Got an old Kliegl DynaBeam from my high school some years ago. Been in storage where I work most of those years. Before that, lobby sculpture at my old theater with a dream of popping it up on the roof and plugging it in as a search light. Something about a) lifting it up there, b) plugging it in, c) getting a permit to do so stood in the way - wiring of the fixture was not an issue yet.
Finally one of the owners where I work was walking about the storage building and for some reason my spot was un-burried from amongst the stuff. Asked if he would be willing to put this fixture in the front lobby as sculputre - it is a lighting company afterall. Seems he had already seen it and was wondering who owned this fixture... Yes to the lobby sculpture. This thing is cool.
Not busy in my department at the moment so I wheeled it across the parking lot and into my work area for a clean up.
Eight hours later, head to toe cleaned, a few minor repairs and oiled. Only major changes was to the wiring. New fixture cord for grounding & de-asbestosing and replacing with 250c Teflon coated fiberglass instead. One other improvement to it, darned reflector had like 1.1/2" of clearance between it and the frame, had to remove the nuts holding it on by hand in this small space. Once the reflector was removed - nice convient panel in the frame that comes out easily to do so, the first thing I did was to install some rivet nuts in these locations to mount the reflector without needing to get a wrench in that tight space again.
In cleaning an older fixture that has a textured flat black paint finish to it, one will find that an innitial general pourpose cleaner no matter how many you do won't remove the dirt. IN some way the old paint is dry and retains moisture thus dirt. Need to moisten the paint as it were for it to release the dirt. I use Tri-Flo Lubricant for this. Rated at a good temperature as a type of oil so it's not going to start smoking that much - will some, and performs under heat well. So first I use a general pourpose cleaner such as Formula 409', than go to the oil, than another cleaning with the 409' to get the dirt off my surface. As seen in the photos' like new inspite of being really dirty initially.
Lenses were taken home and put in the dish washer with a fresh coating of jet dry. The step lens didn't have a problem with the cleaning inspite of it's painted inside edges.
Lamp didn't have a brand name on it but it did list the date of 4/1/68 written inside the lamp at the base. Curious place to write it - hard place to write it yet there it was seemingly. They don't make this lamp any longer, this one meters out. Note in the photos the wire screen collector gird below the filament. Also if possible how the axis of the lamp filament lays perpendicular to how any radial Leko lamp sits in filament orientation. Normally the square filament sits roughly perpendicular to the line of axis in the fixture. This one sits parallel to it with the littlest amount of the filament directly visible to the lens/gate. Instead, most of it is only reflected.
Lamp base was interesting - lamp was blackening as if used a bit but still in great condition, in fact better than great condition given no arching or pitting on the lamp base assembly or it's pins. Lamp base was something similar to what's used in Mole Richardson 10Kw Fresnels, only this Kliegl design was using some asbestos heat sinks no longer in use in a differing design. The compressed asbestos heat sinks I'm not so worried about the fibers of, more that the very flakey wire and it's sleeving had to be replaced. On the lamp base, it was kind of amazing how little even heat damage this thing had other than on a metal strap. This given the 63' signature but a clearly used 1968 lamp in the fixture. Lamp base was in perfect condition - not new but only slight oxidation, no burning. Other than oiling the rust away, no work needed to be done to lamp base, and only a general cleaning to the lamp itself.
Fixture didn't have a date, just a serial number. On the other hand some high school early user of it did take pencil and sign his name and '63 on the rear portion of it. Seemingly the gel was Roscoline that was left in it, only seemingly thicker. Still in good condition however, not brittle and worked without melting in the later testing of the fixture.
Boxed the fixture back up, replaced a few missing screws, straightened out the wide flood flipper lens assembly & oiled everything... done.
Wasn't going to test the fixture, but given I was working on my follow spot during company time for like eight hours over a two day period, most people in the shop had become curious about it. With peer pressure I relented in lighting the sucker up finally. This worried about if a rare to find and very discontinued almost 40 year old used lamp would become worth almost zero dollars instanstly or if it was going to be spectacular. This much less in the squarrel fan if it would work or given cracking insulation over very cooked wiring I simply sleeved with silicone coated fiberglass, if it would work, short or something similar. Wiring to the fan is how old? Much less the motor on the fan not having anything done to it or worked at very least in the last 30 years??? Yep big risk.
