Vintage Lighting Carbon Arc effects projector, a theater history from 1911 thru the mid-50's and beyon

[ship]

Anyone interested in the tale and historical story of some gear I have researched the heck out of in acquiring for the collection from a single 1911 theater source in gear I got a lot of period gear from and also some special effects projectors from the location? What they did and why in 1911, for one specific projector and what they replaced it with over the years to make it work during these years?


Got a complete time line lined up and history into details now that I’m restoring the ballast in helping the details and hitory on as to on what fixtures I have directly related I also somehow also own. Could be interesting if wanted me to post more about on the topic of might be carbon arc fixture converted to incandescent, or might not, and why if a point, this arc source does have in an amature like way ceramic wash reflective paint applied to the body of the fixture in ruining the point source of light?.

One fixture base type for projector, lots of story behind it that I can figure out so far - a history if anyone interested. Lots of history indicated in making it work over the years and indications of what came next in going incandescent for the projector they wanted.

 

[JonCarter]

Re: Carbon Arc effects projector, a theater history from 1911 thru the mid-50's and b

Yes, very interested! Who was it wo said, "It helps to know where you're going if you know where you've been," or equivalent.

 

[JohnD]

Re: Carbon Arc effects projector, a theater history from 1911 thru the mid-50's and b

I think this would be good for the featured articles thread. With lots of pictures. Also perhaps an article on beam projectors,(and were they really adapted from military searchlights), and a history of other lighting.

 

[ship]

Re: Carbon Arc effects projector, a theater history from 1911 thru the mid-50's and b

Great idea and will work toward that and the beam projector article as I have many examples from the start of the National X-Ray Company first concept in getting a spot out of a wash light fixture type thru the Bob Seger Tour's "Fade to Black" song use of them in collection and know people that were on the tour..

On the carbon arc and other gear gotten from the 1911 theater, somewhere around 100 photos of all the gear gotten from this 1911 theater both in condition and after working on and stuff for the story which today got lessened as a concept. Light I was thinking matched up with the CSL ballast was actually from Chicago Cinema Equipment in potentially having been converted from arc to incandescent. Chicago Cinema Equipment probably wasn't using a Chicago Stage Lighting ballast for their carbon arc spotlight. I remember working on the CCE light also, and it didn't have ozone to remove. Simply a carbon arc designed fixture with a filament lamp in it. While the fixture was based on a carbon arc design in side opening side and even control holes made for the arc, I don't think it ever was. Instead the Chicago Stage Lighting carbon Arc fixture which was installed on this stand/ballast I think went to the war effort of WW1 or WWII for scrap. An early Brenkert carbon arc head/fixture instead was added to the Chicago Stage Lighting ballast and stand, though it's rosette side mount flat plate wasn't designed to mount on it and etc.... Long story perhaps best as advised.

Shining up the bright work and cleaning up the head to it this weekend, than re-wiring, and more photos. ON the other hand, the double pair parallel coiled 14ga wire of the ballast is toast and would require total replacement before hoping for it to ever work again. Know of someone where I work is that anial and could re-wire it, but beyond my ability (gotta get the wires an exact similar length and coil them about a 1/2" rod equally or one will carry more load then the other wire in parallel at this time for doing properly not in my ability.) To many cracks and breaks in the dual coiled 100+ year old 14ga wire in probably not perfectly parlallel in length thus cracking and too far gone to hope to fix. The other option is to run a solid 10ga which I could do but given the coiled nature of the windings still could not reproduce in figuring out the actual length of the rheostat winding. Overall, figuring out the actual length of a coiled wire 100+ years old given a say 1/2" rod coiled about can be mathimatically determined. This assuming a dual pair of 14ga wires coiled like a spring about the porcelain tubes.

I don't have any experience with such things as a line voltage carbon arc spotlight. Best for me to leave it alone in cleaning up what I can and accept what I don't have the ability to make work properly.