DIY Backdrop

[JoesPhotos]

Ok so I was bored & being a pool service tech I work with PVC on a daily basis. So as I was repiping a pump room the other day, this came to me. Might have been the fumes from the glue but here it is.

What you need:
I purchased all of my supplies from Lowes & Walmart. I have a handheld pipe cutter. If you don't you can always use a hacksaw.

Straight Pipe: I used Schedule 40 (480 psi) it's stronger then the thin wall (200 psi) pipe.

5 - 10 foot pipe - $2.15 each = $10.75

Cut two 10' piece of pipe the following:
1-66"
1-29"
1-24" - will have 1" piece of pipe left.

3rd 10' pipe:
1-66"
2-24"
2-12"
1-6" You will have no left over pipe.

4th 10' pipe
1-66"
1-6"
4-4"
2-2.5" You will have a 27" piece of pipe left. That's trash.

5th 10' pipe
2-49" You will have 22 inches left. More trash.

Pieces of Pipe
4 - 66" 3/4" PVC Pipe labeled A
2 - 49" 3/4" PVC Pipe labeled B
2 - 29" 3/4" PVC Pipe labeled C
4 - 24" 3/4" PVC Pipe labeled D
2 - 12" 3/4" PVC Pipe labeled E
2 - 6" 3/4" PVC Pipe labeled F
4 - 4" 3/4" PVC Pipe labeled G
2 - 2.5" 3/4" PVC Pipe labeled H


Fittings:
8 - 3/4" PVC Tees - I bought a bag of 10 (part #26052) $2.64 - labeled T
4 - 45 degree 3/4" PVC fittings (part #23891) $0.64 = $2.56 - labeled I
2 - 90 degree 3/4" PVC fittings (part #23868) $0.29 = $0.58 - labeled J
2 - 3/4" slip x 3/4" slip x 1/2" thread (part #24085) $1.37 = $2.74 - labeled K
2 - 1/2" x 3/4" male adapters (part #23938) $0.57 = $1.14 - labeled L

Backdrop:
1 - Black Twin Flat Sheet from Walmart - $4.50
1 - White Twin Flat Sheet from Walmart - $2.50

Grand Total: $27.41 + tax.

I cut a slit in the top of the sheet 1.5" just inside the seam. Slid the top piece of 66" piece through it and let it hang. I'm going to purchase another sheet and do the same won the bottom support piece, for a floor runner.

You can glue what you want, if you want. Personal choice. I left the long pieces free. Glued the others. That way I can break it down & the longest piece I will have is 66".

Hope you enjoy. If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me or leave them here.
Joe










Edit:
After reading below I decided to take a picture of the stand broken down. All the pieces on the end of the pipe are glued. The top is the piece the sheet is put on & so forth. If you have any questions feel free to ask.



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Below are links to other DIY projects: Lighting and other stands. Use what you can & enjoy.

[COLOR="red"]Reflector Stand This requires an cheap tripod. Walmart has some for $20.

Light Ring A little on the technical side, requires some electrical wiring skills and the ability to cut a board.

Back Drop Stand An alternative to mine - $11 each, the only thing I would add to this is sand to help weigh it down.

Custom Muslin Backdrops

[lissykeeper]

Wonderful!!! I have been trying to con my husband into building me something similar, but it hasn't happened yet!

P.S. I love that you labeled the dog toy!!!

[Samanax]

LOL...I haven't gotten around to assembling it yet, but this is almost the exact thing I was going to put together. I bought most of the PVC parts about 3 weeks ago but have been either too lazy or too sick to work on it yet.

I found several DIY backdrop holders on-line and mine is sort of a combination of several designs. I was spending a lot of time at those DIY lighting web sites but now spend most of my web surfing time here.

Thanks for posting this...I'm sure it'll help a lot of the other members here.

