Old theatre lights CAN be useful.

Now I have to apologize on Derek's behalf for his slew of comments today.

P.S.
'Dip has inspired a new thread topic.


1. But the cookies were fantastic...

2. Uh oh, what'd I do now?! And what thread?

3. Greenia, can I please use your "Have you hugged your Source Four today?" for my signature? :grin:
 
the photo shows a Strand Patt 243 2kw, ten inch fresnel I modified for to use a PAR 38 for a friend who is using it as a reading lamp.
 

Attachments

  • Picture 023.JPG
    Picture 023.JPG
    274.7 KB · Views: 1,173
Last edited:
On what spoiled planet is a Source Four considered an "old theatre light". I would kill for instruments half that 'old'.

Good job, you just tied up an item that would get you at least $150 on ebay to fill the role of a nine dollar table lamp.
 
But it's a darn cool "$150 table lamp."
 
On what spoiled planet is a Source Four considered an "old theatre light". I would kill for instruments half that 'old'.

Good job, you just tied up an item that would get you at least $150 on ebay to fill the role of a nine dollar table lamp.

Note that derekleffew merely attached a lamp socket to the yoke. The fixture can be easily converted back to theatrical use when he needs it for a plot.
 
I'm sure STEVETERRY and SteveB are turning over in their (would be) graves at the thought of the resurrection of this thread!:)
 
It is hard to tell in the photo but those are old 2K fresnels. The heat has been off in the theatre for two days (and won't be back on til sunday at the earliest but the outlook is tuesday) so we are doing everything we can to warm the place up. 16 2k Fresnels seem to heat the place up pretty well along with a few other space heaters. We managed to get the temp in the house up to 70˚ from around 50˚. We plan to do it all again tomorrow morning as we have a two show day tomorrow! It was an odd request, but hey, it worked!

photo.jpg
 
I think you should make some modifications. Mount the fixture on a base pointing straight up and mount the shade above that. Now you have a nice, diffuse 575 watt table lamp.

Would make a nice addition to Derek's lamp.
4912d1304308219-show-us-your-controlbooth-com-officecb.jpg
 
Yep, Derek and I will never - ever see the same way in some things. Converting S-4 fixtures to table lamps when so many theater's out there would trade or kill for such a thing is a sin. This also from a person that want's asbestos whips left on antique fixtures and no restoration done. Enigma but great friend. The S-4 isn't old, but on the other hand I will soon be adding a 575w version to the museum.

I have made surplus radial fixtures into 120v/250w MR-16 lights - remove the reflector and install a track light into it, but that's a seperate thing in using the light as per a Leko still - just different. As per work - often making 10K and down in wattage studio Fresnels into LED fixtures, downsized in incandescent wattage and even recently - LED moving light props.


Still though... as said before, a S-4 table lamp? Just because you can, don't always mean you should.

if a carpenter, try an oak box spot - really cool project, if electrician - any number of old lights one can convert to LED or MR-16 etc. Did the 8" c.1916 Major PC Spotlight fully restored with "Pop" value and color changing LED lamp as source. Just a question of adding Mog. screw to Medium Screw adaptor and Medium Screw to Medium socket extender in doing so what otherwise is origional. Than adding a color changing LED lamp as the lamp.

Sorry, better ways to do the "Pop" factor, shall I post pictures?
 
Still though... as said before, a S-4 table lamp? Just because you can, don't always mean you should.

shall I post pictures?

You could say that about a lot of things. Too many places need source 4s for them to be table lamps!

Of course you should post pictures! That's one of the best things about CB! The pictures!
 
Yeah, I'm still thrilled to come across surplus 360Qs for our auditorium!

Might be committing the same sin as it were - but with some older lights that I just cannot viably sell off as antique given past modification.

