You are through-bolting with 2, 1/4-20 bolts, then cutting the
bolt flush after sucking the
nut into the
face of the
flat right ? and only using #10 wood screws in the other two holes, right ?
I can't say I've seen that method done much, although I can see it being very useful if used on the bottom
rail, as it allows for a completely flush installation. Is that a common West coast method? And would it be acceptable to use
flat head stove bolts in the countersunk holes, instead of wood screws?
I'm almost afraid to admit openly that I have used short
lag screws at more than one
venue to attach hanger irons. Is this frowned upon?
If you have to hang things a lot and have the budget I would buy gliders [
Verlock,
Gripple]s instead of turnbuckles. They're fast to
level something out with, and you have tons of adjustability since you can make the cable 3" long or 20' long in a few seconds.
I would not use a
Gripple for hanging anything more than a banner or small, lightweight decorative
element, but that is just personal preference. Maybe it is a completely unjustified and irrational preference on my part, but I am inclined to trust a forged
Grip lock more than the
Gripple. I've used
Grip locks on several occasions, and have been very happy with them, and from walking the show floor at
USITT, other companies, such as ZFX, also like the
Grip lock. Uncle Bill, on the other
hand, does not approve. If your
grip/ver lock is the kind with a
nut at the top, it is important to
mouse this with
e-tape, as I have witnessed these finger nuts coming loose during a run from normal flying operation.
The names of these flats is so confusing when differant people you talk to
call them different things. Mine are broadway style flats (1x laying on it's
face) covered with
luan. They are about 1 1\4 inches thick. Sorry if I confused anyone.
In the common vernacular, a Hollywood, or soft
cover flat, is made of 1x on
face covered in
muslin or
canvas. A Hollywood, or hard
cover flat, is made of 1x
stock on
edge covered in a ridgid sheet good, typically
luan. What you have is a hybrid of the two, I'm not sure if there is a "proper" name for it, but I would probably just
call it a hard
cover flat.
but I usually see them used with a
crosby clamp as a
safety.
Smart, I'm going to remember that for future
Grip/Ver lock use.
DerekLeffew The golden
flat hardware is all made by
TheatricalHardware.com. They are recent (within the last decade?) updates to classic
flat hardware. Their biggest claim is that all there hardware is rated. As a note, I have seen silver D-ring plates with rounded corners, just like the golden one made TheatricalHardware.com, except clearly older.
As for why should one
stock keeper plates in addition to D ring plates? Not much reason really, except that the "stubby" keeper plates fit nicely on the inside
face of 1x3 when used to frame Hollywood flats.
2. Does wrapping the D-ring not exceed the minimum stated
bend radius of the
wire rope?
Exactly the what came to my mind as well.
A
trim chain (but NOT the kind with a
mutt hook) is still the preferred method, I suspect.
Probably still the most common method, although I have seen some respectable theatres that have started using
batten clamps instead of
trim chain.
I contend that hanging a wood-framed scenic piece from the bottom member is the ONLY acceptable method. I sure hope most people don't top hang. With a steel frame top-hanging becomes OK.
I must be honest. I have not personally hung scenic framed flats using top
hanging irons, as I know it is greatly preferable to hang scenery under compression as opposed to tension. However, I have seen it done, and I have not yet had anyone implicitly tell me that doing so is forbidden. Did top
hanging irons exist before metal framed scenery was commonplace? I hope some other users will chime in with comments on the proper usage of top hanger irons.
I am grateful for the lively discussion in this thread.