Gobos- How to make

[photoatdv]

Anybody know how to easily and cheaply make steel gobos? Every year I do a few show-without-a-budget type things that we REALLY need gobos for.

(Or Kelite could just donate some to us...)

 

[LekoBoy]

Get yourself some heavy-duty disposable cookie sheets and and an eXacto knife and have yourself a time.

Before Apollo and others made the cost of custom steel gobos affordable, many kits and instructions were available involving sheet stock, resist media, and acid-etching. Most provided only marginal results and the cost of materials rivaled purchasing stock steel patterns.

Consider borrowing or renting for a nominal free, gobos from a nearby H.S., College, Community, or Professional Theatre. We could even start a "Gobo Exchange" right here on CB.
"Got any Medium Breakups?"
"Go phish."

 

[quarterfront]

Before Apollo and others made the cost of custom steel gobos affordable, many kits and instructions were available involving sheet stock, resist media, and acid-etching. Most provided only marginal results and the cost of materials rivaled purchasing stock steel patterns.

Yeah, the results were pretty marginal. Cost of materials was pretty low though. I used muriatic acid and water to etch, Krylon crystal clear spray paint as the resist and old printers plates as the metal stock. I managed one good gobo, once. The rest pretty much blew.

Heavy cookie sheets from the grocery and an exacto are another story. As long as you don't want to make "Summer Leaves" or a venitian blind gobo you can do pretty good. Enjoy!