Yeah, I'm still thrilled to come across surplus 360Qs for our
auditorium!
Might be committing the same sin as it were - but with some older lights that I just cannot viably sell off as antique given past modification.
Have a whole lot of Kliegl #1365E, LECO #810 and #1700 fixtures. First three fixtures I worked on were all good in having all the fasteners and step lenses - just needed like 8 hours each of TLC. Next lot of them I picked up was a
wash of mostly to only some in having all exterior screw holes drilled out for 3/16" rivets. None of the last eight fixtures I picked up had a
step lens. They all had 6x9 lenses of various thicknesses installed. While this was an option and available during the period, given the first three Lekos with step lenses either the 60's #1700 had the wrong
lens or all should be
step lens. For the 50's step lenses instead of single PC
lens I believe was most common in a thick
lens.
This week I’ll probably be loading up the rest of the fixtures so I can piece mail together what I can in especially selling off the Kliegl fixtures with the proper
lens - assuming they were not riveted together as a problem in as per a known
Leko that will sell. After that piece together what I can for the rest of the Kliegl and LECO fixtures.
Two options after that.
First a starting up store front theater is in need of
Leko’s and given a
lens train assembly in them, might be able to make them comparable to a 360' series
Altman and bulk up that
Leko need even if radial and old. (See other post on
bench focus of the #1365E.)
Convert them all for this theater sale to P-28s sockets also so they can use the EGE lamp - the one I just worked on had a P-28s in it, perhaps a later option or another change in the later era of the
fixture in similar
LCL with
socket. Seems very interchangable in if one has a G-22 lamp, the P-28s should work fine in converting.
So an option of making it into a compromised antique it is already but similar to a
Altman 360 series
Leko for as many as the theater can buy at a cheap price as the primary option. This only if of the above three versions they will
bench focus properly with a
lens train and or how many if any 6x16 lights they can use which is normally none. TBA on seeing what a 6x9
lens train will look like in these fixtures - probably will work but given the snout length, won't function properly. Only have a few sets of 6x12 lenses left so that will be a limitation.
Next option as was brought up in as it were production meetings on the subject of how best to sell off the
Leko’s is to sell them to theater customers over E-Bay if possible. (Shipping and E-Bay's part of the profit is not liked in having to do.) Price is good but especially if a G-22 based discontinued lamp - even if I can upgrade to a modern lamp by way of spacer under the
base plate, the only new lamp available is 100 hour in lamp life for a 500w lamp. Could also direct install a VL-1K lamp in it and it would be a direct fit but what home owner would be able to
power it up, much less it would melt down the
reflector and probably
socket.
Many fixtures if pieced together I am thinking still viable for at best what I can find still original and with working lamps and the proper lenses. A portion of them. Next option the working 1950's
Leko in bringing it up to 360' standards. But for the rest and possibly the bulk of them, the
Production Manager’ as it were for this sale was thinking what if we did an
incandescent household lamp inside the light? No, no lamp shade on it or anything like that - just a
Leko that works with say a 100w or 150w A-lamp in it. Given the above in problems and I’m short on step lenses, plus will run really short dependant on how many
lens trains I need to make for the theater 360's, plus run short of P-28s sockets. Thinking more and more that once I run out of parts, I will make home owner grade antique Lekos’ powered by
clear A-Lamps.
Overall engineering of different sockets and lamps isn’t a big problem and they would still function the same way - just be something one could use at home and with a lot less
power. Thinking that I’m going to be making a lot of A-Lamp powered 50's
thru 60's Lekos to sell to customers with the gear that’s not otherwise viable for theater or museum quality. Thoughts?
As another thought - though the lack of
clear lens might negate the concept... might also be looking into
LED color changing lamps for the source. Less efficient for output still but adds the coolness factor given the price
point might have to go up a
bit more.