Been working on my own Altman 3.5Q5, 3.5Q5.5 as some seem to be by way of new lenses but original shorter lens trains, and 3.5Q6 in addition to some Century 4.5Q6.5 radial , Altman 6x9 Radial and possibly pre-Altman Kliegl 6x9 Radial of late - many examples of early versions that are different than I remember or how they should be. Such fixtures also by far different than the other radial Lekos I remember service calls to but less so in depth by way of making them new again them I remember as somewhat easier. One might say that I have of late now run the gambit of old Lekos for their earliest designs by way of re-wiring and re-surfacing them at this point in a way I have never done so before. I have worked with older fixtures still but none as much in depth. Now that I’m back to trying to remember how to bench focus a Altman, much less in attempting to make a radial Leko look good, it’s quite the experience but in the end I think I now hae it mastered again. Four screw Altman Lekos can be a challenge if one does not know where the lamp base plate sould be.
My own Lekos, I’m using the HPR on so it’s a flat field and as long as the reflector is centered on the lamp, the lamps’s elevation in true bench focus is much harder to judge by thus all in bench focus were possibly crap in for a goal making a hard edge or discovering three lens types and three lens train sizes per two types of fixture. The 4.5Q6's were not much more successful in broken lenses at times, and all around substitutes that were slightly different in focal length. Just could not get a good bench focus out of more than a few of them, but I tagged the fixtures that needed replacement lenses at least. Final project was the 6x9's. Half were discovered to be early Altman - one even with pattern slot - another with the bracket but no hole cut in the cap for it, than some even older fixtures that used a different means of mounting yet very similar. All radial fixtures from the early days of 360 series radio Leko.
Towards the end I did figure out again my task. First take note of in opening the fixture at it’s center and looking at the filament by way of where it is in the reflector, than the bench focus to refine this centering. Also while looking at the beam and how much of a hard edge to it one could achieve, look to where the lamp base plate is in mounting the lamp. If too far foward in comparison to other Lekos similar, bringing the lamp base back by way of what’s noted with other fixtures is important here. Look at the lamp base plate, than at the lamp from the half open to the fixture readyness.
In the end I did re-master to the extent possible this trade of ability to focus a radio Leko and was surprised by achieving in the end a flat field of focus for what the lights is. Tough skill this bench focusing a radio much less een axial Altman Leko. Very much worth it to spend one’s time on however.
This and in addition to my own lights, Much time spent with other fixtures in making them premium. Glad the bench focus worked out given it’s hard work turning 40+ year old fixtures into ones someome can depend upon. Intent is there and while the next group of six are not optimum instruments they will throw a directed light onto stage. Just a few dozen more fixtures to optimize. In the coming years, all fixtures will be ready to go by way of my hand no matter how ancient and inefficient.
On some especially I had to add a sub-refletor to the ancient and rusted gate reflector assembly - this in addition to ttreating the mounting means had to be adjusted for. Could not re-reflectorize a totally surface rusted gate reflector thus did my best to add new gate reflector atop old mounting means for it. Amazing how similar to each other these fixtures are.
My own Lekos, I’m using the HPR on so it’s a flat field and as long as the reflector is centered on the lamp, the lamps’s elevation in true bench focus is much harder to judge by thus all in bench focus were possibly crap in for a goal making a hard edge or discovering three lens types and three lens train sizes per two types of fixture. The 4.5Q6's were not much more successful in broken lenses at times, and all around substitutes that were slightly different in focal length. Just could not get a good bench focus out of more than a few of them, but I tagged the fixtures that needed replacement lenses at least. Final project was the 6x9's. Half were discovered to be early Altman - one even with pattern slot - another with the bracket but no hole cut in the cap for it, than some even older fixtures that used a different means of mounting yet very similar. All radial fixtures from the early days of 360 series radio Leko.
Towards the end I did figure out again my task. First take note of in opening the fixture at it’s center and looking at the filament by way of where it is in the reflector, than the bench focus to refine this centering. Also while looking at the beam and how much of a hard edge to it one could achieve, look to where the lamp base plate is in mounting the lamp. If too far foward in comparison to other Lekos similar, bringing the lamp base back by way of what’s noted with other fixtures is important here. Look at the lamp base plate, than at the lamp from the half open to the fixture readyness.
In the end I did re-master to the extent possible this trade of ability to focus a radio Leko and was surprised by achieving in the end a flat field of focus for what the lights is. Tough skill this bench focusing a radio much less een axial Altman Leko. Very much worth it to spend one’s time on however.
This and in addition to my own lights, Much time spent with other fixtures in making them premium. Glad the bench focus worked out given it’s hard work turning 40+ year old fixtures into ones someome can depend upon. Intent is there and while the next group of six are not optimum instruments they will throw a directed light onto stage. Just a few dozen more fixtures to optimize. In the coming years, all fixtures will be ready to go by way of my hand no matter how ancient and inefficient.
On some especially I had to add a sub-refletor to the ancient and rusted gate reflector assembly - this in addition to ttreating the mounting means had to be adjusted for. Could not re-reflectorize a totally surface rusted gate reflector thus did my best to add new gate reflector atop old mounting means for it. Amazing how similar to each other these fixtures are.
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