cyc too long

Stuart R

Member
Hello all -

My school was just gifted with a nice cyc drop that is the right width but about 18” too long. At the moment it’s hanging with the excess rolled around a pipe as best as we could manage it, but it’s not a clean solution – the pipe gets kicked and rolls, and it doesn’t keep the cyc taut the way it should. Is there any way I can deal with this short of taking the whole thing down and trying to find someone (who?) with a heavy duty sewing machine and the chutzpah to try to sew a new pipe pocket on something so huge?
 
Hello all -

My school was just gifted with a nice cyc drop that is the right width but about 18” too long. At the moment it’s hanging with the excess rolled around a pipe as best as we could manage it, but it’s not a clean solution – the pipe gets kicked and rolls, and it doesn’t keep the cyc taut the way it should. Is there any way I can deal with this short of taking the whole thing down and trying to find someone (who?) with a heavy duty sewing machine and the chutzpah to try to sew a new pipe pocket on something so huge?
@Stuart R Here're a few queries along with the first workable solution that springs to mind.
Does it presently have a pipe pocket or grommets and ties across its lower edge?
If you can put a pipe, or straight wooden batten across the lower edge and then pick this lower batten up BEHIND the cyc then you can place a neatly coupled length of 1/2" painted iron pipe in the valley you've created so the weight of the pipe stretches the cyc.
A couple of notes:
1; You don't want the bottom of the cyc on the floor for several reasons:
a; It will get dirty and holes will wear in it from rubbing itself to death on the floor.
b; It will hang straight and automatically return to vertical when pushed out of position as it will surely be many times throughout its life.
2; When you put your pipe or wooden batten across the cyc's lower edge, tie it up at both ends AND in the center as well to avoid it hanging like a hammock.
If you're in a venue with fly space and a grid, support the new lower batten from the same pipe that's supporting your cyc so they may be flown out as a unit.
3; Resist the urge to use unpainted pipe as it will eventually rust and the rust will look ugly bleeding through your spiffy new cyc.
Further questions, fire away.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.
 
What is the rigging situation in the theater? Is it possible to raise the pipe you're hanging the cyc on 18"? That would be the best solution. Otherwise I'm wondering if there's a clean way for you to take the extra height out of the top rather than the bottom. Maybe call SEAL or barbizon and see if they have a recommendation on somewhere in the area that could do the resewing for you, as it's going to be the best longterm solution (unless you have a rennovation in the foreseeable future that gains you 18" of space)
 
Cutting and re-sewing the top would be easier than the bottom, partly because that part's hidden by masking, so you don't have to be super neat. I think you could do it yourself, with basic sewing machine skills. Cut the top, sew a quick hem, then sew on a strip of 3" just webbing, running stitching near the top and bottom. Then add grommets in between the stitching, every 12".

If not cutting, Ron's solution is good. Another would be to fold over the top and bolt it between two boards, then rig the boards (now a wooden batten). This is how it was done in the days before steel pipe fly systems.
 
+1 for cutting the top. But you are right you will need a heavy duty sewing machine. You can pick them up pretty cheap if you search for them.

You could always go the hand stitching route it just takes foooorrreveer. Pliers and gloves are your friends.
 
Tent and awning places is where I go for this but what is the fabric? Natural muslin, and heavy or light (approx 6 or 4 ounces sq yd); or a synthetic? Probably easy to sew at least medium to light weight muslin and poly muslin with a regular sewing machine; heavy weight might bog down weaker home sewing machines but my antique Singer - probably 1930s vintage - would do fine.
 
I second and third Nick and Ron's suggestions above. Cut the top, not the bottom and sew on new jute.
Most really good home machines will sew through Jute pretty easily. It's a very open fiber. The biggest issues are time and walking and working space.

Home machines just don't go as fast as a Juki or Consew. it's going to take a while to make a hem, then run two rows of stitching but hey you're saving a ton of money up front and it's a school right? Labor is cheap in a school.

Walking refers to the top and bottom fabrics moving through the feed dogs and the presser-foot at different speeds. Best way to cut down on creep is to pin it as often as possible. Again, really time-consuming but if you don't have a 'walking foot' machine it's the best option.You may really have to play around with the presser foot pressure to get the fabric to move through properly.

