MTFCA Forum

I obtained two incomplete sets of screen sides a number of years ago, the only part missing was the handle for the doors and the rest of the wood.My intention was to restore a set, until....
I came across a storage bin in a warehouse that was being demolished and had the same screen. As rare as these are, I decided to reproduce a couple sets.

I started buy reproducing the hardware including the top corner braces.
I laid out the screen on a table and secured it in place with wooden blocks to hold it in place on the correct bias.
The screen wires must cross each other as they pass thru the holes in the frame. The clips also keep the frame from warping when the wires are crimped.

Nice work! That's really cool.
Rich

Wow!!! Nice save on the "wavy" cyclone material (which is becoming, if not unobtanium, Hardtofindium, in its own right) and REALLY cool on the repop sides.

I sure enjoy seeing the dedication some here have to saving/rebuilding stuff.

Thanks for sharing.

I look forward to seeing more. Please keep us posted on the build.

I remembering you telling me the story of how you acquired the screening from the warehouse that was about to be demolished while we were visiting at the Hershey the last time we were there. I hope to see your work on a TT express bed soon.

Rich C.

Dodge Brothers made a boatload of screenside delivery trucks. You may try and contact someone in the DB Club.

I Googled "Heavy duty screen tool crib enclosures" and found several sources of screen panels much like the ones you show in your photo at the top.

I know that many community college police departments have holding cells constructed of the same material. I know, I've seen them (from the outside, not the inside, honest).

They're not as hard to find as you think. The cost, on the other hand, is a very different story.

Good luck.

I was intrigued by Susanne's reference to "cyclone " mesh. I was under the impression that Cyclone was an Australian company, founded in 1914, which still produces many different wire based products. Can anyone shed light on Cyclone and a USA connection?

Allan from down under.

It was called Cyclone after the company in Michigan in the 1880's (at least here), it wouldn't surprise me if they opened a branch in Australia... IIRC the famous "rabbit proof fence" was made of Cyclone mesh. It's history is to me (who installed many, many rolls of the stuff) was fascinating - it came from England in the early Victorian era - where a weaver designed and built the machine to weave the wires together to make it's infamous design. To this day, it's still referred to by people who install the stuff (which I did my share of) as "fence fabric", tho it took some sleuthing to find out why...

It comes in a number of grades, and some of it is heavy enough to make suspended walkways from - I have photos of the construction of the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge that show such a walkway suspended between the tops of the towers... and it was later used as "Separation fence" to keep people out of the bridge's corporate yard for many decades thereafter (and it was both really heavy and really stout.)

It's really interesting to hear of the other uses of this screen as others have commented on. What is still puzzling to me is that big hole in one of the side panels,.....who or what, why and that was not easy to do.
Not much more progress to report as of this date.
Don

Haven't posted lately, but I have got 2 sides done and all the door frames done, wire fitted to all the doors and wire retainers drilled for install. Also trial fitting door latches.
Still looking for a detail pic of the door handle.

Finally finished securing the screens to the door frames and installed the rest of the door latch hardware. The fit up is complete, one set done, the second set is in work.

Nice ! Wish i had an express so i could order a set

Beautiful!!! I admire your perseverance. Those kinds of things are usually a lot more work than they look like. I'm sure others here will agree.
Truly Amazing!!!
Thanks for the update.
Rich

Had a closer look at the latching mechanism, that is an ingenious piece of work and realy well reproduced, great piece !