making your own gobos

[moojoe]

i was wondering if its possible to make your own gobos out of just plain sheet metal you get at a hobby shop or out of tinfoil? would they be able to take the heat? i wouldnt think tinfoil would be able to, but ive seen random gobos lying around in our theatre made out of tinfoil so...is it possible?

[disc2slick]

I've made gobos in the past out of cut-up pie tins, like for baking and such. they always looked like crap, but that was my fault not the fault of the material. they work fine.

[Les]

I would avoid the tinfoil. It's easier to work with but won't last. If you have a Dremel tool or something similar, with the right attachment you may be able to make some fairly intricate patterns. I'm not sure; just a theory.

[avkid]

Tin foil is possible, but only for short term use at relatively low levels.
Sheet metal would work fine, if you have the right tools of course!

[ccfan213]

never done it, but at my camp, the lighting guy used tinfoil (i think) to make a big "C" as a preshow thing for chicago. it worked pretty well, but was only a one time use thing.

[zac850]

Last year I attempted to make a gobo out of a coke can and it didn't work well at all. I tried to do it with an exacto knife and just ended up cutting myself and almost getting metal stuck in my source 4.

It is harder then it sounds. Make sure that all the sides are flat, or it will catch, rip, and make your life hard (and painful).

[ccfan213]

a coke can probably would not work well. they have a plastic lining, and it would probably melt in the heat, so your problems with the coke can gobo may have saved you from much bigger problems had you succesfully made it

[TechnicalDirector3-W]

thin sheet metal works great

[Arbron]

Someone I work with has made good gobos out of the bottom of pie sheets. You just have to be careful to cut the edges right so they don't get stuck in the light (I have had this happen with a professional gobo before).

[ship]

Those posting are very much stating the reality of the situation. Yes you can cut your own gobos. Even a excellent set of posts to stagecraft on more ways to do this than posted that could be expected to have more long term results.

Still in stating this possibility and ability to do so, all it seem compare normal cutable metal thickness in it's ability to withstand heat over that of tinfoil, and in carving it, it's lack of refinement and material workability in also withstanding a more perminant sense of heat.

Perhaps the classic pie tin or similar types of metal can be cut to your image and it will work. Perhaps in doing so, making multiple copies of the patterns will be a good idea in just replacing them before they burn up each night. Could be a good solution in fact.

On the other hand, while initial cost is a factor in custom gobo, the savings in time labor and it simply not burning up will often be worth it to pay for the higher priced custom gobo. This if not even glass gobo nobody would attempt in being at times better yet.