My recent experimentation with pearl flakes in a clear coat has resulted in two basic methods of application. There have been two basic types of users in the back of my mind while performing these trials. The first are those looking for good ambient light performance and the lumens to blast a gray screen. The other group are the folks here with lower lumen DIY projectors.

Before I get too far into this I want make sure I actually understand the difference betweeen my Optoma HD72 and these low lumen DIY projectors. The HD72 is advertised as a 1300 lumen projector. The review at Projector Central indicates the HD72 is actually about 350 to 400 lumens when optimized for video viewing. So is my HD72 brighter than your DIY projectors in reality?

I am currently preparing several sample panels with varying shades of gray base layers. It is fairly easy to decide that the darker sample panels should get the best pearl clear coat application regardless of easy of application or cost. Its the lighter shades of gray and white I am not sure which pearl clear coat to try.

It just occurred to me that I should describe the two different applications and provide some demonstration screen shots to show the difference if any.

The simplest applications is two coats of Behr Matte Polyurethane #780 with one 2oz. bottle of Folkart Pearlizing Medium added to it. The pearlizing medium in this low a concentration does not appear to introduce too much surface sheen but does produce a noticeable boost in gain.

The more complex approach is to apply 3 coats of a mixture of a Quart of Behr Faux Glaze + 1/2 Quart Behr Matte Polyurethane + two 2oz. bottles of Folkart Pearlizing Medium. This is ten top coated with one coat of Behr matte poly to ensure there is no unwanted surface sheen. It is expected this will produce slightly higher gain and be less likely to hot spot. It is of course a bit more expensive and requires more work.

I have been assuming that most LumenLab folks would be inclinded to stick with white or very light gray screens. Is that a reasonable assumption?

I'm not sure why but I keep thinking they would also be more inclined to use the first application method. I think I have been assuming that due to the fact that a lower lumen pj is less likely to hot spot and therefore why go to the trouble of the 4 layer application. Is this assumption wrong? Would the LumenLab folks be just as likely to want to go for the 4 layer approach to achieve the best results?

Click to view attachment
Hi Tiddler!
I think you take one quorte behr to 2 oz pearl? I think jotun pearl could be the same as folkart pearl medium.
in the picture you have silvermetalic at left, OH screen in the middle and pearl at right. This projector has only a 150 W MH lamp and a 15" samsung LCD screen.
Pelle

Click to view attachment
And of course an sidewiew.
Pelle

I went through my collection of sample panels looking for an example of the two application methods, so that I could take some screen shots to post here. I don't know if my memory is going or if being fully cured has made a difference but . . . the best looking sample was a simple application of 2 coats of 1 Quart Matte Poly + one 2oz. bottle of Folkart Pearlizing Medium, applied over a neutral gray base.

So my dilemma has solved itself. I will apply the same 2 coats of 1 Quart Matte Poly + 1 2oz. bottle of Folkart Pearlizing Medium, over a range of bases from white to a much darker than usual neutral gray. I will return and post my findings relevant to use with lower lumen projectors but the complete account of these trials will be posted in the Pearl Clear Coat Trials thread.

I am still curious to know how the EVO brightness compares to commercial projectors. If anyone has a measure of the video optimized lumens for the EVO?

I've heard it mentioned that it is about 100-150 lm, close to a standard DIY.

OK, So based on that I will assume the interest here will be centered around white or very light gray base coats with a pearl a clear coat.

Quick Update:

I finished preparing three sample panels that I hope will be of interest to the low lumen crowd. They are all painted with Behr UPW Flat Latex #1050. One is not tinted (white) and the other two are tinted as follows:

Quart Tints:

0 3 0 Lamp Black
0 1 0 Yellow Oxide

0 1 1 Lamp Black
0 0 1 Yellow Oxide

I also have a reference white panel painted with Behr UPW #1050. I top coated one side with Behr Matte Polyurethane.

I only had time to put up the reference panel (matte white | white + ply) and the white panel with the Pearl Clear Coat. Being a long weekend I had many tasks to perform as per directions from "She who must be obied".


This curve indicates the gain of Behr UPW #1050 compared to the Da-Lite "Damatte" white screen material. Note the gain boost from the two coats of poly over the UPW.

I could see that the poly increased the gain of the matte white and the pearl clear coated white was quite bright compared to them. At about 45 degrees off axis the gains appeared to be similar from there on out. This means the pearl clear coat made a good gain boost. That in itself may be good news for the lumen challenged.

