Safeties on Booms

[rochem]

In another thread, Derek brought up an interesting point about safety cable use on a vertical hanging position.

Originally Posted by derekleffew

Edit: Slightly controversial hi-jack. Make sure to safety your fixtures to the permanent structure, not to the hanging device. The controversy comes when discussing whether it's acceptable to safety all the fixtures together, or must each be "home run" to the fixed mounting position?

So, what does everyone think?

[techieman33]

We usually use 2 side arms per boom to saftey too, one for each pair of upper lights, and don't saftey the bottom 2 lights at all.

[icewolf08]

None of the above, once again a poll without a good choice for answers. I have found that the most convenient way to safety lights on a vertical position is to use the c-clamp that you removed from the fixture to put on the t-bolt for the sidearm. Take that C-clamp and put it on the boom above the fixture and safety to that. Now you have a safety point and you don't loose (or have to store) your c-clamps.

[Sean]

Originally Posted by icewolf08

None of the above, once again a poll without a good choice for answers. I have found that the most convenient way to safety lights on a vertical position is to use the c-clamp that you removed from the fixture to put on the t-bolt for the sidearm. Take that C-clamp and put it on the boom above the fixture and safety to that. Now you have a safety point and you don't loose (or have to store) your c-clamps.

Though I can see why you'd do that, I think it's just a waste of time. Wrap the safety around the boom above the sidearm. The light will only fall as far as the next unit on the boom. Now, I could see your method being worthwhile if there were only one unit up high, etc. But on a full boom, safeties wraped around the boom work fine for me.

--Sean

[Footer]

If I am doing a tail down off of an electric I will drop a point of the electric to safety to. On standard head/mid/shins I wrap up the cables to each other and call it a day.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Clifford]

If it's something longer than a sidearm, like the vertical pipes our theatre has in the box booms, I put a cheeseburger on the pipe and safety to that. This is especially helpful because in this situation because there is no permanent horizontal member or point to safety to.

[genericcomment]

Can someone explain what a cheeseburger is, and no not the type my stomach is growling for right now.

[rochem]

Originally Posted by genericcomment

Can someone explain what a cheeseburger is, and no not the type my stomach is growling for right now.

See the glossary entry for a Cheeseborough. Cheeseburger is just an affectionate name for them. Used to connect two pipes together at an angle, usually 90 degrees, but there are also swivel clamps if you need a different angle.