[Swisstony10]

That's fantastic! Why didn't I think of that already?! ;-)

I bought some pvc tubular ducting to run electricity from my house to the garage/workshop, and due to a schoolboy error of numerical judgement on my part, I ended up buying a pack of 30 lengths of 3m-long tubing - it was waaaay more than I needed, but I think I've just found a suitable use for some of the leftovers. I don't think it's as rigid as the plumbing pipe, so I might need to adapt the design a little to give some more bracing somewhere, but this is a brilliant starting point.

Thanks!

Russ.

[Trevor.Dennis]

Just a thought, but for about twice what this cost to build, you could get a large 5-in-1 reflector from eBay, and that would not only serve as a backdrop (you'd need to hang it from something), you'd also get a choice of 3 reflective surfaces, (white silver and gold) plus a diffuser, (instant go anywhere softbox), and a black panel for subtraction).

not so much fun of course, but a lot more useful.

[Swisstony10]

How about a modification to the frame so that it can be used to hang a sheet, but also with some kind of clip or holder so that it could be used to hold a large reflector like that?

I'm planning to make something very much like this, using this pattern as a starting-point - I'm going to make it so it's easily collapsible for transportation and storage, and now I'm thinking that I might as well try and come up with a reflector-holding modification, so it's even more versatile.

That's it - where's my drawing-board?

EDIT - I just realised I don't have a dog toy. Is it important to the design? Could I modify it to work with a cat toy instead?

Russ.

[JoesPhotos]

Originally Posted by Swisstony10

How about a modification to the frame so that it can be used to hang a sheet, but also with some kind of clip or holder so that it could be used to hold a large reflector like that?

I intentionally left the top rail unglued so I could change backgroiunds. In retrospect, I need to devise an easier and quicker way of doing so. Once the glue fumes subside, I'll come up with something. I'm not really sure what this reflector is that you speak of, could you possibily post a link? It would be helpful in making my changes. I'll keep you folks posted on my modifications.

I'm planning to make something very much like this, using this pattern as a starting-point - I'm going to make it so it's easily collapsible for transportation and storage, and now I'm thinking that I might as well try and come up with a reflector-holding modification, so it's even more versatile.

I broke this down last night, So I could give the wife back the living room. It took me all of 2 mins. I have a total of 12 pieces and it won't be that hard to reassemble. I did see a few minor changes I would make to make it easier to put back together, put no biggie. For those who might have problems you could always label each joint, A - A, B - B, C - C, etc.

That's it - where's my drawing-board?

EDIT - I just realised I don't have a dog toy. Is it important to the design? Could I modify it to work with a cat toy instead?

Russ.

The dog toy is strictly optional. However it may be a useful tool in getting some clients attention. But I've found that the talking parrot is much more beneficial. Glad you folks like it. And thanks for the feedback.

[Swisstony10]

I was thinking that leaving the horizontal pieces unglued would enable them to be easily slipped out of the upright side-pieces so it'd go flat, but that still leaves us with two t-shaped side-pieces. Leaving the bottom piece that goes on the floor unlgued too would resolve that issue, leaving us with something that'll bundle up into a long thin package (perhaps a handmade bag with a drawstring around the top).

Of course, that would mean that there was the potential for the unglued joints to come apart if the whole thing was knocked by, say, a careless model or uncoordinator photographer. That could be got around by putting the frame together, and then drilling a small hole through the fitting and the tube, and then securing it with a split-pin or something, which you could hang from the joint in question with a piece of glued-on string or something.

Oh yeah, gotta love those solvent-weld fumes. It's the only reason I do my own plumbing. Well, that and the amount it costs to have someone else do it for me...

Russ.

[Samanax]

Although I haven't figured it all out yet, I wanted my backdrop stand to be portable and easy to store. I wasn't going to glue everything together but drill holes in selected fittings and use wingnuts and bolts to hold the assembly together when in use. Then simply undo the wingnuts and bolts and store the parts into a large carry bag.

[JoesPhotos]

I added another picture of what I have as the unglued pieces. 12 total. All the other fittings are glued. If you have any questions, please let me know.

FYI, you can click on any of those pictures and see a larger image inside Flickr.