Conventional Fixtures Reversing the direction of an Iris

ship

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Got in some replacement Strand Iris’s recently. They are reversed in how they should work. Normally push to shut and pull to open but that might be reversed in how all parts of gate assembly works normally rom operator position. In relation to the gate or chopper, the new iris handles are reversed from other handles in how they work. Question opened up to Strand Mgt. about this tonight, but as per a concept - should it be simple enough to reverse a iris as per opening the assembly up and rotating the blades by 180 degrees?

Iris blades work in a figure 8 pattern in at some point in opening or closing within the slide, they reverse themselves in the slot half way back for moving to further in that operation of opening and closing. If one were to pick up the iris blades assembly and rotate it 180 degtees, would this than reverse which dirction the handle makes them work?
 
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Got in some replacement Strand Iris’s recently. They are reversed in how they should work. Normally push to shut and pull to open but that might be reversed in how all parts of gate assembly works normally rom operator position. In relation to the gate or chopper, the new iris handles are reversed from other handles in how they work. Question opened up to Strand Mgt. about this tonight, but as per a concept - should it be simple enough to reverse a iris as per opening the assembly up and rotating the blades by 180 degrees?

Iris blades work in a figure 8 pattern in at some point in opening or closing within the slide, they reverse themselves in the slot half way back for moving to further in that operation of opening and closing. If one were to pick up the iris blades assembly and rotate it 180 degtees, would this than reverse which dirction the handle makes them work?
@ship Possibly I'm missing your point. In my mind flip the entire assembly front to back in relation to the source, run the light through in the opposite direction thus the operating handle will operate in reverse from the spot operator's perspective / point of view.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
 
Are the pins that go through the blade the same length on both sides? I have not heard of this being done and it sounds like a nightmare to attempt.

Flipping the iris would reverse the direction but there maybe control arm issues.
 
Got in some replacement Strand Iris’s recently. They are reversed in how they should work.
Might you perchance have meant Strong rather than Strand? Deep in the recesses of my hazy brain, I seem to recall something called "an English iris" for Super Trouper s that did infact work backwards from standard. Also, something about them actually coming from Lycian as "they're the only ones making irises now."
 
Did I say Strand instead of Strong? Sorry. Gladiators or in general for Super Trouper. For some reason all of the replacement iris's are reversed. Didn't hear back from Paul at Strong yet on the issue. They only at least on the Gladiators mount in one way into a hole. The current Strong Iris is a different style than the Altman Iris norm with pins we are used to (can replace or fix a pin if it falls out, even resurface individual leafs ony heat damaged but nor warped - but can make a good iris out of a few bad ones). No pins on the current iris, bent leafs of the iris gliding in a slot - but similar in principal. Sorry in confusin and onto the concept yet to try. Concept is, it's a figure 8 in working and rotating 180 degrees should reverse how it works.
 
It is a little clearer now with a Strong iris. I am familiar with what Strong called a type 3 iris for the Super Trouper. It was part of an assembly to replace previous irises. It did reverse the control action. A colleague of mine figured a way to flip the iris with some minor modifications to the assembly. In general, I am not too impressed with the smoothness of operation of this replacement.
 
(Amazing what one finds in one's garage if one looks hard enough. I guess I thought this might come in handy one day as a teaching aid. Whaddya know? I might have been right.)

I believe this to be a standard, classic, "old-style" iris from a Xenon Super Trouper.

Strong_ST_iris.JPG


Moving the red-balled handle AWAY from the operator OPENS the iris, which is backwards from how the Fade & Chopper handles operate. The iris and its brass mounting plate cannot be easily reversed.
 
Same iris type I am looking to reverse. For the most part I have a stack of them also at home in the bone yard. Never taken one apart in trying to reverse or replace bad leafs. I certainly like the Altman type Iris as also found - easy to service, replace bad leafs, re-surface blades, and even replace a fallen off pound rivet. Better design. Goal for the weekend to see if it's possible to reverse the above photo iris. On the Gladiator it only fits in one direction.
 
Pre- looked into it tonight, them's some small brass pound rivits to extract. Will have to grind down a punch that small for the brass pinning in access. Or drill them out as optiong B'. Have to get more rivets given that case.
 