If a matte white screen provides adequate brightness for the DIY projector then this increased gain might allow a light gray base to be used in conjunction with a pearl clear coat. The net result being a DIY screen with adequate brightness while having a degree of ambient light tolerance.

I will try to get some comparison screen shots posted in the next couple of days.

Disclaimer: I know some unsubstantiated claims were made in the past regarding the suitability of various DIY screen paints for the low lumen DIY projectors. I am making no such claims. I am only trying to perform some basic experimenting and present findings that may be beneficial. I am doing so with the assumption that increasing the gain of a matte white paint or allowing the use of a very light gray would be helpful.

Here is the only useful photo I took the other day:



There are three sections to consider here, with my own gray screen on either side. The left most sample section is just Behr UPW #1050. Next to it is the same panel of Behr UPW #1050 but I had applied a coat of Behr Matte Polyurethane #780 over that half. The larger sample panel is Behr UPW #1050 with a Pearl Clear Coat.

It should be apparent that the pearl clear coat has significantly boosted the gain. The Pearl Clear coat sonsists of 1 quart of Behr Clear Matte Polyurethane #780 with one 2oz. bottle of Folkart Pearlizing medium mixed into it. It can be applied over any base material. For example if you have a Blackout Cloth screen you could apply a couple of coats of this Pearl Clear Coat to increase the gain.

If anyone is interested and wants more details about application just let me know.

As always I would suggest anyone wanting to try something new like this, do so on a sample first. That way you can actually compare it to your current screen and also it provides an opportunity to practice the application techniques.

Very good Tiddler. Now I know I was on right way with my own experiment.
Pelle

Here are some more screen shots of the white reference panel and a white panel with the Pearl Clear Coat:

Here are the black and white bars:

Click Images To Enlarge.

Naturally all the white samples are brighter than my gray screen. The poly top coat brightens the white a little and would provide a good protective coating. The pearl clear coat makes a big difference in brightness. I really can't say how this would compare to the brilliant white screens being sold here. I'm not sure it is reasonable to make that comparison with a DIY painted solution.

A few more screen shots from the greatest space odyssey movie ever made. This is the white panel again with a pearl clear coat.

Baraberella?

Correct! Only because it provides plenty of flesh tone shots. Many people judge a screens performance by how well it reproduces flesh tones.

Now lets try adding just a touch of gray to the base coat.

================
Quart Custom Tint
Behr UPW #1050
0 1 1 Lamp Black
0 0 1 Yellow Oxide
================

In these black bar shots you can just see that the very light gray has darker black even with lights off (my walls and ceiling are white). Off axis, the very light gray sample looks like a light matte gray.


Now what happens when we introduce some low ambient light?

Notice the white reference sample panel washes out easily while the very light gray still maintains reasonable black levels.

Here are a few more screen shots from Barbarella. These were taken with some low ambient light present.


These screen shots were taken with some ambient light present. My general impression was that the very light gray with Pearl Clear Coat performed similar to the matte white but with much deeper blacks. This of course in only true with about a 30 degree cone. The drop off is gentle and levels out to perform like a very light gray matte surface.

I moved the reference panel behind the very light gray panel to compare the matte white directly to the very light gray with pearl clear coat. The pearl clear coated sample is actually slightly brighter than the matte white.


This shows that if some minimal amount of ambient light tolereance is required then you don't need to add a lot of gray to achieve noticeable improvements.

For the very low lumen DIY projectors the best approach would be to create a dark room by blocking any ambient light sources as well as painting the walls and ceiling as dark a color as you can tolerate. Darke carpeting, furnishings, and draperies will also help. Then go with the matte white with a Pearl Clear Coat.

If you must have some ambient light tolerance due to light room surfaces or lighting requirements (wifey wants to read while you watch Barbarella), then just a little gray can go a long way. Here are three tints to chose from:

Very Light Gray Tints:

================
Quart Custom Tint
Behr UPW #1050
0 1 0 Lamp Black
0 0 1 Yellow Oxide
================

================
Quart Custom Tint
Behr UPW #1050
0 1 1 Lamp Black
0 0 1 Yellow Oxide
================

================
Quart Custom Tint
Behr UPW #1050
0 2 0 Lamp Black
0 1 0 Yellow Oxide
================

For a gallon just multiply the above formulas by 4.

I only recommend the Behr Flat Latex #1050 for a base layer that will be top coated with Behr Matte Polyurethane #780 or a Pearl Clear Coat.

