Labeling instruments?

Re: Marking Lighting Instruments for Inventory

There was always talks about this at the last place I worked. They had gotten an inventory system software that did barcode. I said that was a good concept we should use if for our lighting inventory. I was going to ziptie and gromet a label and zip tie it to the back of each fixture. All I would have to do is write down the number and go check the computer to see what this fixture had been through.

I think a sharpie or grease pen would work temporarily. The other thing would stencil and high temp spray paint.
 
Re: Marking Lighting Instruments for Inventory

We have a very similar setup. ours are marked on the yolk with a paint pen. Lekos have about 3"-4" of the yolk spray painted for color code so it's easy to tell the less educated to grab an orange one, or blue one, or whatever. They are numbered by degree and fixture number, so a 30 degree is 30xx. Fresnels get an F6xx for 6" fresnels and an F8xx for 8" fresnels.
 
Re: Marking Lighting Instruments for Inventory

I usually see labels/stickers on the yoke, not on the housing.
 
Re: Marking Lighting Instruments for Inventory

I've bought a lot of retired rental gear in the past and I've also seen most identifying markings placed on the yoke. I would pick the side with the most free space and standardize for all instruments. A silver sharpie works, but a paint pen would probably hold up against wear better. I think a grease pencil would wear off eventually. The yoke will see high temperatures but nothing extreme, so nothing to really worry about there. Hang tags are a good idea, but I'd be concerned about them getting torn off.
 
Re: Marking Lighting Instruments for Inventory

I was going to go with the yokes but I felt incase something happend to the yoke then I would have to relabel. Which isn't horrible but time consuming.
 
Re: Marking Lighting Instruments for Inventory

much depends on you operations, do the fixtures get loaned or rented to other venues? do you need to see your mark or ID from a distance, or just when you have your hands on the fixture.
To me it is important that an ID mark looks neat and professional. Any marking will likely be with that fixture till it ends up in the landfill or recycle bin. I recently came across some units that I stenciled 40 years ago.
I would save the markers for the accessory's like frames, clamps and cable. use a stencil with high heat spray paint on the fixture. practice a bit on a scrap surface till you get consistent results. (use masking tape)
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you may want to develop your own venue stencil that can be seen at a distance. So you can easily find your units when visiting venues that you have loaned equipment to.

it will also help to keep like fixtures within a certian number range IE,
50 deg #1-10
36 deg #11-50
26 deg #51-70
19 deg #71-100
 
Re: Marking Lighting Instruments for Inventory

I've never felt the need to do this with conventionals. Unique serial numbers for moving lights? Sure, they have more parts that wear sooner and have manufacturer recommended maintenance schedules. It makes sense in Australia because they have mandated yearly testing. For me, trying to have unique numbers for a stock of conventionals is just wasting time and creating more work. It's probably the kind of time waster I'd come up with if I had a cushy house ME gig. If I had a huge PRG sized inventory, then I would go to barcodes. Overall I just think it ends up working like the high school senior prank of getting 4 pigs, painting 1 2 4 & 5 on them, and letting them loose in the school. I'm satisfied just to have the owners name on the light, an accurate inventory count, barrels color coded by degree, and the yoke labelled to indicate wattage.

With Source 4 Ellipsoidals, most of the time don't bother putting the degree on the body, just the lens tube. Lens tubes will get swapped and confusion will ensue. If you really must have the degree on the body, don't paint it on, use a label. I know some rental shops use the partitioned cases that don't let you see barrel degree without pulling out the instrument. In this case, a labelled yoke makes sense, but again, the label should not be permanent.

For those older ellipsoidals that cannot swap barrels, its ok to label the yoke with degree, but be aware that yokes sometimes do get swapped, and this can again lead to confusion.

On Source 4 PARs, don't bother putting the lens spread on the body, lenses will get swapped and confusion will ensue. If you really must label it, please use tape, and not paint.

If you do have different wattages in the same style of fixture (for example, 375, 575, 750), find a way to mark this. Some people use color codes on the caps or yokes, others just write the wattage on a small piece of white gaff or e tape. IF the fixture can use different wattage lamps, and most can, don't paint it on permanently.

