making your own gobos

If you cut gobo sized circles out of radiator covers you can get a really cool effect.
This has been mentioned before, kevinz. BTW, Welcome to the Booth.:)

Lest anyone think it's a new idea, read Joe Tawil's words from this article: Live Design: Joe Tawil.

Custom patterns had been around and there were off-the-shelf products made by both Kliegl and Century, basically radiator grills, cut into round cookies. It was something you did for television, because the large, plain backgrounds would undulate unless you put something back there, like a breakup pattern.
 
Have a look at this collaborative article DIY Gobos

I want to add that if there ever was a topic that needs EVERYONE to jump in and help write this is it. So don't just check it out, join the collaboration and add your tricks and tips. Then the next time someone asks this question we'll have every trick imaginable all in one spot.
 
can gobos be laser cut, or is the edge not clean enough? lasermarkers that can cut thin material have become so cheap alot of community colleges have them now if they have a machining program.
 
can gobos be laser cut, or is the edge not clean enough? lasermarkers that can cut thin material have become so cheap alot of community colleges have them now if they have a machining program.

Laser cutting is a preferred method as there is far less waste. Apollo cuts all fo their patters with laser equipment. You could probably cut your own on laser devices like VesaLaser.
 
I have had luck with roofing flashing for gobos, but it can be hard to cut with an exacto knife. I was able to get a pile of scrap printers lithoplate metal and that has been working great for us so far. It is a bit thinner and easier to cut than roof flashing, and seems to stand up well to the heat so far.
 
I once made some aperture gobos from aluminum flashing and used them in several 360Q 6x12's. They worked well for the purpose but I did notice a little melting on a few when I was restoring the plot after the 2-week run. One even had a drip/run.

Source Four's (and the like) do run cooler than the 360Q, but you will still run in to issues over time, especially with thinner gauge aluminum such as pie tins.
 
12 years and it keeps going. That alone is fascinating. (I made a lot of pie tins in the 70's, bought since; and love you can use almost anything in the gate of an LED profile, even acetate that has been run through a printer.)
 

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