Tamra

Member
Hello,

I am new to working in a theater environment (came from large corporate events and traveling shows) and am working with an orchestra shell that was installed in the early 90s. Understandably it is in need of a good tune up. They could use some love on the wood paneling - scrapes here and there which is a minor concern though recommendations are appreciated.

The BIG concern is we have wheels that are completely crumbling and leaving chunks behind when we move the pieces, which is getting difficult in and of itself to do. They sat, non temp controlled, during covid for 2 years prior to reopening the venue (before my time here). Does anyone know where to go to order new wheels, how to go about swapping them safely, and (fingers crossed) if there are people who specifically do this work we could contact and have flown out to come to our venue and ensure everything is done 100% properly?

Additionally - we have a piece of our stage flooring, the last piece prior to the cement slab the shell lives on, that is dipping and flexing as we move the shell in and out of place that sometimes stops us in our tracks due to the flex. I was told the cement beneath it is broken and crumbling but the venue is unsure how to go about fixing that.

Thanks in advance - all help very very much appreciated!

- Tamra
 
Find out who made the shell, Clancy ?, Wenger ?, contact the manufacturer. Ask if they have documents as to who sold it, are they in business, can they come and estimate repairs ? Take close up pictures of damage and the wheels to e-mail as asked. The wood damage could likely be repaired by any good carpenter that can do finish work. Issue with the casters is you might need a good sized crew to lay the walls over to access the casters, they might otherwise just bolt on and be easily replacable once you get replacement(s).

The floor probably just needs a flooring contractor to look at. What is it made of (pictures would help) ?. Any flooring contract could remove damaged sections, get a concrete repair company then lay a new section.
 
I wonder if your pac has a fly system or rigging points upstage? If so perhaps you could fly or hoist one section at a time a bit off the floor to access casters vs. laying them flat and tilting them up again. Check w/mfr before trying this. If you post pix of both front and rear or a panel, someone here might be able to ID the mfr.

Also if you share your venue, one of us might be nearby. There’s a lot of generous help in this community.

Ben
 
Depending on the Manufacturer the casters type and recommended size, hardness, and plate size/type can vary widely. It is possible to change the casters without completely disassembling the tower. I had a crew have to do it in Hawaii a year ago when it was found that the floor was denting when the panels were moved about. < I told them I don't how many times that the floor they were using was not going to hold up>. When I needed the number and type of caster necessary I contacted Service Caster their service and prices were incredible.

Servicing the tower IS tricky in that you need lift them evenly. If yout system has a Tower Mover you can use that. Also, if they are one of the types that fold for storage it is best to fold them as it keeps the center of gravity lower which reduces the chance of it tipping over. I've got tons of reference in our archives. If I can help you look up some specs I'd be happy to and despite all the consolidation that has been going on in the industry the manufacturers are, pretty much, still really good at supporting their customers.
 
How coincidental that the OP neglected to say she's in Maui. Two words: field trip!
We are over there all the time. I don't get to go but our installers are.
 
How coincidental that the OP neglected to say she's in Maui. Two words: field trip!
Gonna have trouble getting mom to sign the permission slip... but it's all for *education*, right? ;)
 
I wonder if your pac has a fly system or rigging points upstage? If so perhaps you could fly or hoist one section at a time a bit off the floor to access casters vs. laying them flat and tilting them up again. Check w/mfr before trying this. If you post pix of both front and rear or a panel, someone here might be able to ID the mfr.

Also if you share your venue, one of us might be nearby. There’s a lot of generous help in this community.

Ben
I am at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center. I was told in the past they have attached multiple motors to the grid and lifted slightly off the floor to do this. no one around has been here long enough to know manufacturer anymore :( I can post pics when we do our next orchestra show possibly. I cant really move them by myself it takes a crew of 6 of us.
 
Find out who made the shell, Clancy ?, Wenger ?, contact the manufacturer. Ask if they have documents as to who sold it, are they in business, can they come and estimate repairs ? Take close up pictures of damage and the wheels to e-mail as asked. The wood damage could likely be repaired by any good carpenter that can do finish work. Issue with the casters is you might need a good sized crew to lay the walls over to access the casters, they might otherwise just bolt on and be easily replacable once you get replacement(s).