So I made an adaptor for plugging it in and did so. On it switched, good switch very smooth and more even than that of a 5Kw Strand Bambino switch but similar in type, lamp came on & didn't explode. Quickly turned it off. Didn't hear the cooling fan & I don't want an overheat. Looked at the fan as it powered down and there it was spinning away. Amazing, this fan that's 40+ years old & has never been serviced or been working for at least the last 30 years was now working silently as good as new. I mean silently in being quieter than any other follow spot fan I have ever heard.
So turned it back on and tested all of it's features - even shined it into the design room for that part of the audience.
Shown is the results of what at about 50' this beam did. General concencious amongst a bunch of people including all those who prep our follow spots was this beam was about as bright as a Lycian 1272 with a 1.2Kw arc lamp instead of a incandescent and not even halogen 3Kw lamp - a used one at that. Same base color temperature and definately the luminous output. Granted no other follow spots were turned on but it was definately bright and intense. Everyone in the croud was impressed with this antique. Excellent fixture, if I could get a halogen equivolent, this fixture could still be used on stage without a problem. INstead it's now lobby sculpture where I work.
Lobby sculpture with the most amazing flip out wide angle lens I have ever seen & an amazing iris plate that saves the iris from burning while closed.
Below are the specs to the lamp and fixture.
Follow Spot: Kliegl Bros.#1179 w. Boomerang; Mog B.P., Mol: 11.3/8", L.C.L: 7.1/2", C-13D. Incd. 3,000W.
12" Lens; Lamp: 3M/T32/2, G.E. #22860; L5-30 Plug. 8,100 Lum. (5+2 Gel Frames)
3.5̊ Beam, 11.5̊ Field Angle. M.F.= 0.06 (100' Range: Spot - 6'Dia./90fc., Flood - 20'Dia./50fc.)
Lamp:
3M/T32/2 G.E. #22860 (disc.) 2/CL, Incd. (HRG) Low Noise 3 Kw T-32 c-13D LCL 7.1/2" Mog. Pf Base Up ±30̊, Collector Grid 3,150̊K 81,000 Lum 100 hrs lamp life
Finally one of the owners where I work was walking about the storage building and for some reason my spot was un-burried from amongst the stuff. Asked if he would be willing to put this fixture in the front lobby as sculputre - it is a lighting company afterall. Seems he had already seen it and was wondering who owned this fixture... Yes to the lobby sculpture. This thing is cool.
Not busy in my department at the moment so I wheeled it across the parking lot and into my work area for a clean up.
Eight hours later, head to toe cleaned, a few minor repairs and oiled. Only major changes was to the wiring. New fixture cord for grounding & de-asbestosing and replacing with 250c Teflon coated fiberglass instead. One other improvement to it, darned reflector had like 1.1/2" of clearance between it and the frame, had to remove the nuts holding it on by hand in this small space. Once the reflector was removed - nice convient panel in the frame that comes out easily to do so, the first thing I did was to install some rivet nuts in these locations to mount the reflector without needing to get a wrench in that tight space again.
In cleaning an older fixture that has a textured flat black paint finish to it, one will find that an innitial general pourpose cleaner no matter how many you do won't remove the dirt. IN some way the old paint is dry and retains moisture thus dirt. Need to moisten the paint as it were for it to release the dirt. I use Tri-Flo Lubricant for this. Rated at a good temperature as a type of oil so it's not going to start smoking that much - will some, and performs under heat well. So first I use a general pourpose cleaner such as Formula 409', than go to the oil, than another cleaning with the 409' to get the dirt off my surface. As seen in the photos' like new inspite of being really dirty initially.
Lenses were taken home and put in the dish washer with a fresh coating of jet dry. The step lens didn't have a problem with the cleaning inspite of it's painted inside edges.