Working space, you need a good table to work off of or at least a couple of helpers. The weight of the curtain is going to try to drag it all over the place as you sew. Ideally you could leg up a platform top it with some nice fresh Masonite so it's really slick then go from there. Key point being you want the work piece to move easily without pulling on the fabric at the needle, or you'll break a lot of needles and throw the timing off on your machine.
 
Why not re-sew to same webbing - just fold up and leave a "flap" on back side. You can always pull the seam later and have hit full height again, and no messing with grommets.

Put the sewing machine on a small dolly and work on a large clean floor - like the stage - is probably easier than building a big table.
 
Hello all -

Thanks for the advice. What I'm now thinking of doing is adding a line of large, heavy-duty grommets (1/2" diameter openings 18" on center?) along the bottom couple inches of pipe sleeve, and running lines from the grommets up to the same pipe the cycle is hanging from. I'd pull the lines up so the bottom of the fabric forms a trough, lay a full-length 1/2" pipe in the trough, and adjust the lines so the now weighted bottom just reaches the deck. There is a masking drop just behind the cycle, so no one will get caught up in the new lines. And no sewing.
 
Hello all -

Thanks for the advice. What I'm now thinking of doing is adding a line of large, heavy-duty grommets (1/2" diameter openings 18" on center?) along the bottom couple inches of pipe sleeve, and running lines from the grommets up to the same pipe the cycle is hanging from. I'd pull the lines up so the bottom of the fabric forms a trough, lay a full-length 1/2" pipe in the trough, and adjust the lines so the now weighted bottom just reaches the deck. There is a masking drop just behind the cycle, so no one will get caught up in the new lines. And no sewing.
@Stuart R Sounds like a plan BUT don't let the cyc' touch the deck as it will rub itself to death and wear holes in it as well as get terribly dirty. Keep the cyc approximately 1/4" above the deck where it will hang taught and vertical. If you're concerned about cross-over lighting leaking out under the cyc, lay almost any cloth on the floor behind the cyc to seal the visible gap. You could use anything from old blacks to old clothes to old rugs, just about anything to prevent light leaks. DEFINITELY keep the cyc' above the deck, it'll stay tighter / taughter that way and its effective length may vary slightly with the weather as it absorbs moisture and dries out from day to day. 1/2" threaded schedule 40 iron pipe will be your friend and is sold by plumbing wholesalers in random lengths between approximately 20 and 21 feet but be sure to clean the oil off it and add one or two coats of paint to minimize rusting. Alternately, Home Depot and electrical wholesalers will stock galvanized threaded rigid conduit which is normally sold with one coupling included per 10' length. 1/2" should do the job for you or 3/4" if you've got the budget and feel you want the extra weight. You might purchase one extra coupling to protect the threads on the remaining end. Be sure to keep your pipes straight, don't buy any bent pipes. 3/4" will be somewhat more resistant to getting bent. You may want to tie attention-getting red cloth flags to the two ends where they exit from the cyc in a vain attempt to keep people from tripping over them then moving and damaging your cyc'. Resist the urge to cut the pipe to exactly the correct length as you'll want to stretch the cyc' tight across the lower edge and you'll need some amount of surplus pipe to secure the cyc'. Resist the urge to tape the cyc' at the ends of the bottom pipe for two reasons: a; Tape will NEVER stand the strain, and b; its adhesive will stick to your spiffy new cyc' and attract dust and debris like a magnet. At the ends, tightly wrapped and secured tie lines work well and can periodically be loosened, re-stretched and re-used. Tie line MAY be braided round cord or flat cotton twill-tape. Cord Vs. twill is a whole other argument.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.
 
Rather than grommets, put a pipe in sleeve and use clamps that grip pipe without having to encircle it. Fewer lines and no grommets.
 
I like this idea, Bill. I'm trying to picture what such a clamp would look like... any thoughts? Thanks.
Steel Half Batten Clamp. Found one in the Mutual Hardware catalog. I'd probably be sure "ends" were smooth or maybe even slip some split vinyl tubing on them to save the fabric.

I'm not sure you couldn't make some out of wood to fit a smaller pipe. If this batten is only a few feet off the floor, no real hazard.

Might be easier yet to floor support this batten -but legs and braces would project US in plan.
 

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