If you want to keep things simple and only use a one can solution then I would recommend you use the Behr Flat Enamel #1850. A very good quality Behr paint is the new Behr Premium ULTRA Flat Exterior #4850. This is a self priming paint that levels out to a very smooth durable matte surface. Both the 1850 and 4850 have a slight sheen that results in a brighter image compared to the flat latex 1050.

Any of the Behr paints (1050, 1850, 4850) can be top coated with Behr Matte Polyurethane #780 to add a little brightness boost and a protective coating, or Pearl Clear Coated to give a more significant gain boost as well as a protective coating..

Preparation & Application of the Pearl Clear Coat

In a separate container combine one quart of Behr Matte Polyurethane #780 and one 2oz. bottle of Folkart Pearlizing Medium. The Folkart Pearlizing Medium can be found in the craft paint section of Wal-Mart or Michaels Arts & Crafts. I have found a 1 or 2 oz. syringe with a catheter tip is very helpful. You can get one of these from a veterinary office. The pearlizing medium is very thick. Squeeze as much out of the bottle as you can. Fill the bottle half way with poly using the syringe. Put the lid back on and shake. Pour out the poly and repeat until you see that all the pearl has been rinsed out of the bottle. Be sure to mix the poly well before dumping it into the container for mixing. The flattening ingredients in the poly settles to the bottom of the can. You want to be sure you mix the flattening agents into the poly before mixing it with the pearl. Mix the poly + pearl very thoroughly using a drill attachment. Be sure to stir the pearl clear coat every time you go to use it.

To apply the white or gray base coat refer to the Basic Roller Painting Instructions. The following clip is included in the instructions.


[list=1]

The application of the Pearl Clear Coat is similar with a simple addition of down rolling. This final uni-direction rolling causes all the pearl flakes to be aligned the same way. This is demonstrated in these video clips:





NOTE: In the video I made one minor error when down rolling. Notice the end of the roller the handle is attached to. The pressure on the handle end is actually slightly higher than the free end of the roller. I should have been rolling with the roller flipped over so the free end was the last part of the roller to down roll the screen. I was also not getting enough polyurethane on the screen and ended up redoing the base coat and top coat to fix the streaks. So remember load as much Pearl Clear coat on the roller as it will hold. Always trail with the free end of the roller when down rolling.

Well that's all I have to offer to the low lumen crowd. I hope it is of some use to those who can get these paint products. For those in other countries the basic concept is applicable to use with products you can find locally. Any pure white base paint can be tinted to near neutral with a ratio of 2:1 or 3:1 of Black tint to Yellow tint. For very highly pigmented bases I recommend the 2:1 ratio. For primers and lower pigmented bases I would go with the 3:1 ratio. Some companies have different names for these tint pigments. The black should be fairly easy to identify. The Yellow Oxide is a dirty yellow color like regular mustard.

I was just wondering if the previously described "Neutral Gray Base Coat \ Pearl Clear Coat" DIY screen paint solution was of any interest to the folks here?

Or am I

? ? ? ? ? ?

Hi Tiddler!
I will try to paint a new screen based at your description in neutral grey and see if could get better black.
regards
Pelle

[quote name='tiddler' date='Aug 15 2007, 09:16 PM' post='247198']
I was just wondering if the previously described "Neutral Gray Base Coat \ Pearl Clear Coat" DIY screen paint solution was of any interest to the folks here?

Or am I

? ? ? ? ? ?
[/quote]

Definitely of interest - I have the EVO 1 in my basement. screen is 10 across [little if no ambient light]. We put melamine board up on the wall. It worked freat except for the hot spottin. So I painted it with Behr flat UPW. Not bad but after reading the forums decided to go over it with the "light gray" mix that is listed here. I wanted to go over it with Polyurethane flat, but HD doesn't carry it. I think the Pearl mix looks best, so if I can ever find a quart. I will do it.

Thanks for all your hard work and time.

Nevadarn

Hi nevadarn,

It is very typical for Home Depot staff to indicate they don't sell the Behr Matte Polyurethane #780. It is not located with the other polyurethane products. Next time ask to see the Behr Faux Finishes products like Faux Glaze, Silver Metallic, and White Opal Pearlescent. That is where the Behr polyurethane is shelved. Look for this can:



You could have just top coated the melamine with the Behr Matte Polyurethane #780 to tame that hot spotting.

Something else you guys might want to consider is the Wilsonart "Designer White" laminate material. It a bit more expensive but almost indestructible and produces an excellent image without hot spotting. Just an option for those looking at non painted solutions.