Whats more important is to get broken equipment out of service, into a specified broken equipment holding area, and then actually fix it. Hang tags are great to keep on hand to specify an instruments problems while waiting for maintenance, but most places just use white gaff. The hardest part of any system of tracking and maintenance is just getting people to care. I fortunately have an advantage in the fact that if someone doesn't follow my venues rules, I don't have to hire them again. I try to hire the people that care about my equipment like it was their own. These people usually end up being the better electricians in town anyway. I don't think that is a coincidence.

I'm sorry for ranting. These strong feelings are born out of years of work in educational settings, as well as working with inventories built from other peoples used gear and the pain from having to deal with their methods of labeling.
 
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Re: Marking Lighting Instruments for Inventory

I'm with Gaff on this one. I don't see the need to track units to the extent that they have individual ID numbers.

I know the inventories of the 2 spaces. If I loan stuff between theaters, I know what went where, but could care less to know ID numbers. If a unit needs repair, I can take a spare from storage but will fix the broken almost immediately and put it into storage. There's not much about a fixture that needs to be tracked to that level of detail - socket bad ?, OK, pull a spare cap out of storage and swap it. Then fix the cap. We do a thorough cleaning once a year of all 500+ fixtures and will go after problems if they crop up during the year, but other then that, the fixtures can go anywhere and knowing ID numbers and how they moved about during the year is just useless information.

I did this year, label my S4 ellipsoidal barrels with 2 color coded dots on the sides of the gel frame holder, Blue, Yellow, Red and Green for 50, 36, 26 and 19, so as to make it easier to see the type of barrel (and fixture) without having to hunt for the ETC degree label. That does make it easier to see and helps eliminate problems. As with gaff, I do not label S4 Pars as the lenses swap a lot. I'd rather train the electricians to be good at knowing the different lenses by looking at them.
 
As someone who does have their equipment labeled, with a bar code system and individual asset numbers, I ask why also. My equipment is used at various venues all over, and not in theatrical situation, so it's important for me to keep track of what leaves the shop and what comes back. For me, I also track what is getting repaired, and when. Helps me identify contractors who might be less diligent in taking care of things. As for cables, etc., as an old boss said, "the only reason we label the cables is so the thief will know who they stole them from."

But to label all your equipment if it never leaves the venue is pointless, IMO. Unless you're within an organization which requires everything be labeled with an asset tag. But since you're asking I'm guessing the request isn't coming from some administrator.
 
For S4's i sugest you inventory the fixture and lens tube separately.

For everything else at my school the in house ME used paint pens on the yoke and that seemed to work just fine.

JH



I COMPLETELY agree with this post! For ERS fixtures, label the Lens tube as many fixtures can use interchangeable lens trains with one fixture housing. Don't ever label the yoke or lamp housing as that part changes based on what lens train is inserted. Use Paint pens, or cardboard templates and high temp spray paint. Ignore the yoke, and don't use tape as it turns goey as you point out.
 
As I read this thread, I see a lot of different, conflicting suggestions. I think what is missing is the reason for wanting to label. The OP said that he had been told to label them, but not the problem that he is trying to solve. What problem he is trying to solve affects the right labeling method.

For example:
If you want to know at a glance what the beam spread is, clearly label the tube with the beam spread ( assuming modern ellipsoidal).
If you want to know what the wattage in the fixture is, put a tag on the burner ( that you can change if you change the wattage).
If you want to know how many shows a reflector, shutter assembly have been through for maintenance - put an ID on the fixture .
If you want to make sure you get back 'your' fixtures when you loan them out or rent them, put your name ( and maybe number) on the body or yoke.
if you want to know which hanging locations require more maintenance, put an ID on the body.
If you want to keep notes on each fixture showing how 'good' it is in terms of focus, etc. Label the lens tube, body, and lamp housing.
etc. etc. etc.

To the OP - what problem are you trying to solve?
 
Why not go all out and use RFID?
 

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