abeck

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I was wondering if anyone has ever made a donut out of cardboard and how effective was it? Did it catch on fire? Did it work as a temporary solution?

My high school theater doesn’t have much of a budget to speak of and we are having some problems with our Altmans and a very noticeable halo ring appearing. It’s a problem because of the way our pipes hang, almost every light focused anywhere downstage will bleed that halo onto the proscenium, regardless of shuttering, and it’s driving me crazy. We’ve bench focused everything so it’s as good as it’s going to get there.

So I am looking for alternatives to actually purchasing donuts for all of those instruments because that isn’t in our budget. I know about black tack and gel frames but we don’t have black tack at this time. I was hoping I could get away with an even more temporary solution until our budget renews next year.

Any thoughts? Will cardboard be a hazard?

Does anyone else have any other solutions to that blasted halo?
 
Don’t use cardboard.
 
Use pie tin, cut a 3” round hole, put the pie tin inside a color frame.
@abeck and @SteveB For a further refinement. Spray the aluminum "pie tin" with matte black paint on the side facing the lens to minimize reflection and further sharpen the the beam. Spray both sides to make it "prettier" if visible to patrons. I found the cheapest matte black spray paint worked well enough for short runs; higher temperature black stove or chimney paint lasts longer. Flat aluminum trays sold as oven liners or drip catchers provided larger more useful / more economical readily available rectangular sheets of cheap 'n cheerful aluminum intended for high temperatures.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
 
Another good source of thin aluminum is rolls of flashing for roofing or siding as found in your local home improvement store. It's thicker than pie tins, but still able to be cut with snips/shears/etc without any difficulty, and available in various widths. Do be mindful of sharp edges and corners and little splinters or slivers.
 
Borrow your wife's 3" paper punch. They are made of steel and go right through thin aluminum flashing. She won't mind. I promise. Or pick up your own at a crafts store.
 
Many suggestions here are rooted in good, common sense abeck. I've used cardboard in a pinch and was nervous as a cat as I stood next to that fixture during a brief awards presentation. I would NEVER have walked away from that fixture with a cardboard donut in place. Never.

Pie tins, flashing and foil will all work, and may be worth a try. We developed ThinLine donuts for budget-challenged theatres and rental houses which often have their donuts lost or, *ahem, stolen.
No need to buy black spray paint and smell them 'bake off' when first used in your space.
Apollo ThinLine Donuts
MSRP is $86 with most dealers selling quite below that suggested price. They're durable and won't kill someone below if dropped from the grid or electric!
 
I was wondering if anyone has ever made a donut out of cardboard and how effective was it? Did it catch on fire? Did it work as a temporary solution?
In the early 1980s my first college regularly used donut s made from 1/8 or 1/4" Upson board, a cardboard-like material. However, it was my understanding that Upson board contained fire retardant, and while there was sometimes minor "charring," never any smoking or visible flames. Also this was in die-cast radial Century Leko s with incandescent (non-T/H) lamps that didn't get nearly as not as axial 360Q s. We used Roscolene and Cinemoid after all.

My high school theater doesn’t have much of a budget to speak of and we are having some problems with our Altmans and a very noticeable halo ring appearing.
Does anyone else have any other solutions to that blasted halo?
As has been mentioned half-hat or tophat probably more likely to fix the problem than a donut. I've never used a donut for any purpose other than to sharpen a gobo.

I might try cardboard, just to prove to myself it's worth making a bunch of donuts out of a more suitable material.
 
In the early 1980s my first college regularly used donut s made from 1/8 or 1/4" Upson board, a cardboard-like material. However, it was my understanding that Upson board contained fire retardant, and while there was sometimes minor "charring," never any smoking or visible flames. Also this was in die-cast radial Century Leko s with incandescent (non-T/H) lamps that didn't get nearly as not as axial 360Q s. We used Roscolene and Cinemoid after all.

As has been mentioned half-hat or tophat probably more likely to fix the problem than a donut. I've never used a donut for any purpose other than to sharpen a gobo.

I might try cardboard, just to prove to myself it's worth making a bunch of donuts out of a more suitable material.
I believe an LD I know once made them out of File folders. Makes an interesting baking smell.
 
Many suggestions here are rooted in good, common sense abeck. I've used cardboard in a pinch and was nervous as a cat as I stood next to that fixture during a brief awards presentation. I would NEVER have walked away from that fixture with a cardboard donut in place. Never.

Pie tins, flashing and foil will all work, and may be worth a try. We developed ThinLine donuts for budget-challenged theatres and rental houses which often have their donuts lost or, *ahem, stolen.
No need to buy black spray paint and smell them 'bake off' when first used in your space.
Apollo ThinLine Donuts
MSRP is $86 with most dealers selling quite below that suggested price. They're durable and won't kill someone below if dropped from the grid or electric!
Many suggestions here are rooted in good, common sense abeck. I've used cardboard in a pinch and was nervous as a cat as I stood next to that fixture during a brief awards presentation. I would NEVER have walked away from that fixture with a cardboard donut in place. Never.

Pie tins, flashing and foil will all work, and may be worth a try. We developed ThinLine donuts for budget-challenged theatres and rental houses which often have their donuts lost or, *ahem, stolen.
No need to buy black spray paint and smell them 'bake off' when first used in your space.
Apollo ThinLine Donuts
MSRP is $86 with most dealers selling quite below that suggested price. They're durable and won't kill someone below if dropped from the grid or electric!
@Kelite and @GreyWyvern $86.00 EACH or an economy pack of 100? Do your Thinline donuts have a small hole with concentric perforations for enlarging as / when necessary?? While we're kabitzing, how's your printed gel / color media coming along, have you shipping date to announce???
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
 
@Kelite and @GreyWyvern $86.00 EACH or an economy pack of 100? Do your Thinline donuts have a small hole with concentric perforations for enlarging as / when necessary?? While we're kabitzing, how's your printed gel / color media coming along, have you shipping date to announce???
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard



That's for a 10 pack of donuts, my apologies! XD
 

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