I just started using the first batch of GE stage lamps I have had in several years. The lamps don't have any plastic wrapping or foam rubber to handle them with. They are hard to handle if you aren't prepared with clean gloves or something. I've never seen such poor packaging from one of the leading lamp manufacturers. That will weigh in my next purchase decision.
Naked in the box
- Thread starterFMEng
- Start date
techieman33
Well-Known Member
Weird, most of our have had something in the box. I usually don't care either way as I'm going to clean the lamp with an alcohol wipe anyway.
FEL 1000 Watt, made in Hungary. I never had a need to use gloves, wipes, or anything to handle lamps before.
I "baby sat" 230 Strand Century 2200 series ellipsoidals including 2204, 2209, 2212, 2216, and the unusual 2112. (Plus a dozen Strand Cantata zooms) Received them brand new in factory sealed cartons in the summer of '90 and fed them nothing but GE FEL's until I moved on between Christmas and New Years of '92. Virtually every lamp arrived with a plastic glove which I NEVER used. Our initial lamp order included 300 GE FEL's to cover spares for our first season's operation and I NEVER used the gloves. I also only handled the lamps by their bases and built a pair of simple "tools" for fully seating the lamps in the sockets. (I've elaborated on the "tools" here before and will again upon request.) I never allowed my fingers to glance against the quartz glass envelopes.
Lamps would occasionally die dramatic deaths, usually from eventual filament sag touching the envelope, but I always felt not contaminating the envelopes with bodily fluids and avoiding mechanical shocks, especially when lit, coupled with ensuring every lamp was fully inserted in its socket were the "secrets" of our excellent lamp and socket life.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.
Doug Lowthian
Active Member
I honestly thought this thread was going to be about some light operator in the tech booth doing....I don't know what. 
JonathanHarpur
Member
Incidents of unwanted booth visits during shows by bored, distracting, and noisy rabble dropped dramatically after I made it clear that my booth was "Pants-Optional."
Not that I'd take -mine- off. It's hella cold in there.
But perhaps knowing that they had a choice to make before entering was enough to dissuade the idly curious.
Not that I'd take -mine- off. It's hella cold in there.
But perhaps knowing that they had a choice to make before entering was enough to dissuade the idly curious.
Many brands for years now package lamps differently in an ever changing type of thing. I have never seen the gloves packaged with a lamp but am familiar with the foam or bags for the lamps.
First the spare lamp has to get to the fixture in say dropping or shipping by way of breaking. Than yes, how to install the lamp if you don't have alcohol pads provided or on hand to clean it - even if you were careful in not touching it. Some brands of lamp package boxes won't survive the drop test. Some boxes are more mold resistant also when they get damp.
Sometimes bags get left on the lamp - seen that a few times, or even the foam falls into the reflector area - and just kind of left in there somehow. Seen that also at least once. But those are the better options for doing the lamp install assuming the box protects the lamp suffient to get to the fixture in getting dropped.
Yes I pay more for lamps with better packaging and even consider how it's installed and you are correct to do so also. But on-site, everyone shoud be able to clean the lamp upon install for the just in case. Denatured alcohol in a spray bottle and clean room wipes, Brawny lint free towels, lens cleaning wipes, isopropal alcohol wipes from a first aid kit, or extra wipes from moving light lamps - even if old and dry given a sprayer should always be on hand to clean.
A good training concept for those changing the lamps is to instruct in how to change the lamp, completely touch that lamp in explain of not to do so - and by the way this lamp is now dirty. Than provide the materials and training in cleaning the lamp. This way it's not assumed something out of a box is cleaned, and cleaning the lamp does get done properly and with training.
First the spare lamp has to get to the fixture in say dropping or shipping by way of breaking. Than yes, how to install the lamp if you don't have alcohol pads provided or on hand to clean it - even if you were careful in not touching it. Some brands of lamp package boxes won't survive the drop test. Some boxes are more mold resistant also when they get damp.
Sometimes bags get left on the lamp - seen that a few times, or even the foam falls into the reflector area - and just kind of left in there somehow. Seen that also at least once. But those are the better options for doing the lamp install assuming the box protects the lamp suffient to get to the fixture in getting dropped.
Yes I pay more for lamps with better packaging and even consider how it's installed and you are correct to do so also. But on-site, everyone shoud be able to clean the lamp upon install for the just in case. Denatured alcohol in a spray bottle and clean room wipes, Brawny lint free towels, lens cleaning wipes, isopropal alcohol wipes from a first aid kit, or extra wipes from moving light lamps - even if old and dry given a sprayer should always be on hand to clean.
A good training concept for those changing the lamps is to instruct in how to change the lamp, completely touch that lamp in explain of not to do so - and by the way this lamp is now dirty. Than provide the materials and training in cleaning the lamp. This way it's not assumed something out of a box is cleaned, and cleaning the lamp does get done properly and with training.
BillConnerFASTC
Well-Known Member
I was called to a high school in upstate NY to look at possible renovations and stepped into unlit follow spot/projection booth to find a student couple in flagrante delicto.I honestly thought this thread was going to be about some light operator in the tech booth doing....I don't know what.
You have much more fun, I stepped into a remote controlled follow spot area in the ceiling at a school and found somehow, someone turned off the breakers in why they were not working.... and oh' by the way they work fine and I quickly bench focused the one that was out of focus for free. Guess that explains and defeats the purpose in calling us to fix their follow spots that internally look too good for me to even service call. Amazing high school theater to visit - way advanced in concepts for a new theater... had some other real problems to fix but they were all contractor based in solutions.
JonathanHarpur
Member
EdSavoie
Well-Known Member
Oooh, that's bad. Then again, our head of the arts has caught people who decided to frolick "pants optional" in the upstairs backstage room on many an occasion during his career. xD
As for lamps, we've got 1000W Strand Century Axial Lekolites loaded with Osram FELs, they've only ever come with the minimalist "Do not remove until Lamped" paper kinda wrapped around the quartz
As for lamps, we've got 1000W Strand Century Axial Lekolites loaded with Osram FELs, they've only ever come with the minimalist "Do not remove until Lamped" paper kinda wrapped around the quartz
Lyle Williams
Well-Known Member
WooferHound
Well-Known Member
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