Thanks Tiddler

I think they try to help at HD, but they are so inexperienced at first- then they learn and move on!

I won't have time to work on it this week, work all week then head out on vacatio. But soon, very soon.

I have tried to take some pictures - we really enjoy watching movies [have OTA TV in a rural area so no TV watching]

Thanks again for all that you have done!

nevadarn

I've been following this thread for awhile now, and am amazed at the results you are getting with your behr poly and pearl medium. two nights ago, i bought the supplies, mixed them, and applied three coats of the mixture to a piece of tileboard. I am very disapointed with the resluts. I was previously projecting onto a wall that had just white primer on it, and have to say the picture on my new "screen" is not brighter at all. what could i possibly be doing wrong?

What did you mix together and what did you apply it over?

i mixed one quart of the behr matt poly with a 2 oz tube of a decoart pearl medium, then rolled it with a 1/4 in nap roller onto white tileboard from HD. when i get close to it, i can see the peal shimmer.. but they appear to be spaced out so far that they do very little to boost gain. I should also mention that i built my projector from the help of this site, so its pretty low lumen, but its in a room that has completely controlled lighting at any time of day.

First of all the Decoart Pearlizing Medium did not do very well compared to the Folkart Pearlizing Medium and is NOT recommended for use in the Pearl Clear Coat. I only recommend the Folkart Pearlizing Medium. You must stir the polyurethane well to get all the goop off the bottom of the can. You must also rinse all the pearl flkes out of the bottle using the polyurethane. Finally I would have primed the tile board just the same as the wall.

How did the tile board alone compare to the white primed wall?

So the main thing is to use the "FOLKART" Pearlizing Medium. If you are going with a white base and cannot find the Folkart Pearlizing Medium then I would only suggest two 2oz. bottles of Folkart Metallic White Pearl as a substitute for the one bottle of Folkart Pearlzing Medium. You can use the Folkart Metallic White Pearl version of the clear coat over a light gray base but it will lighten the overall gray due to the white pigment in the Folkart Metallic White Pearl.

At this point I would apply two coats of primer over the tile board. Then get another quart of Behr Matte poly #780 and a bottle of Folkart Pearlizing Medium. I found the Folkart PearlizingMedium at Wal-Mart. At the local Michaels they only had the Decoart Pearlizing Medium.

I'm not sure how you ended up trying the Decoart Pearlizing Medium but I'm sorry you had to learn the hard way there is a difference between the two products.

the tileboard looked the same as the primed white wall, except shinier, with hotspotting. You would think that a "pearl medium" is a pearl medium is a pearl medium, no matter who made it. Now i'm out $20 i guess. oh well. Thank you for your thoughts tiddler. I will see if i can find some folkart medium at my wal mart, and if not, i guess ill have to order it offline. I will get back after completion and let u know how my results were. Thanks again!

Tiddler which of the whites is best to use as i am now ready to do my screen i am currently using a flat white on 1/4 inch finished plywood have gotten the #780 poly and the pearlizing medium should i also use the behr 1050 or the 1850 or the 4850 i don't no and now i'm stumped!!I would like to get the best gain as i can.

Just wondering I painted my projection wall with flat white... The colors are good but I noticed while painting the flat white on the wall , as the flat white was starting to dry ( still a litte wet looking my picture was real nice and bright but as the flat white dried the picture became really blah looking... Wonder how you could simulate a wet effect on flat white surface I think this would work....

I would use the UPW #1050. It is the flattest and therefore easiest to apply. If you were not sure you would clear coat or you needed to prime then the 4850 is a good choice since it is more durable and self priming. The 1850 is the best choice for those who do not think they want to bother with a clear coat.

The best way I know of is to either apply a simple clear coat of matte polyurethane (Behr Matte Poly #780) or apply a Pearl Clear Coat as described earlier in this thread.

Another more simple alternative is to use a different finish. I have only experimented with the Behr products and so if you are using a different product then try the next to flat sheen. Some companies refer to this as low luster.

Just a clear matte polyurethane has a wetting effect without excessive sheen, so you get a brighter picture without hot spotting. The pearl flakes add a bit more gain and also some optical texture that prevents hot spotting.

Thanks tiddler i will use a coat of the UPW # 1050 then mix the poly #780 with the pearlizing medium and apply and see how much of a gain this really does give .I will report back to you with my results.Once again thanks!

Here are some screen shots to compare:

There are two sample panels in front of my gray screen. The left panel is UPW #1050. The right half of that panel has a matte poly top coat. The entire right panel is UPW #1050 with two applications of the Pearl Clear Coat.



more to come . . .

