Attaching flats

[sturner]

We are attaching removable flats (painted muslin) to fixed walls for our scene changes. The scheme we came up with to attach the flats was a fixed rail at the bottom of the wall to slot the bottom of the flats into, and velcro to stick the upper parts of the flats to the wall.

The velcro isn't working out too well - warped wood and maybe not perfectly vertical walls are making it hard for the velcro to stick and hold the flats. So my question is - what would be a better way to attach flats so they can be quickly set/removed during scene changes?

Thanks,
Steve

[Footer]

Loose pin hinges tend to work, or a slot on the top and bottom that the flat can slide into. I would lean towards the hinges, if you want the "pro" grade, check out rosco's loose pin hinge.

[Van]

Hmmmm, what kind of Velcro are you using? I've actuall done a similar technique and it worked really well. Anyway you asked for other solutions, you could try either buying aluminum picture hanging rail, or manufacture some overlapping hanger peices from wood and attach them to the back wall and the back of the flats. I'll attach a drawing in a couple of formats to help explain.

[derekleffew]

What about an upside down U channel at the top, deep enough so when lifted the flat clears the bottom channel? (Think sliding glass doors, or the sliding doors on cheap entertainment centers).

Originally Posted by Footer4321

...or a slot on the top and bottom that the flat can slide into...

Sorry Footer, I didn't read your post as carefully as I should have. You'd already mentioned my alternative. FWIW, I dislike loose-pin hinges, most of the time.

[jwl868]

Can you "shim" out the velcro so that the flats and wall make better contact?

Joe

[derekleffew]

Quick, someone, invent DMX-Controlled hook and loop. Or an electro-magnet? Or regular magnet, some of the new ones are incredibly strong for their size.

[Van]

Originally Posted by derekleffew

Quick, someone, invent DMX-Controlled hook and loop. Or an electro-magnet? Or regular magnet, some of the new ones are incredibly strong for their size.

Yeah, Yeah, that's it! Go buy 1000 rare earth magnets. Mount half of them in the top of the flats, inbed the other half in the back wall.
Or mount a peice of steel on the top of the flat, on the back wall of the theater take 800 ' of 00 < 2 aught> feeder cable and wrap it around a couple of spikes driven into the wall. Patch the feeder from your disconnect to a really big light, I'm thinking a 10K fresnel. As soon as you plug that baby in and get current flowing through it, Bam! Instant Electro magnet!

Problem solved, chalk another one up for the crew at CB.

[soundman]

As long as we are talking about electro magnets you could use solenoids to hold the flats. The way I see it would be to drill holes in the top of the flats and fix the solenoids to the wall somehow. When the solenoids are at rest the pins are down locking the flats into place, turn on the juice and the solenoids energize and the pins lift up allowing you to walk the the flats down.

Just another idea.

[Grog12]

Originally Posted by derekleffew

Quick, someone, invent DMX-Controlled hook and loop. Or an electro-magnet? Or regular magnet, some of the new ones are incredibly strong for their size.

I'm sorry...but this is just a bad idea.
Namely because I'm an @***ole and I know that'd I have way to much fun with it.

[bobgaggle]

Maybe attach a two pins to the upper corners of the flats. two corresponding (and reinforced) holes in the walls that they can slide into and hang the flat that way. This could work in two scenarios: either you have a busy pattern on the wall so that the holes can go unnoticed, or you're doing a high school play, in which case no one cares.