The floor probably just needs a flooring contractor to look at. What is it made of (pictures would help) ?. Any flooring contract could remove damaged sections, get a concrete repair company then lay a new section.
no one around seems to know who manufacturer was or been here very long in general to know the answers. I am trying to track down info. wheels are tucked inside and underneath so no way to see them without finding a way to lift the shell... All I know is green chunks of wheel plastic come off each time we move it. I'll take pics next time we move it out - takes a crew of 6 to move the pieces! Thanks for the suggestion for floor contractor...its a wooden stage, sprung floor thats all I got. We have asked our maintenance team for suggestions for contractors on island that may be able to assist.
 
Depending on the Manufacturer the casters type and recommended size, hardness, and plate size/type can vary widely. It is possible to change the casters without completely disassembling the tower. I had a crew have to do it in Hawaii a year ago when it was found that the floor was denting when the panels were moved about. < I told them I don't how many times that the floor they were using was not going to hold up>. When I needed the number and type of caster necessary I contacted Service Caster their service and prices were incredible.

Servicing the tower IS tricky in that you need lift them evenly. If yout system has a Tower Mover you can use that. Also, if they are one of the types that fold for storage it is best to fold them as it keeps the center of gravity lower which reduces the chance of it tipping over. I've got tons of reference in our archives. If I can help you look up some specs I'd be happy to and despite all the consolidation that has been going on in the industry the manufacturers are, pretty much, still really good at supporting their customers.
Where in Hawaii? I am in Maui! Thanks you for the Service Caster Rec. I'll reach out to them when I can figure out manufacturer. Ours does fold. We do not have a Tower Mover. Its so heavy it takes 6 of us to move the pieces one at a time. I will definitely take any help I can get. I looked up orchestra shell here on the site but still learning how to navigate. I am sure there are archives you are mentioning that I didnt see.
 
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Where in Hawaii? I am in Maui! Thanks you for the Service Caster Rec. I'll reach out to them when I can figure out manufacturer. Ours does fold. We do not have a Tower Mover. Its so heavy it takes 6 of us to move the pieces one at a time. I will definitely take any help I can get. I looked up orchestra shell here on the site but still learning how to navigate. I am sure there are archives you are mentioning that I didnt see.
I believe we have a crew at Kihei right now. We're at the end of finishing Diamond Head Theatre. Lets see.. getting ready to start at McCoy pavilion at Ala Moana Park, finished up Moanalua HS about a year ago. Ummm, back on Maui we're at Maui Academy of Performing Arts, Maui Prep.... We do a LOT of Hawaii.
when I get back to work tomorrow I'll look and see if we've done any work on your facility, might be able to find you an O&M or at least look up what equipment you have.
 
What a lovely bit of "search bait"! It's possible that Kirkegaard or possibly the theater consultant may have info about the shell in their files. It's also possible that Maui's purchasing department may have records.
I reached out to the contact email at Kirkegaard (THANK YOU!) hopefully that goes somewhere. I asked our purchasing dept and was told this was all so long ago it was paper files, never digitized, and has been lost with time. The CEO is going to call the contracted engineers who built the building (in 1991). They are in New York and he is hoping they might have more info. I checked the visible portions of shell currently showing and no markings or manufacturer info anywhere..... Heck we even went through all the schematics in the maintenance depts office! Its been quite the search with nothing turning up so far!
 
@Tamra , I have not found anything on our Server of Archived projects. I'll check with the REALLY old guys later today. If you can swing it, just a picture of the towers might do for identifying them.
 
@Tamra , I have not found anything on our Server of Archived projects. I'll check with the REALLY old guys later today. If you can swing it, just a picture of the towers might do for identifying them.
Orchestra Shell.jpg
 
How about the back side?
 
Tamra, of course, going back to the original manufacturer for service and O.E replacement parts would be the ideal, but that may not be possible and you/your crew may have to figure out how to make it work. Can you post photos of the framework on the backs of the shell elements (with something for scale, such as a person standing next to it) and closeup photos of the problem caster(s), also with something in the photo(s) such a sa ruler for scale. Someone here may well be able to suggest suitable replacement parts and a fix.
 
It might be a matter of taking photos and measurements of the casters, including the bolt spacing, and searching the web for a match. This can be succesful because the manufacturer of the shells more than likely bought the casters from another supplier, instead of making their own. McMaster Carr and Grainger carry many casters.
 

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