Safety chain question

[theatremagicmaybe]

Hi, I have a question about lighting instrument safety chains. I was told that safety chains can be attached by wrapping around themselves so that they form a "B" shape, instead of just clipping the clippy bit into the loopy bit. How do you do this? I've been trying to wrap my head around it and I'm lost. Thanks.

 

[MNicolai]

Hi, I have a question about lighting instrument safety chains. I was told that safety chains can be attached by wrapping around themselves so that they form a "B" shape, instead of just clipping the clippy bit into the loopy bit. How do you do this? I've been trying to wrap my head around it and I'm lost. Thanks.

With safety cables, there's an "eye" loop at one end and the clip at the other. If the loop for the eye is large enough, you can pass the entire clip around the yoke of a luminaire and through the eye loop. It's a pretty good way of knowing your instruments will usually have safety cables with them.

This gives you a "b" shape while the cable is just hanging from the instrument.

Then when you hang the luminaire on a pipe, you pass the clip end around the pipe and clip to any point on the cable instead of to the eye loop. This is where you complete the shape to something more like a "B".

 

[theatremagicmaybe]

And that then means that the eye loop is not attached to anything? (Once the instrument is on the pipe and is ready to be flown out)

 

[lj274mvp]

Not so much a "B" Shape but what I usually do with cables that are already looped around the yoke and when the unit gets hung is instead taking the safety unclipping from the unit and forming a loop around the unit and the pipe, I just take the cable and without unclipping it from the yoke of the unit wrap the clip part around the pipe and clip it back into itself Kinda forming a "P". That when working overhead in a grid with people on stage, if you for some reason drop the safety cable while moving a unit during focus or something, you wont have to worry about it falling to the floor as its still clipped around the yoke of the unit.

hard to describe without a visual representation, but hopefully someone understands what im trying to say.

 

[theatremagicmaybe]

So let me see if I understand this correctly: put the safety cable around the yoke, put the eye loop and the clip *above* the pipe, thread the eye loop through the eye of the clip, and clip it to below the eye loop and not into the eye loop, so that the clip goes past the eye loop and the eye loop itself just sits there unattached to anything. Sorry, this is just really confusing for me.

 

[Dustincoc]

The a Lowercase "b" is formed with the cable passing through the eye. The yoke of the unit is within the loop of the "b". That part stays attached to the unit all the time. When you hang the unit, you pass the clip end of the cable around the batton and clip it back on itself forming the upper part of the "B". The only thing I don't like about this method is it allows the unit to potentially fall twice as far as it would if the be if it was just an "O" with both the yoke and batton passing though the center.

 

[derekleffew]

See the diagram at http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/...tegral-safety-attachment-point.html#post97747 . Maybe that will help. I don't quite get understand "B shape thing" either.

My rules for safeties:
For conventional s, I really don't care as long as it's safetied, but often find the common 26"-30" too long to just loop around the yoke and batten. It gets in the way. I like putting the middle of the cable under the yoke, passing each end over the pipe and clipping the hook to loop under the pipe. The fixture should be able to be focused 180° from where it's hanging without undoing the safety cable.

For moving lights, one wants to minimize the free fall distance, so take as many wraps as is easily possible. Don't make it ridiculously tight, but a single loop is probably too loose. Only use the handle(s) if there's no integral safety attachment point (Vari-Lite).

 

[bishopthomas]

I have no idea what's happening in this discussion thus far, but I can tell you what I do. Some fixtures have safety points included. Source 4's do. Clip the 'biner into the safety hole, wrap the safety to the batten/truss/whatever, then clip the loop of the safety into the clip at the other end. Simple as that. Often I'll just use the yoke as the safety point, even though it's not technically "correct." If my fixture falls apart in the air then I deserve to get sued.

 

[hobbsies]

What are people's opinions of the mega clamps with a safety hole in the top? Cumbersome and annoying? Or smart and useful? I find them smart but irritating to use because the safety gets in the way of putting the fixture over the pipe. Most lx I work with hate them with a fiery passion.

 

[BillESC]

Another method I've seen is to remove the bolt or hand knob from one side of the yoke and slide the looped end of the safety cable onto the yoke and replace the knob or bolt. Once you've clamped the fixture to the pipe, you just run the clip end around the pipe and clip it to itself.

 

[gafftaper]

A few posts back, Derek linked to a post and sketch I made in the past on the topic. I'm convinced that this is the safest technique. The entire yoke can fall off the fixture, but your fixture will still be safe! Yes it adds a few seconds to the hang, but it's worth it and your cable will always be attached to the instrument. Give it a try.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[JLNorthGA]

I'm fortunate to have ETC instruments on the catwalk. I loop the safety cable around the batten and have the clip go through the eye of the safety cable. I then use the clip of the safety cable on the loop on the instrument body.