Berkey Colortran parts

[ship]

Thought I once read somewhere a source or something for parts for the fixtures. Got a customer looking for a lens train for a #213-065 fixture which matches up with that above era of fixture.

I know of Hub in the Chicago area that stocks old fixture parts - still on my list of places to visit (yep I'm a nerd), but still think I remember specific to the above pre/pre brand of Colortran now totally Leviton some source for Berkey parts for the fixtures. That company that used to do Lekos - safe to say it of that era... Or I suppose I shouldn't capatilize it in specifying the ERS instead,. Still I think I remember a company - some company still offering the parts for the fixtures or having them in stock.

That Berkey company now only does water filters best I can gather on the web - strange.


Anyone remember this link I remember besides Hub offering parts to the brand of fixtures?

[LightStud]

I can't find a site for Hub/VaraLight/Dimatronics. I doubt Lite-Trol Service would bother with such a thing. Maybe LightParts.com - The Parts and Repair Source for Entertainment Lighting, but I doubt that also. Let this be a lesson to all, Don't Get Colortran(ed)!

Hard to believe Berkey Photo, a film processing company would go under in this digital age, huh? Polaroid, Kodak, and Fuji have changed their business models, but are very far behind the technology.

There used to be a company that made terrific buggy whips, the best in the industry. Now they make accelerator pedals for Toyota. Can't find service, parts, or repair for any of my buggy whips!

[quarterfront]

A couple years back I got 80 front lenses from Colortran. They're now under NSI, of course, or at least that was the case when I got those lenses. IIRC, I went through Production Advantage and they went to C'tran.

Interested in following this thread and what you find out, I have 78 C'trans that are my workhorses. Gotta' keep 'em going as long as I can....

[SHARYNF]

Is the lens train in the colortran 5/50 the same as in the older 213-065?
PA sells the 5/50 parts
Sharyn

[ship]

Hmm, that would be interesting to find out. Took my Photometrics Handbook to work so I'll have to compare there. Possible.

NSI... Heck Berkley went Lee Color Filters long before NSI and NSI/Colortran went Leviton. Who own's Leviton these days mostly these days by the way? Forget but they don't even have such a safe name either right now if I remember correctly.

Got a response back from Leviton today... nope, long gone.

Vara-Light/Dimatronics/Hub Electric (Old parts Dist., Owned by Altman) 6207 Commercial Rd. Crystal Lake, Il. 60014. (815)455-4400

Company long thru my history of hearing about and even in later hearing our shop manager once worked for as a drafts person like twenty years ago. It exists and I remember tales of them buying up truck loads of old fixtures and parts years back but never got to yet.... (Vacation next week...)

No website etc... just a phone number and address and semi-confirmed link in them now owned by Altman Stage Lighting though most working there even don't know that I expect.

My mission for next week....!

STill thanks for the idea, I'll check into that one further a bit.

[Lightingguy32]

Last time I checked my Photometrics hand book (2nd ed.) the Berkey Colortran/Lee-Colortran/ and Colortran 5/50 lekos had the same photometrics. The University I work for right now has about 500 Colortran 5/50 units some are from when it was Lee-Colortran, some are Berkey-Colortran and most are just colortran. So I think the parts are the same between fixtures.

[ship]

Didn't seem same enough and Leviton wrote off helping so I sent them to Hub, E-Bay and or its time to make this one into spare parts and retire it from active service role. At some point if you need an entire lens train to a fixture as requested, and that fixture is long gone there is nothing that can be really done to help you find it after a bit of trying. Components to it sure... entire lens train, you lost your lens train to a long discontinued light fixture... urr, nope at some point I gave it a shot, Hub is your ownly hope if E-Bay doesn't have an entire fixture which it didn't when looking at them also.

[derekleffew]

That reminds me: The Zoom Ellipse used two 1/4" steel rods, held in place by a tiny Phillips screw in the gate end. If that screw rattles loose, and you don't have a colorframe in the unit, a 16"x1/4" rod missiles toward the stage!

[ship]

Reminds me of some Pre-SL line of Strand where if that lens train dropped uncontrolled into battery / spot focus position by way of gravity the lenses and spring would go a falling also.


Still this is different in situation. How does one loose a lens train anyway? At some point you do your best than write off the effort as more than one wants to be concerned about. Certainly I could potentially retrofit say a S-4 lens train with the fixture - looked at the catalog page for the fixture, very similar. In the end... best left alone after sending off elsewhere for help.