of water on the back of the print. I am working with a heavy watercolor paper. This would obviously not apply to a conventional photo paper. But then the photo paper may not crease either. I haven't tested it. Anyway, the mist of water caused the print to relax almost immediately. I've been putting a piece of foam core and a little weight on the print while it dries but it hardly seems necessary.

There tends to be a little residual curl at the edges of the sheet and the D-Curler does a very nice job of removing that. Just don't roll past the point where the leading edge of the paper rolls over onto the rest of the print.

I hope this is helpful to people considering making the device. It has it's place in removing the curl at the edge of the sheet and it may work with less fragile papers such as conventional photo papers but it will not solve the issue of flattening fine art papers unless you plan to mount the print, thus removing the subtle crease.
« Last Edit: April 08, 2010, 02:40:14 pm by Curtis Miller »
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Curtis Miller

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Un Curler Plans?
« Reply #21 on: April 16, 2010, 01:19:03 pm »

I added the silicone side strips to my d-curler and it's made a big difference. By raising the roller up off of the print, it minimizes contact of the leading edge with the rest of the print. There remains maybe a little crease on the first roll but generally none after that. It's unlikely that prints of the size I am un-curling will be framed without some form of mounting and this will easily remove any remaining crease. If you need perfectly unrolled prints then there remains a chance of some light creasing of the print.
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walter.sk

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Un Curler Plans?
« Reply #22 on: April 17, 2010, 08:45:55 am »

Quote from: kaelaria
OK, I just realized the complaint email I got was a fake (unless Michael suddenly uses Hotmail - lol)

Here you go, enjoy!

EDIT - v2 was missing a step - after sqeegee, trim the film to match the vinyl.

v2.1 uploaded.
I checked out the PDF, and I thank you for your offer.  Aside from the very promising-looking uncurler, just the amount of work you did on the instructions is impressive.

Even though I have two left feet and am all thumbs, I think I'll be able to succeed making your project.

Many thanks.
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Jack Flesher

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Un Curler Plans?
« Reply #23 on: April 17, 2010, 11:38:19 am »

How do you deal with dust or grit collecting on the static film and then contacting the surface of the print?

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Jack Flesher

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Un Curler Plans?
« Reply #24 on: April 17, 2010, 01:27:44 pm »

Quote from: kaelaria
Thanks Walter

I keep it rolled up.

Of course... But what about when it's open on your table before rolling the print? The now face-down side is what ends up against the print surface. From experience I know that choice of material is a virtual crap-magnet and can easily pick up crud off the surface you're using (even paper or mat dust) where the commercial version uses a special surface that supposedly helps avoid that.
« Last Edit: April 17, 2010, 01:31:12 pm by Jack Flesher »
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Jack Flesher

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Un Curler Plans?
« Reply #25 on: April 17, 2010, 03:14:54 pm »

Quote from: kaelaria
It wipes clean with a cloth, nothing special.  Yes I have accidentally used a dirty table surface and had to then clean both sides - I make sure the surface is clean now!!  It's not like it's flypaper or something

Understood, but it sounds like a shortcoming of the home-built when compared to the commercial version, and perhaps worthy of consideration before one starts down the path?
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Bill Koenig

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« Reply #26 on: April 22, 2010, 02:01:24 pm »

Kaelaria,

Thanks for the design, I plan on giving it a go. Could this slight repeating crease be caused from the thickness of the start of the sheets on the tube? The reason I ask, if you go to Inkjetart web site and read the description of the D-Roller you'll see the following line:

<3. Where the white carrier film attaches to the De-Roller tube, there is virtually no seam <that could cause a crease mark on your prints!  

I've never seen one of these D-Rollers, what do they do to get rid of this seam? Do they machine a groove in the tube to help the transition between the sheet and tube?
I'm a machinist in my day job, and it would be quite easy to machine a groove in the tube to help this transition if needed.
Also, I assume that antistatic sheet is up and contacts the face of the print when rolled, and this is the side where the helper strips go?
 


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Bill Koenig

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« Reply #27 on: April 22, 2010, 03:15:44 pm »

Quote from: kaelaria
Yes that's where you put the strips, the print sits in between them.  I don't start the print on the roller side, I start it at the end.  It may certainly be too tight without any give if you were to get it too close.  I made my roller nice and long to do panos so I would have a lot of buffer zone.  I can see where a relief groove would do the same if you wanted to start at that end.

Thanks for the quick reply,

OK, after looking at the vid, that really helped (it didn't work for me until just a hour ago, I had Quick time reinstalled, as it was corrupted) I see that it doesn't matter which side the print faces, its the curl that matters.
If I got you right, after you roll most of the sheet on the tube, that smooths out the transition, then putting the print about a foot from the end of the 5 foot sheet and roll.
How long are the helper strips? I take it that they start at the end of the sheet away from the roll end? First I'll see if I need them.
Sorry for all of the questions, but I think I've got it.



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Curtis Miller

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« Reply #28 on: June 04, 2010, 04:02:33 pm »

I hope I am not raining on anyone's parade here, but I spent a significant amount of time and effort building a couple of d-curlers with the plans listed here. They work pretty well on thin photo type papers but created repeated creases in heavier watercolor paper. I tried all the fixes listed here. I finally bought a D-Roller (the official commercial version) and it immediately solved all my problems. Absolutely flawless flattening without any creases.

I got mine from Jason Adams at Shades of Paper. I got the 50" x 1.5" version and it's the best $285 I ever spent.