Some screen shots from Barbarella:



It should be pretty obvious that the pearl clear coat really improves the brightness of the image.

Tiddler i just finished painting the white # 1050 onto the screen and now i wait for it to dry then tomorrow i start the pearl coat.So far it looks great.MIX MIX MIX!!!

Remember to rinse all the pearl out of the bottle with some polyurethane. The poly is very thin and will run out of the bottle well. Then be sure to stir the polyurethane in the can very well. If there is some thick residue in the can when you dump the poly into the mixing container then you did not stir it well enough. Put some poly back in the can and stir it some more. the thick stuff in the bottom of the can is what makes the polyurethane matte. You don't want a shinny surface or you will get hot spotting.

Be sure to take another look at post #16 if you are getting bored waiting for tomorrow.

Tiddler!IT"S AWESOME!!!! The picture has brightened up alot the colors have have become more vibrant the image is also alot sharper (crisp) this is what all diy builders in my current setup need!!!MANY THANKS!!Will post some screen shots as soon as i can,This pearl coat is a must have!!!!Once again many thanks goes out to ya !!

I'm glad to hear it has worked out for you! I'll be looking forward to some screen shots. Don't forget to include a couple of shots of your projector and the room.

I only hope "ksonny1014" is able to reproduce your results.

The over all time that has been spent into the pearl coat was definetly well worth it,i made sure that the drying time between the flat white and the first pearl coat was 24 hrs and the pearl coat itself was 24 hrs drying time so lots of drying time,the projected image is about 2x brighter now,now to just get rid of the screen door effect and the image will be incredible.ONCE AGAIN MANY THANKS GOES OUT TO YA TIDDLER !!!

Its good to hear that somebody else got amazing results! My local wal-mart didn't have the folkart pearl medium, so I ordered it from the net, should be here mid week, and then i'll post my gratitude tiddler!

Please post no matter what results you get, good or bad. If it does not work out, then we need to figure out why. If my instructions are not clear enough or the solution is failing in some other way for some people, then I want to know about it.

My only concern is that expectations are realistic. I'm am not suggesting Plasma TV like performance but it should be quite a bit better than a simple matte white surface.

Looks like you have a good thing with the paint. No so much on Hanoi Jane...

I know this may sound strange but I did not know about that Hanoi Jane stuff.

All I really knew about Jane was that movie and some fitness videos.

I guess I'll have to go and Google Hanoi Jane now.

Well I guess being good to look at does not always mean much. On the other hand it is a testament to the freedom that democracy affords American citizens that someone has the ability to express their opinion however stupid and naive it may be. It would have been one thing to appose the senseless sacrifice of so many young Americans but it is quite another to be seen as sympathizing with the people trying to kill them. She definitely crossed the line as far as I am concerned. While I agree the world would be a nice place without war it is not so simple as to just stop it. As I get older I am less sure about what is right and wrong about the conflicts we are involved in around the world and only find myself lamenting the loss of so many good young men and women.

Mind you a hot body in a black lace body stocking is always a good thing.

I heard Jane Fonda say she regretted he actions during the war, not sure about it but I know she did become a Christian and tried to get her lousy husband to convert, he wouldn't do it so she divorced him.

Well, enough of the history lesson I was reading some of the posts over on AV Forum and read about the millions of combinations of paint (Mississippi Mud, Silver Screen, etc) it became so confusing I just was overwhelmed about what I should use.
I have a blackout cloth attached to a frame for my screen but I haven’t finished yet. I am using a good LCD (Dell 1707) with 400w lamp...so my blacks are BLACK so I don't think I would need the gray, but what do you think?
I am projecting on a bedroom wall right now (it's kinda cream colored, not white) it is very watch able but I think a whiter screen would be better.
What do you recommend for my blackout cloth screen? Will it loosen up my screen when I paint it?
I have a Home Depot nearby but also a Michaels, is the paint available at these stores (that you might be aware of?
Sorry for all the questions, I love the results!

I can't find any information on your projector.

What finish is your wall paint?

What did you have in mind for painting? Just a matte neutral gray or were you considering the pearl clear coat also?

The paint usually shrinks and tightens up the cloth.

Opps, sorry.. should have mentioned my projector is a DIY.. I built it using a 17" Dell LCD (with pretty good specs).