Took apart one each that - similar in the photo but later versions without the full plate and a brand new factory one. Very slight differences including pound rivets put in from the inside on the newest ones so possibly you could reverse the entire thing on a Super Trouper- but no at least for a Gladiator with its inset plate. Also, neither are servicable by way of swapping bad leafs or spinning the leafs for reversing direction theory. Leafs are iterally peened to a rear plate that has the lever arm. Were that lever arm able to move 180 degrees, my theory might work.

My Wife keeps yelling about this style of iris every time I mention it, and had anyone asked her she will have given the Altman type Iris Strong part number which is similar to the Altman type (and probably is reversable if not already correct.) All right, next time at work with her I'll bite on the other shutter. Doesn't make sense on why a Strong iris would go in reverse direction of the chopper or dowser. In the mean time, saved another warped iris tonight in using a 2" dia. piece of sold steel and a auto body hammer. Just re-pounded it flat and it worked - damage was not too bad. Clean up with steel whool and re-coat with spray graphite and while used, could get at least another year out of it in going back to replacement parts.

A shame not Altman style Iris = same iris used on a 360Q, I have a jig for resurfacing each individual leaf. Flat piece of stell with two holes for each size of (replacable) brass pin. Same right angle grinder wheel used for shutters or choppers in cleaning, a lot more skill level in damage of it. Badly damaged leafs can be swapped out for good ones etc. Not difficult.

High temp. ceramic epoxied together two broken in half ceramic heat shields last night as emergency spares for the Gladiators. One worked better than the other in alignment. Takes heat to fully cure - I did not do, will see if heat needed before or during use cures the bond. Other than a few parts to one to replace... 14X Gladiators mostly finnally out of my department. They take up a lot of space. Hopefully the Lycian 1295's with only a few issues get done quick, than onto the Supertroupers and onto to other French brand. Customer won't be happy that who ever removed all four 3Kw 1295 lamps managed to put a chip into the globe of each of four lamps when getting them ready for transport to me. As per lamp specification, I will not test the fixtures given damaged lamps. (My main follow spot tech. asked about am I ready to loose the account given lamp chips on the globe... yep! How much does a new reflector cost and or time and or lots of other work to cover. I had to pull him of that followspot project so as to work on some moving light cameras today. Always busy department.) Two year old fixtures/lamps. Perfectly good lamps otherwise... have to go into my 10gal. drop explosion drum once approved of by the client. Get the next ME on-site in for training on installing the lamp before the fixtures leave, or pay us to install and remove the lamp on site. Light maintinence otherwise on the 1295's is an easy thing, (Literally had to close the truck they were in and bug bomb the box of it - twice when they got shipped back to us... Spiders have taken over the venu and didn't want to transfer them to the storage site.)

Overall easy 0ther than some potential spider probems on lenses or dichroics... ok, but next year the gate assemblies (Iris/Douser/Chopper) will need a take apart service call we are not looking forward to - it's a easy replace assembly not easy to dissemble.

Weeks of Strong SuperTrouper, Gladiator's, Lycian 1290's, onto 1295's,. Next more Super Troupers and Robert Jouart the Lancelots and Victors. But be it shop lights finally getting to, or large customer lights.... yearly service call is the best way to maintain the fixtures. And indeed yearly service calls has paid off in costing less per year - other than when the on-site crew does not damage the lamps. Coming in for training in how to install and bench focus the lamp also pays off. Gladiators I'm told don't bench focus in lens train alignment for some reason for the gate assembly on center. Explains why heat damage off center. Such heat damage still has to be cleaned and coated or it will absorb heat and further damage it.

Glad a few somewhat slow weeks in huge LED projects in the TBA. needing the space. Glad we finally got to the shop fixtures also. My Wife maintains them and is good, but she is about level 2 as per military mintinence, we deconstruct the things for the most part and do stuff she is in prepping for shows not able to. Shop lights needed it. The 1290's were at least 20 years since a fulll tear down. Err, we didn't do such things than... First take everything apart maintinence call for them. Good fixtures and especially a fan of how they bench focus. I think the Wife has the Lycian 1271, 1272 and M2 under control hopefully.
 
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