From Connectors, Stage Pin - ControlBooth :I also noticed the grounded stagepins, I was wondering when they actually came into use. ...
which jives with the tour date of 1960. So the tour used a "new" connector type, but noting the missing paint on fixture s being hung on the Balcony Rail and Box Boom s, obviously not new instrument s.When was the third, center, grounding pin added? Sometime between 1957 and 1960. The Grounded style IS in the [Kliegl Bros.] 1960 catalog (as the 955-G below), but is NOT in the 1957 catalog.
I was suprised that the top pipe was not a house item. but then seeing how the drops each had their own full length top batten..
here you can see how a lineset with opera/batten clamps could be used for 2 or more drops.
at 2:11 or so you see the fellow finish off the clove hitch and then he steps on the pipe to hold it to the floor. once all the loft lines were done and being held to the floor, the man on the fly rail would take all the slack out of each line. Then the fellow on the load plate would cinch the 5 or 6 loft lines together and likely attach a sandbag. once that was done the guys on the floor could step off the pipe and you had a level lineset to work with.
Quick and easy with a crew of 7 or more.
I was lucky to work with a flyman who toured in with San Francisco ballet when I was a young lad still in HS. (1974) the house had those trim blocks and he worked with them, but he did tell me that his preferred method was to use a choker of wire rope to cinch together the loft lines and hang the sand bag from, using the trim method as described. I can't say that I ever used that method myself as the house had trim blocks and permanent pipe battens. I do recall that the trim blocks were not all that easy to deal with as the pick point could only be lifted up in relation to the other lines. Lift the wrong line you had to start from scratch. But we never had any sort of training back then so most info was passed from upper class men to lower class men.
Looking at this video I can see much of what he described. My above discription is only my interpration of his instructions given so long ago.
I was suprised that the top pipe was not a house item. but then seeing how the drops each had their own full length top batten..
here you can see how a lineset with opera/batten clamps could be used for 2 or more drops.
at 2:11 or so you see the fellow finish off the clove hitch and then he steps on the pipe to hold it to the floor. once all the loft lines were done and being held to the floor, the man on the fly rail would take all the slack out of each line. Then the fellow on the load plate would cinch the 5 or 6 loft lines together and likely attach a sandbag. once that was done the guys on the floor could step off the pipe and you had a level lineset to work with.
Quick and easy with a crew of 7 or more.
These devices made it easier to deal with rope stretch due to humidity. Eventually you ran out of rope to adjust and needed to re-set the clamp. You did that by tie-ing off the rope set to the pin rail, removing the bags, loosen the wingnuts on the clamp sliding the clamp down the rope set, tighten all, restore bags.
A lost art. Like running a multi-scene preset console.
I also noticed the grounded stagepins, I was wondering when they actually came into use. These days, a tour is measured in how many 53' trailers are in use, back then it was the number of 70' boxcars you used.
Came across this interesting video today. Interesting to see similarities to today. As old as I am though, I've never seen a stagehand smoking a cigar while working.
I can't see the embedded video... link is here
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