... My question is: what clamp do you recommend when mounting
conventional ellipsoidals (Source 4) on an aluminum
truss (2 in diameter x 12 in wide x 10 ft length)? ...
I'm not sure the width or length of your
truss matters.
I cannot accurately answer your questions without asking you some:
Are the fixtures in question going to ever be mounted on anything other than 50mm (2") aluminum truss? If yes, what? Maybe 1.5" Schedule40 black iron pipe? Do you foresee hanging the fixtures in a position other than straight down, i.e. do you typically "side-hang" "yoke out" "overhang" or "rooster" your fixtures so they don't interfere with the moving lights? Do you enjoy changing clamps on all your conventionals everytime you hang them from a different material/location or would you rather be lighting the show?
I, myself, have no problem using the standard theatrical lighting
C-Clamp, (Altman-clamp, ETC-clamp) and this device:
http://www.citytheatrical.com/ "C-clip"
Truss Protector (or TMB's brand).
<or>
the shop-fabricated variety made of 2"
PVC or ABS pipe run through a band saw,
when hanging conventionals on lighting
truss.
Yes it's a loose extra part, but maybe a piece of #4 black
trickline appropriately tied at each end to the "
truss condom"
<te he he he> and the
C-Clamp could prevent loss. Speaking of loose parts, you have taken the
fixture's side
bolt out and slipped the
safety "permanently" on the
yoke haven't you?
For
conventional lighting fixtures, I actually prefer the LightSource
Mega-Clamp™ as it has fewer moving parts, but would never replace all the standard C-clamps that came with my fixtures with them. That's just wasteful and silly.
For moving lights I prefer the LightSource
Mega-Claw™ in black, above all others. Really annoying is when one
Mega-Claw is black and the other is anodized aluminum. I've been know to hunt down another
fixture and trade. Just feels like wearing "odd socks" to steal a Briitsh phrase.
I believe the "other thread" mentioned this: (I wasn't going to involve myself in that thread.)
http://thelightsource.com/products/24/view
Never seen it, never used it, don't like it, advise against it.
While I despise half-couplers on moving lights, just like everyone else, I do respect their cost-benefits. And here's a useful tip: ever need to attach an out rigger pipe to a
truss corner clock? Take two half couplers and
bolt to them
thru the
corner block's unused trussbolt holes (grade8 hardware only, of course). Clamp the 2" pipe to the half-burgers,
safety everything and viola!
For some reason, "trigger clamps" always seem to bind up on me, and seem not as secure. I don't see them that often, so maybe it's me. But since I don't see them that often, it can be inferred they're not used that often.
YMMV.