I'm just trying to spare people a lot of effort and expense building something that may not work for their purposes. I commend the design and the intent of this thread but recommend the commercial product if you can possibly afford it. The waste involved in creasing a lot of expensive paper, complaints from galleries and clients, etc. was far more than the cost of the D-Roller.
« Last Edit: June 04, 2010, 04:13:09 pm by Curtis Miller »
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neile

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Un Curler Plans?
« Reply #29 on: June 05, 2010, 10:30:25 am »

Quote from: Curtis Miller
I'm just trying to spare people a lot of effort and expense building something that may not work for their purposes. I commend the design and the intent of this thread but recommend the commercial product if you can possibly afford it. The waste involved in creasing a lot of expensive paper, complaints from galleries and clients, etc. was far more than the cost of the D-Roller.

I'm with you, Curtis. I finally threw in the towel a few weeks ago and bought a d-roller from Shades of Paper. I should have done it a year ago.

Neil
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Jack Flesher

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Un Curler Plans?
« Reply #30 on: June 05, 2010, 10:58:42 am »

In the end, I bought the commercial Bienfang print decurler too.  The sheet material they use does not seem to suck up crud from the surrounding areas, a concern I had.  I got the 1-1/2" spindle version and it works great on Harman gloss, just need to keep it rolled for about 30 seconds before releasing.
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Sven W

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Un Curler Plans?
« Reply #31 on: June 06, 2010, 05:49:11 am »

Quote from: neile
I'm with you, Curtis. I finally threw in the towel a few weeks ago and bought a d-roller from Shades of Paper. I should have done it a year ago.

Neil


Me too !! But I should have done it 5 years ago  
It's really amazing.

/Sven
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JohnBrew

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Un Curler Plans?
« Reply #32 on: June 06, 2010, 10:14:33 am »

I don't understand why many of you feel this is such a hassle. My printer (3800) as everyone knows does not have a roll adapter. I wanted to take advantage of the fact it will print to 37" in length. I ordered a roll of Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Baryta. When it arrived I took it down to my framers. She cut the entire roll into 37" pieces for me. I took the sheets home, laid them on the floor under my work table and put some heavy books on them. The next day they were perfectly flat. Cost = $0. BTW, they feed and print perfectly.

jdoyle1713

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Un Curler Plans?
« Reply #33 on: June 06, 2010, 10:59:53 am »

Gang,

After reviewing the thread..I see cost is a Major concern on the D-roller. Going Back a Year The D-Roller had a 50.00 Mail in Rebate..Many where sold..

Here is my question.. whats the magic price point? I am sure that if I Go to them with a plan I can make a large purchase But That will only save a few dollars.. Or is a Mail in Rebate the answer.. Or is combo deal best..

Any Ideas are welcome. As many of you know I am a consumer oriented supplier!

In The meantime I Can do this..10% Off The D-roller for the month of June 2010. Just Place In Comments as Per JJD Now If you bought a D-roller In The Past at full Price I'll give you the 10% off The D-roller as a Credit towards Paper..Put In Comments as Per JJD  Or Just Call The Office I will go over it with my team on Monday AM

Hope This Helps a Little bit

Cheers
Jim Doyle
SHades Of Paper
856-787-9200
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StephenOzcomert

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Un Curler Plans?
« Reply #34 on: June 06, 2010, 05:09:28 pm »

Hi Jim,

I enjoy dealing with you guys.  Wish I had known you would have some flexibility in the price.  I tried to buy one of these from you the other day, but my sales person (Jason) said he could no longer do $50 off nor could he discount at all and I think shipping was at normal price and extra.  I did buy my Canon 8300 from you and all my paper so far.  Ended up buying it at one of your competitors:

http://www.inkjetart.com/cart/roller-model-width-p-7878.html

$250 with $5 shipping for the 50" model.  Still seems expensive to me for what it is, but I would rather not mess with making my own.  That was at the upper end for what I was willing to pay if that helps.  Seemed like most other sellers were charging $289 plus shipping.  I have no clue why it costs so much except that it is the only game in a small town....
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jdoyle1713

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« Reply #35 on: June 07, 2010, 09:00:41 pm »

Steve

Thanks for the info..I do appreciate it!

Cheers
Jim Doyle
SHades Of Paper
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deanwork

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Un Curler Plans?
« Reply #36 on: June 08, 2010, 08:32:32 am »

Where is the PDF? I want to see this design to compare to the one that I made awhile back.

john
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Randy Carone

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Un Curler Plans?
« Reply #37 on: August 05, 2010, 12:38:48 pm »

D-roller is discounted for our Daily Sale. Give a call. If you're a day late, still call.
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JohnHeerema

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Re: Un Curler Plans?
« Reply #38 on: October 06, 2010, 12:10:00 am »

I came across this thread some time ago, and noticed that the original posting had been removed.
Recently I was looking for resellers of the D-roller device in my geographic area, and noticed that a similar posting at another internet forum had also been removed.

That made me curious, and got me to thinking that the current patent assignee might perhaps have been issuing cease and desist letters to folks who posted their plans for home-made uncurling devices.

If anyone is interested such trivia, the relevant patent seems to be US patent 6,996,514 B2, originally by Donald Dressler, and subsequently assigned.
Interestingly, I also came across descriptions of remarkably similar devices, which were published prior to the patent application, but I am not qualified to comment on how that might potentially affect the patent.
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