Have a whole lot of Kliegl #1365E, LECO #810 and #1700 fixtures. First three fixtures I worked on were all good in having all the fasteners and step lenses - just needed like 8 hours each of TLC. Next lot of them I picked up was a wash of mostly to only some in having all exterior screw holes drilled out for 3/16" rivets. None of the last eight fixtures I picked up had a step lens. They all had 6x9 lenses of various thicknesses installed. While this was an option and available during the period, given the first three Lekos with step lenses either the 60's #1700 had the wrong lens or all should be step lens. For the 50's step lenses instead of single PC lens I believe was most common in a thick lens.

This week I’ll probably be loading up the rest of the fixtures so I can piece mail together what I can in especially selling off the Kliegl fixtures with the proper lens - assuming they were not riveted together as a problem in as per a known Leko that will sell. After that piece together what I can for the rest of the Kliegl and LECO fixtures.

Two options after that.

First a starting up store front theater is in need of Leko’s and given a lens train assembly in them, might be able to make them comparable to a 360' series Altman and bulk up that Leko need even if radial and old. (See other post on bench focus of the #1365E.)

Convert them all for this theater sale to P-28s sockets also so they can use the EGE lamp - the one I just worked on had a P-28s in it, perhaps a later option or another change in the later era of the fixture in similar LCL with socket. Seems very interchangable in if one has a G-22 lamp, the P-28s should work fine in converting.

So an option of making it into a compromised antique it is already but similar to a Altman 360 series Leko for as many as the theater can buy at a cheap price as the primary option. This only if of the above three versions they will bench focus properly with a lens train and or how many if any 6x16 lights they can use which is normally none. TBA on seeing what a 6x9 lens train will look like in these fixtures - probably will work but given the snout length, won't function properly. Only have a few sets of 6x12 lenses left so that will be a limitation.

Next option as was brought up in as it were production meetings on the subject of how best to sell off the Leko’s is to sell them to theater customers over E-Bay if possible. (Shipping and E-Bay's part of the profit is not liked in having to do.) Price is good but especially if a G-22 based discontinued lamp - even if I can upgrade to a modern lamp by way of spacer under the base plate, the only new lamp available is 100 hour in lamp life for a 500w lamp. Could also direct install a VL-1K lamp in it and it would be a direct fit but what home owner would be able to power it up, much less it would melt down the reflector and probably socket.

Many fixtures if pieced together I am thinking still viable for at best what I can find still original and with working lamps and the proper lenses. A portion of them. Next option the working 1950's Leko in bringing it up to 360' standards. But for the rest and possibly the bulk of them, the Production Manager’ as it were for this sale was thinking what if we did an incandescent household lamp inside the light? No, no lamp shade on it or anything like that - just a Leko that works with say a 100w or 150w A-lamp in it. Given the above in problems and I’m short on step lenses, plus will run really short dependant on how many lens trains I need to make for the theater 360's, plus run short of P-28s sockets. Thinking more and more that once I run out of parts, I will make home owner grade antique Lekos’ powered by clear A-Lamps.

Overall engineering of different sockets and lamps isn’t a big problem and they would still function the same way - just be something one could use at home and with a lot less power. Thinking that I’m going to be making a lot of A-Lamp powered 50's thru 60's Lekos to sell to customers with the gear that’s not otherwise viable for theater or museum quality. Thoughts?

As another thought - though the lack of clear lens might negate the concept... might also be looking into LED color changing lamps for the source. Less efficient for output still but adds the coolness factor given the price point might have to go up a bit more.
 
Last edited:
I had a 360Q which at some point had its reflector hole enlarged. I'm thinking they were missing the original lamp cap and modified it to fit a 360 med. prefocus cap. I'm sure THAT worked well...

In any event, I was curious and stuck a porcelain Edison socket behind it. Installed a 75w frosted A-lamp and voila --- not a bad looking beam to it. Pretty dim, but would be nice for that industrial style loft. There are also mini-can lamps on the market which would fit in the original reflector -- from 25w-150w at hardware stores (up to 500w elsewhere). The mini can sockets should be an easy swap. On second thought, maybe a halogen A-lamp (frosted or unfrosted) would be the best fit to fill the oblong hole in the reflector.

