Altman 360s - worth anything?

[IlyaSmirnov]

Hi all,

While inventorying my school's light closet (much of which is still covered in 80's stage dust), I came upon several old radial Altman 360 ellipsoidals - mostly 6x9, still functional, though dim, and a pair of 4.5x6 with cracked lenses (pictures linked below). Are any of these still worth anything? We'd like to get some newer instruments to replace broken ones, and any additional money would be nice, but if it's pointless to try and sell these for anything, I'd rather not make the effort. (They do work, so if we can't sell them we'll keep them around for backup)

[media]http://www.sidelinesoft.com/ilya/theatreInventory/images/pics/CIMG3677.jpg[/media]
[media]http://www.sidelinesoft.com/ilya/theatreInventory/images/pics/CIMG3679.jpg[/media]

On a similar note, do you think it's worth it to try to repair the two instruments with cracked lenses? They're also missing the lamp holders - are these parts still available for sale anywhere, if repairing them is a practical option? I'm new to the techie world (only two shows), so I don't really know how bad of damage this is...

Cheers and thanks,
Ilya

 

[lieperjp]

If they work, put them to work!!!

If you have the time to clean them, they make good back up lights if your inventory is already big enough (which it must be.)

As for the ones that are broken, if you're willing to put the time (and $$$) into repair, why not go for it! It would be a "good learning experience."

 

[gafftapegreenia]

Replacement parts can still be had, and *most* are interchangeable with the 360Q.

Give them a GOOD cleaning, and if the lamps are still incandescent, get the halogen kind that fit the 360. (I forget the ANSI code) They should be decent tuned up a bit.

The 4.5x6.5, if you feel like fixing it up, can be very useful. They aren't as common, and can be handy to have lying around.

The 360's are true workhorses, I'd keep em.

 

[IlyaSmirnov]

Thanks for the advice - can you recommend any sites where I could get replacement parts for the 4.5x6's? I couldn't seem to find any companies selling lenses for anything that old/uncommon... and Altman doesn't have any useful information or part numbers either.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

Sure Altman does, you just gotta know where to look. Lenses are all interchangeable with the 360Q series. You can buy direct from Altman, but other dealers are cheaper. I'll let the others give you some suggestions.

Links
http://mail.altmanltg.com/publicsynergy/docs/BDBinDoc.asp?Id={12078281-8AF9-4067-AD61-AA16F4124667}
http://mail.altmanltg.com/publicsyn...y=US&Show=0&Account=&Assortment=17&L1=10&C1=2

You can get 'em cheaper than Altman price, just not sure where.

 

[Les]

You can get parts from www.productionadvantageonline.com, www.bmisupply.com, and www.norcostco.com, among many others.

On the lenses, be prepared to spend around $40-50 each. Sockets are cheaper and are interchangeable with those from a 6" fresnel.
The lamp codes are EGG and EGE. 750 and 500w respectively.
In good shape these lights can bring about $50. each on ebay, but be sure to get proper clearance from the school district should you decide to try to sell them.

 

[IlyaSmirnov]

Thanks Les! Found everything needed at BMI - I hadn't been looking very well before... thanks for the advice, too - we'll probably keep them around as backups, if I can convince our TD to get the replacement parts.