I’m building a DIY screenprint press, and need to figure out a support for the screen. Basically what I need is something like this, except one that holds when it’s compressed instead of extended. It doesn’t necessarily have to be pneumatic in its functioning, but that’s the idea. I’m sure something that functions like this exists, I just have no idea what to look for.
Help?
Sounds like you need something that pulls the “door” closed and holds it there? Would something like a storm-door closer work? There are also spring-loaded door-closing hinges.
Yeah, basically. The one difference is that it needs to stay in the “open” position without retracting, so something like a storm-door pull won’t quite work. So I need to be able to lift the screen up and have it stay, but when I pull it down it needs to stay there too. Tricky, I know.
Does it need to exert force when closed, or just stay closed?
If the latter, it sounds to me like you could hooks and eyes, one set of hooks to hold the screen open and one set to hold it closed, both using the same eyes on either side of the screen.
What you need is a hinge that swings over center with a set of standard pneumatic “shocks”
Look at several hatch back hatches and trunk lids. You will see what I mean. Open to a certain point and it self opens. Close it past that point and it self closes.
Gravity can do the job to keep the screen “open,” in the down position, as long as the support lifts aren’t trying to lift it back up. I’ve thought about a hook and eye setup, but I’m hoping to find something that doesn’t require an extra hand to fasten, but instead works with just one hand, like the image in my OP.
That sounds pretty much like what I need. Any idea what the terms are that I’d need to search for something like this?
A Toy Box Hinge or Lid Support is designed to keep the door where you put it, but that’s not going to do any moving or exert any force for you.
Perhaps the simplest and easiest to find device for holding the lid shut is a screen door catch of this type. It needs to be mounted on a surface parallel to and adjacent to the lid, which could be a small block of wood attached to the side of the box/cabinet in your sample illustration. The same type device could also hold the lid open if it opens against a suitable mounting surface.
ETA: Cheap ($4-8 at any hardware store), works easily with one hand, should hold nicely if the lid isn’t terribly heavy. And it works on the over-center spring principle that Rick mentioned.
