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tight spot


deranged-angel

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As an aside, when I am lifting lanterns this way, I tend to use a loop in the end of the rope, passed under the lantern yoke, and back round the hook clamp. although it is a secure means of lifting, it still means that I need to take the weight of the lantern to unhook the lifting rope... Does anyone have any better/easier ideas?
Bowline round the yoke; with practise you can tie one in the same time it takes to go through the yoke and over the clamp.

 

An alternative would be to fix a clip to one end and clip it to the lantern or thread it through the yoke and clip it back to itself. Obviously you would have to be careful about not cross-loading it, to be honest I'd go with a bowline.

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The only problem with that tends to be that you can't always get the clamp over the bar before the knot attaching the carabiner hits it. Not a major problem as it's normally not difficult to give it that extra little shove but worth considering if you're using thick lines (and therefore longer knots). Of course you could splice a loop in the end but it's probably not worth it on anything other than three/four strand and even then they tend to walk the day after you spice them.
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Inside the Patt23 lens tube is a machined position to take a second lens Backwards to increase the beam width of the Patt23 to make it a Patt23W

From Strand Archive - "The standard lantern with a single lens gives beam angles up to 22 degrees. The shape and size of beam are varied by using one of the four standard diaphragms, a special mask, an adjustable type mask, or iris diaphragm. The beam angle may be increased to 37 degrees (but the intensity halved and the useful life of the colour medium noticeably reduced) by fitting an extra lens in the rear of the lens tube."

I have never tried to narrow a Patt23 but the assumption is if you put the back lens the other way around, it will narrow the beam.

 

With regards rigging, I pass my rope through the yoke and put the loop onto the hook clamp locking bolt, not over the hook clamp, making sure the locking bolt is threaded into the hook clamp. This allows you to raise the lantern with a rope over the bar so the hook clamp is above the bar. Then the hook clamp is pushed over the top of the bar so when the rope is lowered slightly, the hook clamp settles onto the bar without the person on the platform ladder having to take the weight of the lantern while they remove the rope.

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Question - if a student has trouble rigging off a ladder, maybe they should consider a different course? Bit like a swimmer being afraid of water, or a surgeon not liking blood! Wimps!

I've been doing this for years but I hate rigging of a Zarges. Its bouncing up and down, the truss is swinging forward and back. I'm definitely a Tallescope man.

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I have never tried to narrow a Patt23 but the assumption is if you put the back lens the other way around, it will narrow the beam.

Sorry - optics doesn't work like that! To convert a patt23 to a patt23 N requires a replacement flared lens tube with a 6inch lens. Although the mk II Patt 23 N was rather more complex.

 

David

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Get a Strand Cadenza 9/15 £50+VAT from used lighting. Is that tight enough?

And at 24kg it weighs over 3 times a normal S4 and over twice a S4 Jnr zoom. If they struggle with those they will brick it rigging a Cadenza.

Why do a theatre course then?
Trunker, even I wouldn't rig a Cadenza from a Zarges - those things weigh half as much as my fiancee!

I've rigged a few Cantata 11/26s (12.6kg) off Zarges, and that was bad enough.

 

Have you ever tried picking up 24kg one handed, then manoeuvring it accurately?

 

When we rig lanterns on a zarges, one of us goes up the ladder and the other one uses a rope to get the lanterns up to the height required. Therefore eliminating the need for carrying ANY lantern up a ladder, which is dangerous.

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Apart from the iris solution, you might find a 23N lens tube kicking around that someone doesn't want. They were always getting in the way in the theatres I worked in. I seem to remember that a "normal" 23 had a beam angle of 28 deg.

 

The Strand Prelude 16/30 has a fairly narrow beam and is an old(ish) model that kicks around in schools and small venues. It has it's own faults but you might be able to pick one up cheap.

 

From memory the tightest acclaim 500w are 15 - 32 degrees and they are ok.

 

HTH

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