T-3 Worklights as concert lighting

soundlight

Well-Known Member
So I'm doing this benefit gig, and I'm going to have access to 6 of those "single-cell" T-3 worklight fixtures. Luckily, they're black, not blazing bright yellow or orange or red paint. I'll be lamping them down to 250W so that I can fit everything on my alotted circuits. I'm planning to use two for frontlight, two basically in line with the downstage monitor line for some interesting shadow effects on the back wall and uplighting, and then two on the drum riser to shoot through the band. Has anyone ever used these with gel, and if so, how fast is it toasted through? Would it be worth while to make some improvised color extenders out of metal flashing if I'm gonna use 'em with something like R19 or R65?
 
We have talked about this in the past. Not sure what to tell you to search tho. Anyway, these WILL and DO burn gel. I assume your either have a glass front or glass front and cage? You CANNOT tape gel directly to them without having it melt. I like your idea for color frame extenders. I think some made out of metal flashing and muffler tape might be ideal. If you construct them for proper airflow it could work nicely. In fact that isn't a bad idea, might borrow it someday.
 
We have talked about this in the past. Not sure what to tell you to search tho. Anyway, these WILL and DO burn gel. I assume your either have a glass front or glass front and cage? You CANNOT tape gel directly to them without having it melt. I like your idea for color frame extenders. I think some made out of metal flashing and muffler tape might be ideal. If you construct them for proper airflow it could work nicely. In fact that isn't a bad idea, might borrow it someday.

A search for "worklight" brings up the past threads, I did this before posting.
I started a new one to get people's specific experiences, and I've already looked over the old threads.
I also wanted to get people's reactions to the homemade color extender idea.
Yeah, these fixtures are excellent for budget lighting - a 250W or 500W punch light for under $20. I plan to keep and use the two extra that I buy on top of the four availible to me on this show. Great for blinders, cheap frontlight, and for blasting through the band from a drum riser...and the beam spills enough to provide the ambient light that I need for this show.
 
Can't help but agree with you. Derek should be along soon with his comments.
 
I have used a similar work light for projecting through windows. Ours didn't have the metal cage on them. I just cut a piece of gel a little bigger than the glass then taped the top and bottom to the frame (leaving a curved gap between the glass and the gel.) We had these on at full intensity for 2 hours a night for 4 nights and never had to change out the gel. It may be that we were not using very saturated colors, R03 and R64, but I never had the gel melt or burn.
 
I love these as blinders and as floods and I actually have a purpose built row of four in a single case. Nothing I have done stops them burning out saturated gels. I had Lee119 in them in a frame held about 1 - 2 centimeters (1/2 inch) out from the glass and I had to replace the 119 every night. The 106 red (which is also saturated) held out for about three nights and the amber (can't remember the number it was scraps) lasted a 3 week run.
 
Can't help but agree with you. Derek should be along soon with his comments.
Thanks? for the vote (of confidence?) Here's what I have done with these fixtures. Using large binder clips, affix a U shaped approx. 1/2 sheet of color media to the fixture, ideally using the non-heat-conductive wooden spring style clothespin, C-47s for the movie folks, for keeping the media from touching the wire cage. I've never had even the darkest colors burn out. I love these fixtures for small theatres. You need the binder clips to clip to the hot fixture and the C-47s to keep the color media away from all points of contact with the metal cage.

I have also removed the cage and the glass, and binder clipped the color to the fixture, but today I would not recommend that mod.

Also, the fixtures sold as "exterior floodlights" are less-expensive, and don't have a cage, but need some creative mounting and wiring options., usually involving an electrical box and blank cover, with 14/3 SO tail, Edison cord cap, and C-Clamp.

 
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Derek, I just know that you've used them with gel in the past.
 
I was trying to light my green screen with these the other day and be warned, even with the grille off, there are still funny lines in the beam
 
Derek, I just know that you've used them with gel in the past.
Negative. I have seen sheets of gelatin, but never put it into lights. By the time I arrived on the scene, the industry had migrated to Roscolene and Cinemoid color media.

I was trying to light my green screen with these the other day and be warned, even with the grill off, there are still funny lines in the beam
I have not experienced this. I would suspect some frost, such as Roscolux 114, would rid the "funny little lines," albeit at a slight loss of intensity. Also an inside frosted T-3 lamp, rather than the clear, would probably be best, but frost or diffusion media would be less expensive.
 
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@#$% it. You and your technicalities. Now I'll have to say "plastic color media" around you.
No, no, I thought you were poking fun at me for my advanced age. The word gel is perfectly acceptable to be used when referring to color media. Although I try not to use it, as it inevitably begs the question, "Why is it called Gel?" by the un-initiated, I sometimes slip up and call it gel myself.

In case anyone is wondering, "gel," short for "gelatin," made of animal hooves and other high-in-collagen animal parts, was used to color stage lighting fixtures, from approximately the 1920s through the 1960s. But it's a term that really should be retired, along with such lighting terms as "Olivette," "bunch light," and possibly, "Leko."
 
Well, then, that makes sense, but did they even have T-3 worklights in the days of gel? I don't think so. But as a term, I don't think gel is going away, at least not until color media itself fades from the scene. Same with Leko, not until the last 360Q is out of active duty.
 
I have six of these that i use as floods for a cyc. I modified them to allow the use of colour filters and to improve the cooling. If you put the filter direct onto the glass at best it melts at worst the glass will shatter - experience speaking here. The method that worked for me was this:

open the light and temporarily remove the glass. Permamently remove the cage. I then got a rectangular heating duct cover (8inch by 12 inch or similar) from home depot. I then measured the openig size on the front of the light - mark a rectangle of the same size on the heating duct end plate in the centre. Cut out a hole 0.5 inches smaller than the rectangle you have marked out. Now cut the extra 0.5 inches of metal into tabs all around the opening. Place this on the front of the hinged light front. Bend the tabs around the hinge front so that they permamently hold the metal duct end onto the front of the light hinged front. Next you need some aluminium U channel from Home Depot. Cut four pieces so that they go around the opening on the duct end. Drill vent holes in the bottom of the U channel to let the heat out. Attach the U channels (laid on their sides) to the duct cap using pop rivets. The next step is to make colour runners. I bought some of the three inch wide drape track that slides inside drape toppers at a thift store. This is the stuff where it is in two sections one slides inside the other to make adjustable lengths. I cut this along its length to make a J section. I then riveted this onto the U chnnels to act as colour frame runners.

I sized this to a standard colour frame size. Paint the new metalwork with high temp paint. Re install the glass after making sure the bent over tabs are snug - I used a large screw driver to tap them in. The whole thing will swing back into place and can be secured using the original screw. A working flood light for about $20 and 30 minutes work.

Sorry the instructions are not great if I can I will borrow a digital camera and upload a picture. I have found that primary colours last as long in these fixtures as they do in other cyc floods. The light distribution with lights I have is nice and even.

Hope this helps

I saw a mention of Gel - I still have some of the strand cinemoid it was discontinued at the end of the 70s because it couldnèt cope with the heat of the halogen lamps.
 
Radio City Music Halls cyc ground row is 20' long rolling dollies with three rows of 1000 watt industrial work lights. Oversized gel frames were extended about four inches infront of the fixtures.
 

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