The finish on my wall is simply cheap-o semi-gloss wall paint (the kind with the 'knocked-down' finish). I was mentioning the wall as I wanted to mention that for a diy it was pretty bright.
I am going to use the screen I am building (with the blackout cloth) but I didn't know if I could use a soft roller to put the metal-flake down with or I would have to spray?
I wanted the pearl as I would like some gain and it soulds like your mix is what I am looking for.
Should I use some kind of primer on the cloth or is the white background okay?
Is it nessasary to use gray?
Thanks again,
Phil

I actually painted my retractable screen while it was hanging. I weighted the bottom to hold it in place. I see no reason why you could not paint a stretched BOC screen.




The main reason for a gray screen is to improve ambient light performance as demonstrate din the following two photos. Left photo is darkened room, Right is with some ambient light present.


[ . Flat White . | . Flat Gray . ]

I have not applied the Pearl Clear Coat directly to a BOC surface. However the Behr Matte Polyurethane does adhere quite well and the BOC is a matte white material. I would want to make sure it is free of any greasy oil residue though. In my case I cleaned my screen really well with window cleaner. I see no reason you could not apply it directly to the BOC. It will have the same gain boosting effect and will produce a very smooth surface. The Behr poly levels out better than anything I ave used. It quite amazing actually.

If you did want to paint the BOC either to make it gray or just to be sure it is a good known white, then I would recommend using the new Behr ULTRA Exterior UPW Flat #4850. It is a self priming paint that spreads and levels very well. I wish I had known about it when I painted my own screen. Exterior paints are also more flexible to take expansion and contraction so I think it is a better choice for a fabric paint.

If you look back at Post #14 you will also see there is quite a difference in the blacks when some ambient light is present. That gray panel is a very light gray, only 1.5 drops of Lamp Black in a quart of UPW. It is a trade off to add gray to the base because it does reduce the gain. It's a personal call if you have a light colored room or if you will want some ambient light on when using the screen.

Personally I think a little gray is good unless you have a dark colored room and no ambient light all the time. Another consideration, that is particularly relevant here on LumenLab, is a need for every drop of gain you can get to produce a good image from a low lumen projector.

In the following screen shots I demonstrated that a gray base using the following tint . . . .

===============
Quart Custom Tint
Behr UPW #1050, #1850, #4850
0 3 0 Lamp Black
0 1 0 Yellow Oxide
===============

. . . . and two coats of the pearl clear coat, was as bright as the un-tinted UPW #1050 with a simple polyurethane top coat. The big difference is how much deeper the blacks look with ambient light present.

[ . Tinted & Pearl . ] [ . UPW #1050 . | . UPW+Poly . ]

Click image to enlarge.


In the images you can see that the blacks are deeper on the gray + Pearl panel, while te whites are still quite bright.

So specific suggestion to Mr. Wolff would be to put together your stretched BOC screen and hold off on adding a border. Try it like that as a reference matte white. From there if you would like to get deeper blacks in the presence of ambient light then consider a light gray base (EasyFlex-03) with the Pearl clear coat. If you are satisfied with the blacks but want more gain then just apply the pearl clear coat. Then the compromise is to go with a very light gray (EasyFlex-1.5) and the pearl clear coat.

Take it one step at a time zeroing in on what works best for you, and your setup.

Thanks a lot for these suggestions, Tiddler!
I am going to try it with the light gray and Pearl, I have a section of the BOC that I may try doing all three you suggested on the scrap so I can try it before I do the large screen.
I'll get the mix tomorrow and keep you informed.
Thanks again!

Tiddler!! Here is my newest screen shot hooked to my new computer.This computer was almost $5000.00 images now look impressive,and when my new bulb arrives it is in transit it should look awesome .Thanks for your help!!

ok, so i'm still not satisfied.... I ordered the Folkart pearlizing medium and it came in the mail today so i went to HD and got another quart of the behr matt poly, and a quart of behr UPW flat enammel. I applied 2 coats of the UPW, and put the frist coat of the pearl mixture on. the first coat is dried and so i fired up the PJ. no different still. I'm going to let it sit, and apply another coat in the morning. hopefully i'll be able to see the noticable difference in gain like u guys did after coat 2 or 3 or even 4 if it takes that much. i should let you know that when making the pearl mixture, i DID pour a little of the poly into the close to empty bottle of pearl medium, then i shook it up and dumped it into the quart of poly/pearl medium. I used the "squirrel" attachment for a power drill to make sure that i mixed the stuff really well. like i said.. hopefully tomorrow i can see the results you guys are seeing. otherwise it looks like i'm going to purchase high power screen..