Rigging a bird to drop
- Thread starterdomiii
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While that sounds really cool and very high tech I bet all of the older folks in this forum got a little nervous reading the idea. Often, cool and high tech are not the best solution as there are many ways they can go wrong. When it comes to stage tricks I encourage everone to be a Luddite if at all possible (check your history book). Any of the solutions that involve a simple mechanism like a pin, knott, or "chip clip" are better because they are far less likely to fail and drop the bird in the opening scene. Plus who has a reliable electro magnet sitting around the shop ready to go (ok besides Ship, he's probably got three).
I had to make a whole lot of feathers drop during a production once.. i used a drop box. It was just an old box which i rigged in the grid. I cut around three sides of the box so one side was the hinge. I got a stagehand to pull fishing wire, which pulled past a bit of loose gaff. That released the feathers. It worked fairly well.
Now I'm kinda old school, I like things simple, but I have to admit I run towards the high tech when it comes to tricks. Currently we're running "Inspecting Carol" almost all the tricks are run through the dims utilizing 120v solenoids that I purchased from Grainger. I would tend towards a solenoid over an electromagnet, however. Electromagnets tend to heat up quite a bit and unless your holding up quite a bit of wieght, they're over kill. I'm also not sure of the safety of dropping metal plated birds from the flys. Course you would be dropping them on actors so if you hit them on the head it wouldn't be such a bad thing.
I do have to crow about one trick I rigged for this show, the designer wanted a "light bar" to drop at the end of the series of big tricks in the show. <if you've done it you know what I mean> I bolted a couple of old 8" scoops to a piece of 3" ABS pipe. At each end of the pipe I through-bolted a couple of screw-eyes and secured half inch hemp to them. Because of the weight I was having a hard time comming up with a good way to release to bar, not having access to the mythbusters heavy duty releases that they use for dropping cars and such. So I made my own, after a fashion. I welded the handle of a 4" vise grip to a piece of steel. I mounted the solenoid on the side of the steel in such a manner that when it kicks on the actuator kicks the release handle of the vise grip. Rigged one of these contraptions on each end of the pipe twofered them together and plugged them into good old dimmer 121 . Works like a dream. I'll make a thread latter and post some pictures, I'm kind of proud of it myself.
I do have to crow about one trick I rigged for this show, the designer wanted a "light bar" to drop at the end of the series of big tricks in the show. <if you've done it you know what I mean> I bolted a couple of old 8" scoops to a piece of 3" ABS pipe. At each end of the pipe I through-bolted a couple of screw-eyes and secured half inch hemp to them. Because of the weight I was having a hard time comming up with a good way to release to bar, not having access to the mythbusters heavy duty releases that they use for dropping cars and such. So I made my own, after a fashion. I welded the handle of a 4" vise grip to a piece of steel. I mounted the solenoid on the side of the steel in such a manner that when it kicks on the actuator kicks the release handle of the vise grip. Rigged one of these contraptions on each end of the pipe twofered them together and plugged them into good old dimmer 121 . Works like a dream. I'll make a thread latter and post some pictures, I'm kind of proud of it myself.
I do have to crow about one trick I rigged for this show, the designer wanted a "light bar" to drop at the end of the series of big tricks in the show. <if you've done it you know what I mean> I bolted a couple of old 8" scoops to a piece of 3" ABS pipe. At each end of the pipe I through-bolted a couple of screw-eyes and secured half inch hemp to them. Because of the weight I was having a hard time comming up with a good way to release to bar, not having access to the mythbusters heavy duty releases that they use for dropping cars and such. So I made my own, after a fashion. I welded the handle of a 4" vise grip to a piece of steel. I mounted the solenoid on the side of the steel in such a manner that when it kicks on the actuator kicks the release handle of the vise grip. Rigged one of these contraptions on each end of the pipe twofered them together and plugged them into good old dimmer 121 . Works like a dream. I'll make a thread latter and post some pictures, I'm kind of proud of it myself.
Sounds very cool Van. I look forward to the photospread.
saxman0317
Active Member
If we are talking about a box, then you could just weight up the door... though if it does not include a box that may be more difficult.
tekgoddess
Member
How did you contruct your eggs?
tekgoddess
tekgoddess
Your looking for a selenoid. I think van drew up a rig awhile back that could be adapted to that situation.
stantonsound
Active Member
wow. 4 pages of posts and no one suggested a bucket. We did "Beauty and The Beast" also, and just put the duck with some feathers in a small bucket and attached it to the first electric. Then a stagehand pulls the rope, the bucket upends (the tieline was attached to the bottom of the bucket, fed up and over the electric, and then off stage) and everything falls out. Quick, simple, and doesn't require any construction.
Footer is dead on with the solenoid suggestion, Might head over to the auo salvage yard and pick one up from a powr door lock mechanisum. Or they aren't too bad to buy new.
In Hello Dolly we had to drop down a bird in the dinner/waiter scene. This was the easiest way for our theatre to do it, the teacher simply handed me the foam bird and told me to climb up the cove (steel ladder on the front of the procenium on either side of the stage).He told me to throw the bird at a certain time and it worked great. Every night I had to climb up 30 feet to throw that bird.
CynicWhisper
Member
Pip
Active Member
HAHAHAHAHAHA Wow...
GREAT idea, and such a simple answer...
You're right, I can't believe nobody thought of that. xD
saxaphool
Member
We're dropping a duck in Beauty and the Beast.
The stage construction guy built a U-shaped holder(think wood box with 2 sides missing) with a steel pin...the pin holding the duck is connected to a rope and run back to tech(we're in a gym)
The pin has a safety line attached to the box so it stays close by
worked like a charm....almost hit Lafou once
The stage construction guy built a U-shaped holder(think wood box with 2 sides missing) with a steel pin...the pin holding the duck is connected to a rope and run back to tech(we're in a gym)
The pin has a safety line attached to the box so it stays close by
worked like a charm....almost hit Lafou once
when I worked on a production of She Loves Me we needed to drop a series of leaves and snow at various scenes. I solved this by building a box with a hinged bottom. I pulled off the steering servo. Similar to these
http://www.rctoys.com/rc-toys-and-parts/HIT-HS55/RC-PARTS-HITEC-SERVOS.html
When I turned the remote to the right it turned the servo enough and released the door. When I pushed forward it dropped the snow.
Worked like a charm every night. Also allowed me to introduce my students to RC.http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif
http://www.rctoys.com/rc-toys-and-parts/HIT-HS55/RC-PARTS-HITEC-SERVOS.html
When I turned the remote to the right it turned the servo enough and released the door. When I pushed forward it dropped the snow.
Worked like a charm every night. Also allowed me to introduce my students to RC.http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif
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