Basic Set Decoration

[decoss]

I'm involved in a local theater group and have been asked to help decorate a set with luan cutouts of sports items hanging from the ceiling. What kind of material is recommended to suspend the luan with. I was thinking of using fish line. I'd like the line to be invisable. Is there a better product?

Thanks

 

[MarshallPope]

I will leave the suggestions to someone more qualified, but I would be EXTREMELY wary of using fishing line to hang anything solid. I have had it break simply because a balloon drop string caught and was was pulled too hard. Luckily all that fell then was some plastic netting, but pieces of wood, however thin, could do quite a bit of damage if they fell on someone.




EDIT: Have you thought about maybe using 1/2" pink insulation foam board? It is roughly the same price as luan and would be lighter, and you wouldn't have to worry about it warping. That would be safe to hang with monofilament.

 

[Van]

Good call Mashall Mono-filament is a lousy thing to 'Trick' with. I prefer Braided Dacron or Spider Wire for rigging this kind of trick. Both are available in a couple of colors for blending in which scenery. I prefer the black.

BTW I am assuming, of course that this is decoration and all the pieces are relativly small. Be sure to brush up on you knots, clove-hitch, Surgeons and blood knots are the ones I find most useful to get the trim right on lightwieght tricking like this. Make sure the hole in the luan are not jagged so as to not pick the threads of the Dacron.

 

[decoss]

Thanks for your advice. Is foam board easily paintable?

 

[MarshallPope]

I have never had a problem with painting it. It takes a couple of coats sometimes, depending on the color, but it's not that bad. That is using regular interior latex. Of course, this is after you peel the plastic film off.

 

[Van]

Foam can be a PITA when it comes to painting. Some Latex paints wil go right on, no problem. Some need to be thickened I like to just squirt a little Latex caulk into the mix, or you can coat the foam in VSSSD or Shellac. < Killz Primer works too. But then it's just tinted shellac.>

 

[BrianWolfe]

My favorite way is to use trickline:

Nylon Trickline and Clear Monofiliment Trickline / Rope & Line / Rope & Rigging Hardware / Home - Mutual Hardware

It comes in 50, 70 and 108 lb test. It ties easily and is very invisible. It would hold your luan fine. Be careful if you use the foamboard because whatever line you use might just cut right through the foam. Duct tape reinforcement of the holes can help.

 

[jwl868]

When I first started helping with the dance studio’s shows, the other helping with the shows used fishing line. It seemed to work fine for hanging the very light items (foamcore, foam, and cloth). I’m not a big fan of it anymore. And I would not use it for wood.

But if you need to use it:

Make sure that the people tying the knots know how to tie fishing line knots. (Don’t count on people knowing the difference, and go as far as to ask if they fish.) A search on the internet will lead to several websites that show how to tie the knots. Print the pages for others to use.

If you read some of the fishing knot websites, you’ll see that the knot weakens the line and therefore becomes the weak point of the system. Some of safety factor that you may have considered in selecting the fishing line strength may be lost.

Fishing knots are slip knots, so the length you tie off won’t “stay”. (This may be my own lack of skill at tying fishing knots, but the items would slip down and inch or so. If you are looking for precision levels, you might have a problem.)


Joe

 

[scenerymaker]

If you use any sort of monofilament line, I would put a little piece of vinyl tubing through the board for the line to ride on. If you use luan (unless you have very small pieces, I wouldn't because luan will warp quickly), the sharp wood edge could cut the line and the tubing will cushion it. If you use 1/2" foam insulation or 1/4" foamboard, the vinyl would keep the line from cutting through the foam. Either way, your parts stay up without clocking someone in the haid!

 

[Colby]

Number one I don't think fishing line is safe at all I would reccomend using just regular old airline cable it may look unsightly but do u really want to put people in danger? if there suspended like u said how much cable are u really going to see?