Conventional Fixtures - Best Seat, lamp insertion tool

[derekleffew]

I recently received one of these: Best Seat Lamp Insertion Tool, for HPL Lamps. Does anyone else use one?

Some thoughts:
It performs as intended, but it's one of those things that I'm sure will be nowhere near me when I need it, and my shirt-tail is always close by.

It's larger than I expected: 1 3/8" in diameter and 3" long.

I can see its usefulness particularly with new sockets, as those can be a bear in which to seat the HPL lamp properly/fully.

I wish it also worked with the FEL/GLA family of lamps.



Does anyone else have any thoughts he/she would like to share?

[SteveB]

I keep 2 in the theater and like them. One is in the drawer with the emergency supply of lamps, the other is in the laptop bag that the crew takes out to FOH with color and radios.

And you're right that I wished they made one for GLC/FEL type lamp and had a converstion with Production Advantage (where I got mine) about this. They too would like to have marketed a model for GLC/FEL but found no good solution.

SB

[ship]

My new S-4 fixture lamp insertion tool was a 12" piece of 1" Sch. 40 pipe and rubber mallet. This plus lamps - if not sacrificial aluminum heat sink lamps in getting that first seat into especially the S-4 PAR, but the aluminum base ones work better for this initial seating purpose. Following that first install, less a problem except for them bases that allowed the lamp to fall out of in say mis-cast or warping sufficient to not hold the lamp. Would really like a re-design for these sockets, if not better quality control but again water under the bridge.

The PA version looks like a better option, though it should not be necessary - long standing fight with ETC in quality control say 1:10 needing to pound the lamp home and at times with new or later, the lamps simply falling out without a good seat..

On the TP-22 bases, I created some HPL lamp popper pry bars for tight lamps over the years, wouldn’t work with other lamps, thinking some form of pliers needed for a TP-22. Some work fine, some on removing are harder than heck. On inserting, I don’t think that’s as much a problem though it can be a bit more painful them rough upper edges of a metal lamp base. Still, for them less a problem in getting them in for the most part as getting them out for me at least.

The PA tool I think a good thing. Though I also think in a perfect world.... were the ETC fixture having good quality control, also something totally not needed. Wonder what ETC thinks in standpoint about such a tool’s invention. Either they have a problem at times in inserting lamps which is a quality control issue, or this thing invented is totally useless and not needed. Thus don’t exist for need. One or the other don’t reflect well for their PR people in avoiding the issue over the years instead of fixing a fix to it.

[ScaredOfHeightsLD]

I have one in my toolbox and, while it is a much easier method than the shirt tail, I have found it impractical because it's never close by. I can't justify keeping it on my belt, because I don't use it enough. I think it is something I would rather see the theatres I work in buy and keep with their spare lamps, so when you go to grab a lamp, you grab this too.

[ruinexplorer]

I don't have one, couldn't justify the purchase (most of what I change are projector lamps).

Wait a sec, don't you guys have a tool bag with you when you're out dealing with the rig? If not, how far do you have to go to get your tools when something goes wrong?

I could definitely see keeping one or two with lamp storage. If you have to go get a lamp, it's just as easy to grab the tool to go along with. The tricky part is getting people to put it back when they're done.

[David Ashton]

[QUOTE=derekleffew;115561]I recently received one of these: Best Seat Lamp Insertion Tool, for HPL Lamps. Does anyone else use one?

Some thoughts:
It performs as intended, but it's one of those things that I'm sure will be nowhere near me when I need it, and my shirt-tail is always close by.

Could I suggest that the use of your shirt tails, which soaks up sweat, oil and other body fluids is not the wisest choice as a method to hold your lamps?

[Schraff]

Glad to hear folks like the tool. We developed it in response to the ETC manufacturing change mentioned earlier in the thread. We tried to come up with a decent solution for FELs, GLCs, and so forth, but the best we came up with was an additional kit of fiber washers that were close to the diameter of the lamp's envelope. When we field tested them we found that they got lost too easily. The cost for putting together the additional washers was also a bit more than our beta testers said they'd be willing to pay so we dropped the idea.

Schraff

[Sony]

I don't use anything, I've gotten really good at not touching the crystal when installing HPL's. I use my thumbs on each side of the ceramic base and even pressure to push the lamp into the base. If it is being particularly troublesome then I will grab some papertowels and use more pressure, wiping off the lamp afterwards with an alcohol swab.

[1kfresnel]

In the lamps that come in packing foam, rather than suspended in a cardboard structure, I prefer that foam as my lamping aid -- compared to gloves, shirt tails, etc it hasn't been everywhere. We do keep a few slices of foam on the lamp shelf for those boxes that don't have them...but the sound guys love to use it for padding mics and the supply diminishes at times.

[MNicolai]

For seating lamps, I just put the lamp in the socket, then turn the socket so it's facing away from me, and use three fingers from each hand to push the lamp towards me and into the socket. I believe that is the same way the ETC manuals instruct users how to install lamps.

I'm also x2 on the foam rubber that is used for packing the lamps. That works really well for installing and removing lamps. I had a guy using that on some 360's and the lamp broke while he was trying to install it. His hand got cut up, but not nearly as bad as it would've if he didn't have the foam to protect him.
I save all of the foam pieces and use them all sorts of stuff. They've been used for packing mic's away, PAR lens storage, and a number of other things. My desktop happens to be tempered glass, so I have my monitor sitting on a small piece of foam rubber so that it doesn't mark it up.