The Altman 3.5Q has a mini can option for if the user needs a wattage lower than the 500w EHD. Same could be done to 360Q's I'm sure (but with more loss -- larger reflector hole) but I've never had the need.

LED would be cool. Remote controlled ellipsoidal. (Heh, I just realized that most of us already use remotely controlled ellipsoidals).
 
...First a starting up store front theater is in need of Leko’s and given a lens train assembly in them, might be able to make them comparable to a 360' series Altman and bulk up that Leko need even if radial and old. (See other post on bench focus of the #1365E.). ...
Given the amount of "modern" 360 and 360Q out there, I don't feel you're doing even the poorest of storefront theatres any favors with these fixtures. They're best as either museum pieces or decor lights/props.
 
I had a 360Q which at some point had its reflector hole enlarged. I'm thinking they were missing the original lamp cap and modified it to fit a 360 med. prefocus cap. I'm sure THAT worked well...

In any event, I was curious and stuck a porcelain Edison socket behind it. Installed a 75w frosted A-lamp and voila --- not a bad looking beam to it. Pretty dim, but would be nice for that industrial style loft. There are also mini-can lamps on the market which would fit in the original reflector -- from 25w-150w at hardware stores (up to 500w elsewhere). The mini can sockets should be an easy swap. On second thought, maybe a halogen A-lamp (frosted or unfrosted) would be the best fit to fill the oblong hole in the reflector.

The Altman 3.5Q has a mini can option for if the user needs a wattage lower than the 500w EHD. Same could be done to 360Q's I'm sure (but with more loss -- larger reflector hole) but I've never had the need.

LED would be cool. Remote controlled ellipsoidal. (Heh, I just realized that most of us already use remotely controlled ellipsoidals).

Mini-can (E-11) can be a direct retrofit replacement for G-9.5 sockets but not for radial P-28s/G-22 sockets. Given that, still a great idea in while I really seriously hate mini-can lamps, they are home owner grade lamps in dog poop and but are available everywhere. Just a question of adding a bit of spacer plates in engineering for the new socket option. Brilliant idea.

For line stage fixtures in G-9.5 lamp or E-11 to the P-28s radial, the spacer would get in the way of the reflector given the amount of space needed most likely, but if E-11, could work in smaller socket and less expectations of output.

“Not looking bad” says that the LED color changing lamp has a possibility of working. Would have thought a clear and incandescent A-lamp would work better but in seeing a frosted lamp in use... spells possibilities for lobby sales exponential given price point in good.

Ah’ ideas to think about further, thanks.

On the controllable option... more tech and control in price than I would want to get into or would sell I think. Self changing E-26 A-Lamp I think the best option over something needing power supply and controller assuming lack of output. Did a test of five lamps last year and the best G-30 from Osram was discontinued, but of them left the A-15 from Osram has a better fade/intensity and color pureness than the others last year in testing. Though some had adjustable fade rate or speed in being a good option - they didn’t have color purity or smooth rate comparable. Shorter lamp though in more work to engineer.

Off to a start now given the Production Manager loves his fully reconditioned and pimped out c.1916 PC spotlight with color changing lamp in his lobby. Not very bright but has the color changing lamp in it for wow’ factor. That was a simple E-39 to E-26 socket adaptor with E-26 to E-26 socket extender adaptor situation though in just happening to bench focus properly.
 
Last edited:
Given the amount of "modern" 360 and 360Q out there, I don't feel you're doing even the poorest of storefront theatres any favors with these fixtures. They're best as either museum pieces or decor lights/props.

Agreed in unless the linear devide in bright spot problem is solved, you are absolutely correct. Fair beam other than that hot spot divide so far seen.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Users who are viewing this thread

Back