Cheapest palce for portable blinds? Make you own? - Page 1

Anyone have a source for really inexensive portable blinds?  I'd like to get a set of 6 and can't afford all of them based on some of the prices I've found.

Anyone ever try making them yourself?  How'd it turn out?  Care to share what you found that worked?

Thanks,

-Calvin

I made some blinds about 4 years ago now, from blue tarp and pvc piping. if your good at looking for bargains, you can make a blind for $10-20 Canadian. better then cloth, super light, never get soaked, strong in the wind....
maybe i can get a pic.
basically its 3 long pvc pipes... i think they are about 7 feet long. i don't know what size, maybe 3/4 inch.... drill holes into the tops, used metal wire to connect the tops... i would do something different next time around. used elbow joints on the bottom, drilled holes into them and put stakes into bottoms. used zap straps to secure the tarp to the pvc.
not very good instructions but those are all your materials... its not very hard to do... i have next to nothing handyman skills

made them just to last for little while... used roughly once a week for past 4 years so i couldn't be happier

Dan Juros
www.hausjuros.com

My husband made 2 of his own with some help from me.

We bought a very thick weave cloth - almost canvas-like. Just kept prowling the fabric stores and the surplus stores until we found something suitable.  Make sure it's not too thick for your sewing machine and remember, you'll be sewing through multiple layers when you double it over to make the "tube" edges for the pipe to slip in.

 We really didn't  make a "pattern".   First I sewed all the pieces around the edges so there would be no fraying. Then we basically just laid it out on the floor and winged it.  We just pieced together a tall triangle, then sewed each edge (height-wise) to accomodate the pipe.  We thought about using pvc at first, but after a couple of experiments, we decided it was too bend-y  without using a much larger diameter than we wanted to.


We had three pieces of pipe with about 10 inches of one end beaten  flat and a hole drilled through all three so we can put a bolt in to hold them together at the top. We used the spikes off  some old outdoor solar lamps to put in the bottom of the pipes for sticking in the ground.  Slipped the pipes into blinds at each side, then just used the third (center) pole on the inside to hold out the back.  The second one we made went MUCH faster and easier since we now had the 1st one to use as a pattern.


I'll take some pictures and measurements of them if anyone wants to try.  I think Steve figured it cost us about 40 bucks each to make them, (not counting our time, just cash outlay).

I'd love to see your design.

I'll take the measurements and a picture as soon as I can (ie; as soon as I remember!) LOL

85.00 bucks each if you add in the S&H.   Besides, they are kinda weird-lookin' blinds.


www.pacngorec.com/products/protection_sports/pacngorec_products_21013.htm