Gaff it?
- Thread starterCharc
- Start date
You know, while I absolutely understand the need to make your cabling as safe as possible, there's this little part of me that says "Why bother?" I've seen dancers trip on a tape line holding down a dance floor, at nearly every dance show I've ever worked!
There's a reason we call those instruments on the floor trees "Shin Busters", "Knee Knockers", "Crotch Kickers", etc.
I used to be the company stage manager for a ballet company, and the worst story I heard (it was before my time) was about a line of dancers with their hands on the waist of the girl in front of them. They bent over at the waist and backed off stage at speed into the wings. The one leading the pack took the corner of a gell frame on a Leko right in the kidney. It wasn't pretty...
Although I love the holy tape, I never gaff cable. If it's loose split the pins, it's a sign of poor electrical contact so it needs to be done. I have a 2 cubits worth of tieline (peace through cubits) choked around the female end of all cables. I can secure the female end to the batten or whatever is near in a way that the male end is not going to fall out. For example tie it so it lies flat on top of the batten.
If the connection needs to hang out in space where there is no where to secure the connection I do the following:
-plug the two ends together
-bring the tie line across from the female connector's cable to the base of the male connector
-wrap both ends of the line around the cable twice and tie a nice bow.
If the connection needs to hang out in space where there is no where to secure the connection I do the following:
-plug the two ends together
-bring the tie line across from the female connector's cable to the base of the male connector
-wrap both ends of the line around the cable twice and tie a nice bow.
Would that be a traditional 18-inch cubit or the distance from the tip of your middle finger to your elbow?
I was taught to do the same thing (which I do), and as for loose connections, I always split the pins (I have a small Proto flat blade screwdriver on my keychain that I use for just that purpose).
Choked, as in Lark's Head?
Too easily removed, in my opinion. I prefer either a square knot, or clove hitch finished with a half hitch. And yes, always on the female end.
For the past sixty years, movie gaffers have used sash cord, with the knot covered by friction tape.
Yes a lark's head. My cable doesn't move very far and some times I want that knot of tie line a little closer or a little farther from the connector, so I prefer the looser lark's head.
As for the length of the cubit. I put the tip of the rope in my hand, wrap around the elbow and bring it back up to my hand and cut. There was a lot of joking about Metric vs. Imperial measurement here a year or so back and in jest we decided we could all get along by using cubits as God intended. But the truth is two cubits is just about the perfect length for tie line. It's a little long at times but you never run out of line when you have a bunch of cable to tie to in an odd space. Peace through Cubits
quarterfront
Member
+1
Now, to be honest, we do measure them to 36" when we cut a batch.
Remember, Charc is an "all or nothing" kind of guy, living in a black and white world. It's either safe, or it's not. Do or die.
Go Hard or Go Home!
Sayen
Active Member
This is where we need to start training performers. Teach them the basics of what's backstage, and not to touch anything. My high school actors know enough not to touch cables - we don't tape down any more than we need to for safety now, and I haven't had problems for a long time. But I swear, every other group and outside rental lets performers run around and amuck through my theater, tearing everything up. I hate to generalize, but...sheesh! If my hyperactive performance centered adolescents can pull it off, anyone can.You know, while I absolutely understand the need to make your cabling as safe as possible, there's this little part of me that says "Why bother?" I've seen dancers trip on a tape line holding down a dance floor, at nearly every dance show I've ever worked!
I do have a great email from one of my renters, who was onstage while I wasn't at the theater. The wing floodlights were on, but no direct lights overstage. The renter emailed to tell me dancers were tripping in the dark...on a flat, bare stage!
+1 for pin splitting. But there are situations where gaffing is well worth it.
~Dave
~Dave
Here's one at Production Advantage for $21.41 You'll have a hard time beating that price.
It's "pin SpLitter," and the definition can be found in our glossary, courtesy of Gafftaper.
A "pin spitter" is the wardrobe person who does costume fittings.
STEVETERRY
Well-Known Member
So, perhaps I'm feeling my age, but when I was an active production electrician, the idea of using gaffers tape on connectors was anathema. Tape adhesive residue and mess! A much better alternative from the dark ages was Bulldog brand friction tape, which dry-adhered to itself but was easily removable from a connector pair.
Has this gone out of fashion? If so, I wonder why?
ST
Has this gone out of fashion? If so, I wonder why?
ST
Stage pin connectors today have THREE pins, Mr. Terry.
I've never heard of friction tape to hold connectors together, only for hodding. Perhaps gaffers tape had not yet been invented?
Many years ago, a "tip" in Theatre Crafts or somewhere suggested making 1" wide rubber bands from a tire's innertube to hold square-bodied pin connectors together. I don't think anyone even makes square-bodied pin connectors anymore, so that's out. I stick by my initial reaction--if the pins are split properly, there's no reason to tape connectors. Except for a tour or shop prep situtation where one doesn't want the local hands undoing any more connections than they have to, in which case electrical tape is used, without a courtesy tab, specifically to make unplugging more difficult.
Was it possible your events were longer term ?, where the glue in gaff tape would heat up and leave a residue. In those scenarios, friction tape is a better choice, just takes longer to apply, as you have to make multiple passes to get layers. We still use friction for 12/3 bundles that are going to be handled, will use tie-wraps for other bundles.
Steve B.
waynehoskins
Active Member
I too avoid gaffing the connectors when at all possible. The only times I've seen it necessary (and this was chiefly when I was at a road house) were with modern Union-branded connectors. They, or at least the ones we had, were loose as anything, and just looking at the connectors would cause the two to come loose.
I found that Unions are very loose, Bateses are excessively tight, and Roscos are in-between.
Tape goes on cables for two purposes:
- circuit numbers on both ends, in Sharpie on white gaff, board, or masking tape
- color-coded e-tape on the cable itself, just back from the connectors, indicating the length of the cable.
I've always been a fan of two cubits' worth of tie line on the female end. I used to just choke it on (it is "toggle hitch", right?), but at the high school the stupid children would always remove that tie line at strike too, making a pile of cables with no tie line on them. I'm so going to have to use the clove hitch backed with a half-hitch on these now (I make the clove a little loose so it can move around a little bit, solving that problem).
I found that Unions are very loose, Bateses are excessively tight, and Roscos are in-between.
Tape goes on cables for two purposes:
- circuit numbers on both ends, in Sharpie on white gaff, board, or masking tape
- color-coded e-tape on the cable itself, just back from the connectors, indicating the length of the cable.
I've always been a fan of two cubits' worth of tie line on the female end. I used to just choke it on (it is "toggle hitch", right?), but at the high school the stupid children would always remove that tie line at strike too, making a pile of cables with no tie line on them. I'm so going to have to use the clove hitch backed with a half-hitch on these now (I make the clove a little loose so it can move around a little bit, solving that problem).
waynehoskins
Active Member
For me, the colored tape indicating length goes on both ends. By putting it on both ends, it somewhat allows you to, from either end, to say "of these two cables, this is the one that goes to here". It also lets you, when pulling it from a pile of spaghetti, determine that it's a 100-footer rather than the 50-footer you were looking for.
I'm also halfway inclined to put tie line on the male end too, to aid in tying that end up too without having to search for another piece of tie line because what came down last time got thrown away (which you just found about when starting to hang this show).
