Gobos

lighttechie5948

Active Member
Hello. My Name is Joseph Naftal, and I am the Lighting Designer for the East Islip High School. We have somewhere between 100 and 200 Gobos. I brought up the idea that we sort the gobos in a binder. I looked at the price for a binder and floppy disk sheets and it would be around $40. I was wondering if there is a lighting gobo organizer, and if so how much does it cost? Thank You.


Thanks,
Joseph Naftal
Lighting Designer
East Islip High School
 
I had never thought of that idea before, but it sounds like a really good one and I might just have to steal that idea. I can't think of anything better. I would attach a white piece of construction paper to the back of each sheet of gobos.
 
That method works very well, and keeps the gobos in very good shape.
 
Ya know, You can find some great deals on CD binders, things that'll hold 100 CDs for under $20 Might that be cheaper ? It is a great idea for organization.

P.S. Let me add that is absolutly one of the nicest posts I've seen. Polite, to the point. You get 3 gold stars and an "Atta boy!" from me.
 
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Given there is often more than one of a specific gobo in a type, (say four of the same forest pattern) how well does the CD organizer work for this application is my curiosity? Interesting idea still in something that should work well as long as nobody takes it home for the night.


For me, I store my gobos in a latching pre-cut gel file storage box (amongst many storage boxes with dividers for pre-cut gel) that I use for 3" Fresnels and 3.1/2" gels. Same basic size and I use cardboard or 1/8" plywood dividers to seperate between types and numbers, than the a computer to track what I have. Could be old school in such a concept pre-dating CD's.
 
I like the idea of a CD holder. Ship, I would see no reason why you couldn't put up to say, 5 or 10 gobos into one sleeve, so at the max i'd say 2 or 4 sleeves for a single gobo type.

The only other way I have seen was a theater that used small manilla folders (just bigger then the gobo). They photocopied the gobo and taped that to the front of the folder (so you can see what the gobo looks like) and also included company and number. The gobos were then filed numerically.

What theoretically that worked well, it was hard to keep neat. I would suggest the CD idea, but also on the front part (where people usually put album art) take a photocopy of the gobo and write company and number. This will help you find what your looking for quicker and easier.


I also applaud your post, by the way!
 
I would say go with the cd case, or a cd binder if you want. Just put one in, or maybe 2. I know sometimes like leaf patterns will tangle with each other (with really thin designs) so they would have to be separated. WHat I would do to label them, is just put them in alphabetical order of what they are, (all of the strange break-up patterns just go in the back), and then just have an inventory list of them, and maybe what page are they in (if in binder, and numbered...)
That may be going a little bit over in organization, but that's the way I personally like to do it...
 
Measure the size of gobo you want to organize then head to your local sports card shop. Talk with the owner about the variety of plastic sheets they can order. There are a lot of other sizes than just the standard baseball card size available even if they don't typically cary them. I believe a 4 pocket sheet fit's 3 1/2 X 5... which would be just about right for a "B" size gobo. You should be able to get them at about 3 sheets for $1. Buy yourself a cheap binder and you are set.
 
P.S. Let me add that is absolutly one of the nicest posts I've seen. Polite, to the point. You get 3 gold stars and an "Atta boy!" from me.

Not to hijack the thread, but you can rate the thread! Up at the top of the thread, to the right, there's a little link (actually a drop down menu), that says "Rate Thread" Just click it and select between 1 and 5 "stars".

Now, back to your regularly scheduled Gobo discussion. :)
 
We use little boxes and have an alphabetized organization system. There are two boxes, one for the first half of the alphabet, and the other for the second. We also have a gobo index so that we know what the gobo is called and what it looks like so that it is easy to find. In each section, there is an envelope about the size of an index card that holds the gobos. Though it doesn't allow you to view them, it works pretty well for us. And the boxes are the kind that fit our organization system in the E-Shed (electrics shed), so that's just perfect for us.
 
When theaters are purchasing a number of steel gobos and need sturdy organizational system, we often go to the 'Black Box'. The only real picture I can offer is the line drawing from the order form, but you'll get the basic idea and layout of the ABS black plastic box with lid. There are a number of compartments that contain notecards for labeling, which aids in finding breakups, clouds, foliage, and the like.

http://download.internetapollo.com/Default.aspx?id=76

You'll find the .pdf here, which contains the picture.
 
cd the case sounds the best otherwise ive seen card catalog setup like from a library. basically a small and long filing box
 
Great thread, I've seen the afore mentioned Floppy Sheet Binder idea used in many theaters. However, as we all know gobos get burned and warped and will eventually not be happy sitting inside of a floppy-sized pocket. I would suggest a cd-case like the rest of 'yall. I actually found at staples the other day a 64-pocket CD case modeled after a road-case! Multiple units stacked up in a corner, labled by manufacturue and #? They won't bite the dust like many over stuffed cloth cd cases. Anyone else seen these things?
 
Great thread, I've seen the afore mentioned Floppy Sheet Binder idea used in many theaters. However, as we all know gobos get burned and warped and will eventually not be happy sitting inside of a floppy-sized pocket. I would suggest a cd-case like the rest of 'yall. I actually found at staples the other day a 64-pocket CD case modeled after a road-case! Multiple units stacked up in a corner, labled by manufacturue and #? They won't bite the dust like many over stuffed cloth cd cases. Anyone else seen these things?

I think I bought the same one a little while back. paid 9.99 for it at Fred Meyers. the outside is Thin Gauge aluminium pressed to look like Diamond plate. Holds 64 cds and is what I keep my show archives in at home.
 
I have found that CD cases, as many of you have suggested, is a good way to store multipule amounts of Gobos. Perhaps divide the case into segments - i.e. scatter/breakup for the first 1/4, then forest/leaf in the second quarter and so on. For specials like a city scene or a specially designed gobo, perhaps keep it in an A4 folder with white construction paper beind it.

Its up to you really and what feels comfortable and works with your storage!
 
Just a note. This discussion has focused on organizing a lot of gobos. If you've only got a few to deal with then I recommend your basic 4X6 index card file box. Then use 4X6 cards as dividers. It's a simple solution if you're only dealing with say less than 50 gobos. Also try to keep the original plastic sleeve they come in from the factory... if they do come in a sleeve.

Back to my baseball card sheets. I bet you could cut them up and use them in some sort of filing box. Depending on the brand of plastic sheet, some have double "welded" seams which would make this a slick solution to replacing those nifty factory sleeves the gobos come in.
 
We use the 4x6 index cards to split things up. But all we really have it defined by is "breakup" and "trees" not the best way to do it. I just means that you have to search and see what we have.
 
We use the 4x6 index cards to split things up. But all we really have it defined by is "breakup" and "trees" not the best way to do it. I just means that you have to search and see what we have.

Use the 4X6 cards to separate gobo types and use smaller 3X5's to separate gobos of the same type from sticking together. Lable the 4X6 what type it is.
 
we have a 2 drawer file cabinet that we use to orginize gels, so we just took about 10 extra folders and put the gobo's in there. we sort them by catagory such as hard break up, soft break up, stars, trees, etc.
 

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