Lamp didn't have a brand name on it but it did list the date of 4/1/68 written inside the lamp at the base. Curious place to write it - hard place to write it yet there it was seemingly. They don't make this lamp any longer, this one meters out. Note in the photos the wire screen collector gird below the filament. Also if possible how the axis of the lamp filament lays perpendicular to how any radial Leko lamp sits in filament orientation. Normally the square filament sits roughly perpendicular to the line of axis in the fixture. This one sits parallel to it with the littlest amount of the filament directly visible to the lens/gate. Instead, most of it is only reflected.
Lamp base was interesting - lamp was blackening as if used a bit but still in great condition, in fact better than great condition given no arching or pitting on the lamp base assembly or it's pins. Lamp base was something similar to what's used in Mole Richardson 10Kw Fresnels, only this Kliegl design was using some asbestos heat sinks no longer in use in a differing design. The compressed asbestos heat sinks I'm not so worried about the fibers of, more that the very flakey wire and it's sleeving had to be replaced. On the lamp base, it was kind of amazing how little even heat damage this thing had other than on a metal strap. This given the 63' signature but a clearly used 1968 lamp in the fixture. Lamp base was in perfect condition - not new but only slight oxidation, no burning. Other than oiling the rust away, no work needed to be done to lamp base, and only a general cleaning to the lamp itself.
Fixture didn't have a date, just a serial number. On the other hand some high school early user of it did take pencil and sign his name and '63 on the rear portion of it. Seemingly the gel was Roscoline that was left in it, only seemingly thicker. Still in good condition however, not brittle and worked without melting in the later testing of the fixture.
Boxed the fixture back up, replaced a few missing screws, straightened out the wide flood flipper lens assembly & oiled everything... done.
Wasn't going to test the fixture, but given I was working on my follow spot during company time for like eight hours over a two day period, most people in the shop had become curious about it. With peer pressure I relented in lighting the sucker up finally. This worried about if a rare to find and very discontinued almost 40 year old used lamp would become worth almost zero dollars instanstly or if it was going to be spectacular. This much less in the squarrel fan if it would work or given cracking insulation over very cooked wiring I simply sleeved with silicone coated fiberglass, if it would work, short or something similar. Wiring to the fan is how old? Much less the motor on the fan not having anything done to it or worked at very least in the last 30 years??? Yep big risk.
So I made an adaptor for plugging it in and did so. On it switched, good switch very smooth and more even than that of a 5Kw Strand Bambino switch but similar in type, lamp came on & didn't explode. Quickly turned it off. Didn't hear the cooling fan & I don't want an overheat. Looked at the fan as it powered down and there it was spinning away. Amazing, this fan that's 40+ years old & has never been serviced or been working for at least the last 30 years was now working silently as good as new. I mean silently in being quieter than any other follow spot fan I have ever heard.
So turned it back on and tested all of it's features - even shined it into the design room for that part of the audience.
Shown is the results of what at about 50' this beam did. General concencious amongst a bunch of people including all those who prep our follow spots was this beam was about as bright as a Lycian 1272 with a 1.2Kw arc lamp instead of a incandescent and not even halogen 3Kw lamp - a used one at that. Same base color temperature and definately the luminous output. Granted no other follow spots were turned on but it was definately bright and intense. Everyone in the croud was impressed with this antique. Excellent fixture, if I could get a halogen equivolent, this fixture could still be used on stage without a problem. INstead it's now lobby sculpture where I work.
Lobby sculpture with the most amazing flip out wide angle lens I have ever seen & an amazing iris plate that saves the iris from burning while closed.
Below are the specs to the lamp and fixture.
Follow Spot: Kliegl Bros.#1179 w. Boomerang; Mog B.P., Mol: 11.3/8", L.C.L: 7.1/2", C-13D. Incd. 3,000W.
12" Lens; Lamp: 3M/T32/2, G.E. #22860; L5-30 Plug. 8,100 Lum. (5+2 Gel Frames)
3.5̊ Beam, 11.5̊ Field Angle. M.F.= 0.06 (100' Range: Spot - 6'Dia./90fc., Flood - 20'Dia./50fc.)
Lamp:
3M/T32/2 G.E. #22860 (disc.) 2/CL, Incd. (HRG) Low Noise 3 Kw T-32 c-13D LCL 7.1/2" Mog. Pf Base Up ±30̊, Collector Grid 3,150̊K 81,000 Lum 100 hrs lamp life
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