What to do with a cyc and no fly space.

This thread sure has legs?

re: roll drop / olio: If you're only using it for storage purposes, you could add one or more detachable lines in the middle of the goods, that attach at the grid, run under the roll tube, then back up to a pulley. This would eliminate the need for the tube to support its own weight from only the ends, creating more affordable options.
 
Empirically, they dont sag when up. I believe the load is spread out throughout travel. I use to specify manual botyom roller projection screens, and the roller remained very straight.

Test it with a strip of fabric, stapled to a biard and a dowel. Roll up, pull on ends of dowel without alowing it to unroll. I think the fabric will not yield and apply pressure along the dowel.
 
Empirically, they don't sag when up. I believe the load is spread out throughout travel. I used to specify manual bottom roller projection screens, and the roller remained very straight.

Test it with a strip of fabric, stapled to a biard and a dowel. Roll up, pull on ends of dowel without allowing it to unroll. I think the fabric will not yield and apply pressure along the dowel.
@BillConnerFASTC Pardon my ignorance but what's a "biard"?
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Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.
Empirically, they don't sag when up. I believe the load is spread out throughout travel. I use to specify manual bottom roller projection screens, and the roller remained very straight.

Test it with a strip of fabric, stapled to a biard and a dowel. Roll up, pull on ends of dowel without allowing it to unroll. I think the fabric will not yield and apply pressure along the dowel.
 
One space I work in had a similar problem. I convinced them to install a track (or horizontal fly system as I like to call it) which works pretty well. Of course, you need to add a pipe in the bottom which adds an extra step to deploying it but it's much easier than taking it down and putting it up. We do have a protective wrap for it and so far, it's stayed fairly clean. I've often dreamed about something like this: http://www.rosebrand.com/subcategory758/dmx-roll-drum.aspx which may be an option for you depending on how wide your drop is. I guess it does bring up the debate about whether or not DMX control should be used in a situation like this but I hope that doesn't hijack this thread!

I'll also second @TheaterEd's desire to see how a curved roll drop works.

I'll give a thumbs up to this. Have never had an enjoyable olio experience.
 
On a track, different means to stretch the top taut, depending how far off stage the short side must travel, hand line sag, budget, etc. Kind of nice to be able to pull it taut easily from the floor. A chain in bottom has worked with a couple fasteners, avoiding pipe.
 
I'll give a thumbs up to this. Have never had an enjoyable olio experience.

I worked in a theater with four olio systems. They can be awkward, I confess, but there is an elegance to the simplicity of the system. Just don't get a table caught in one....

Empirically, they dont sag when up. I believe the load is spread out throughout travel. I use to specify manual botyom roller projection screens, and the roller remained very straight.

Test it with a strip of fabric, stapled to a biard and a dowel. Roll up, pull on ends of dowel without alowing it to unroll. I think the fabric will not yield and apply pressure along the dowel.

Mine did have a very slight sag at times, but that was often because of not attaching the center of the drop to the roller correctly. Also, when storing empty when not in use, they would sag in the middle due to only be supported on the ends. And I did not leave it sagging and held up by the ropes only; I chained each end and the center to the grid.

@BillConnerFASTC Let's quibble. Bottom roller is ideally supported by the drop once it's reached its lower end of travel. I proffer the bottom roller is only supported by its ends while the drop is at its high trim and while it's being rolled either up or down.

Bottom roller is supported continous by the drop. Ropes at end only make it roll, not support tube. Top roller is supported only at ends.

In my experience, while going up, staying up, and going down, both the drop and the rope are supporting the weight of the bottom roller. It is only when the bottom roller is on the ground did either item go slack.
 
Bottom roller is supported continous by the drop. Ropes at end only make it roll, not support tube. Top roller is supported only at ends.

That was my theory way back in the day when I made one way too big (50' wide) on an 8" pvc pipe with inner 1x stiffeners. Sagged like crazy, and I had to add a removable center rope.

Picture this: the roller tube is very heavy and not very stiff. It's weight is on the floor. When you start pulling the lines, it will want to pick up the ends first and make a smile in the tube. Not until the stiffness of the tube is enough to get the center off the floor will the rolling action kick in.
 
I think you have to attach and roll up before hanging, and plan to have at least two to three full wraps on the roller at all times.

I always hung the drop first, attached it to the roller on the deck, wrapped the ropes, then pulled tension on the ropes, and tested. The drops were 1'-2' longer than the height deck to grid, so when they wrapped up on the tube, there was enough on the tube to not worry about it coming off. By myself, took an hour to hang a drop and rig it.
 
I've got a similar issue on my hands. We have a 43' fly, but our cyc and scrim are both 29' high. Unfortunately, due to having only 19 linesets, we don't have the option to trip anything. Ideally we would just want to shorten both of them just enough to match where our borders sit, around 20'. I haven't found many good resources on properly doing this, and I can't imagine it would be possible to hem the scrim in house. Does anyone here have any experience in soft good alterations?
 
@Lightitup Shooting every kid that comes within a hundred feet of it is the first thing that comes to mind.
The cleaner, better, and more blemish-free the cyc' the more it invites people with dirty, sticky fingers plus open beverage containers.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.
We had a 60 year old bass player fall into ours a couple weeks ago.

And we *do* have a full loft to fly it into, so we were understandably pissed.

Most of it has hung out by now.
 
We had a 60 year old bass player fall into ours a couple weeks ago.

And we *do* have a full loft to fly it into, so we were understandably pissed.

Most of it has hung out by now.
@Jay Ashworth If you'd flown your bass player out to 48' and his double bass to 58', you'dve still had 2' for over travel and minimized your problems; keep in mind AF of M rules for oxygen masks, seat belts, diapers and emergency escape slides /n shutes. The wrinkles may have hung out of your bass player by now as well. @derekleffew and @TimMc Care to comment??
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
 
"There was something fishy about the bass player, probably a Pisces, playing for scale." _ The Fire Sign Theater, with modifications.
 
I've got a similar issue on my hands. We have a 43' fly, but our cyc and scrim are both 29' high. Unfortunately, due to having only 19 linesets, we don't have the option to trip anything. Ideally we would just want to shorten both of them just enough to match where our borders sit, around 20'. I haven't found many good resources on properly doing this, and I can't imagine it would be possible to hem the scrim in house. Does anyone here have any experience in soft good alterations?

I wouldn't be to off put on re hemming the length yourself. I took this on this past summer to take the rip out of an old "cyc" and make it into our newest painted drop. Get day with the entire stage clear and cleaned, lay it out flat and straight. Measure and mark your fold and sewing lines. I used a chalk line but then paint was meeting mine soon. Then triple checked for straight lines and squareness. Then Triple check the triple check. Finally take to the scissors, I mad my folds with iron in hand light locking the various folds of the hem with each path. If your not sure how to hem, just dissect the only hem for a mock up. Now, time to sew: I took sewing machine, plugged a long extension cord to it, set it on a board on a nice set of small casters allowing me to move the machine and not the fabric across the stage.

I'm sure some people far smarter and experienced can give some additional suggestions and I believe there are some existing threads I took tips off of. In short, you can do it!

Edit- I was really nervous, but it turned out to be a far easier process than I thought. This summer- velour!
 

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