Sign me up, I miss running Carbon Arcs, like running a living breathing machine...never a dull moment
When I started running arcs, I had to stand on an apple crate, and who needed an exhaust tubes, when you could taste the metal from the carbons you know the show is almost over. I also remember changing carbons with a dry
wash cloth, it was a bad game to see who could get burned last(the joys of being young and indestructible).
I agree that not to many people know how to run one anymore...
Sean...
Hello Sean!
You're bringing back the memories, mostly warm 'n fuzzy.
"running Carbon Arcs, like running a living breathing machine...never a dull moment"
Exactly!! A 'lost arc' as it were.
"When I started running arcs, I had to stand on an apple crate,"
Understood, I've been short all my life too. ;^)
"changing carbons with a dry
wash cloth, it was a bad game to see who could get burned last (the joys of being young and indestructible)."
Dry cloth? Wimp!! Bare hands Sean, bare hands!
Pliers to pull 'em and toss in the bucket, bare hands to put 'em in.
Changing sticks on the fly was where 'real men' proved their muster!!
Faster! Faster!! Always striving to be the fastest in your local!!!
Oh the memories! Oh the bragging rights!!
To be fast and blemish free, no scars, no burns, oh yeah!
Seriously;
Keeping your next pair inside with one pointed each direction, right where you need 'em, dry and moisture free.
Your next next pair were on top against the hinge being warmed and dried.
When you noticed a slight vertical rod misalignment, or
reflector alignment issue, you didn't wait 'til you were down or try to correct on a booth wall between cues, no, this needs to be done when everything's up to temperature and somewhere near your normal
throw distance.
You couldn't take a coin to the rear of the lamphouse while still following people but you could learn to reach back, open the door just enough to slide your left
hand in and turn the correct adjustment from behind the
reflector where things weren’t near as hot as in front.
Not for the faint of heart, definitely not to be executed while wearing a metal watchband on your left wrist. Executed, Freudian choice of word.
For no explicable reason, I've survived "the joys of being young and indestructible" and matured to old and silly; silly, no not senile!
Thanks Sean for the memories.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard