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How to Build a Scrim Out of PVC Pipe

Often employed in photography, a scrim is a large rectangular device that holds a large piece of fabric used to diffuse and reduce the intensity of light. Typically costing hundreds of dollars, scrims can prove to be a costly piece of equipment for the struggling photographer. However, a portable, lightweight and effective scrim may be constructed from PVC pipe and various fabrics for a fraction of the cost and weight of an expensive, heavy counterpart.

Things You'll Need

Two 5-foot lengths of PVC pipe
Six 2-foot lengths of PVC pipe
Four 90-degree PVC elbow joints
2 PVC T joints
30 inches of elastic, about 1-½ inches wide
2 yards of white, ripstop nylon fabric
Sewing needle and thread
Scissors

Instructions

- 1
  Join two lengths of 2-foot sections of pipe to the T joints. Secure two of the PVC elbow joints to the ends of the sections. Do not use glue when connecting the PVC pipe as this will make the scrim easy to take apart and transport.
- 2
  Connect the 5-foot lengths to the elbow joints to form a large, rectangular frame with the T joints in the middle of the top and bottom of the frame. The joints should be positioned so the top joint points downward, along the length of the frame and the bottom joint points outward, away from the frame.
- 3
  Connect the remaining 2-foot lengths of pipe to the openings in the T joints. You should now have a 2-foot length of pipe extending downward from the top along the length of the frame, and a pipe extending outward at the bottom of the frame. The top pipe will serve to support the fabric of the scrim, while the bottom pipe will serve to help the scrim stand up.
- 4
  Cut the nylon fabric to fit the size of the frame and the 30-foot length of elastic into four equal sections.
- 5
  Sew the strips of elastic across the corners of the fabric at a diagonal. You may then slide the elastic over the corners of the scrim frame to secure the fabric to the scrim.

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