Gauze 'curtain'

[DSA]

Hi,

 

For our rock concert, I am considering having a large white gauze curtain to be flown at the front of the Pros. (by 'normal' curtain) for projecting onto, then dissolving into the band behind, and then raising up to reveal.

 

We apparantly have the gauze......but I need a way of raising and lowering it from the stage floor level....any ideas????

 

PS Grid is fixed - no counterweight flying or anything like that - ITs a school hall.

 

I suppose its some sort of pulley system. I wil ask physics etc. but thought I would try you lot first!!

 

Any ideas most appreciated.

 

Thanks,

David

 

I have pics of the stage if that would help...and its about 10m up.

[Andrew C]

My initial thought goes like this...

 

Pre-hang your gauze from whatever you've got and then drop it to the floor on cue. Slip knots or a kabuki (sp) drop.

 

The down side is that it might be in the way / have beer spilt on it. Oh, right, school, that'll be Pepsi then...

[DSA]

And then to raise it again????

 

(Dropping isnt the problem, its controlled raising reqd.)

 

David

[Ellis]

I take it that you do not have room to fly it out fully.

 

Your best approach might be to 'butterfly' it. You sew small rings to the back of it, spaced across and vertically and attach a series of cords to the batten at the bottom and run them through the rings up to pulleys above, and over a header block to a cleat on the side wall (Very similar to a roman blind).

 

I am not sure of the best spacing (I have conventionally flown a gauze that had the reings from a previous use but did not pay attention).

 

If you have sufficient height, you may be able to combine the lines into a single rope. metalwork is available to allow you to do this.

[DSA]

Good idea....and no, there is no room to fly conventionally.

 

However I am not sure that they would like me sewing their gauze.

 

any ideas of a way it could roll up perhaps?

 

David

[Kevin Robertson]

Yes you could roll it.

It is called 'tumbling a cloth'

Two ways to do it...

Like a conventional roller blind i.e. roller at the top and you roll it up, lokks like it is being flown.

OR

Roller at the bottom and the cloth rolls up it's self from the bottom up.

Neither methods are easy to do without the proper gear.

[DSA]

So can anyone think of a very cheap and simple way of doing it...or shall I discard the idea?

 

..bit of a shame really.

 

David

[Andrew C]

And then to raise it again????

 

(Dropping isnt the problem, its controlled raising reqd.)

Your original request didn't say you needed to raise it again. I expected you to clear it to one side after the drop. Why do you need to raise it again? Do you need the band to disappear at the end?

 

tumbling isn't difficult but you do need a large diameter tube, say 100mm that isn't going to sag too much at the centre of the span. A couple of pulleys at the end at grid level, and a rope wrapped around the tube to give the turning required.

[Ike]

Not the most simple idea in the world but I can think of one way it could be done.

 

Fix gause at top so there is a bit of extra length at the bottom. Fix this to a bit of circular conduit or something similar then roll conduit so you get the conduit upstage of the cloth with a few turns on it. Fix two lines to the grid slightly downstage of the cloth, drop them infront of it, pass them under the conduit and back up to the grid to a couple of points in line with the other two but slightly upstage of the cloth and bring them to a cleat somewhere at stage level (using pullys as required).

To raise the cloth simply haul in on the lines and the cloth should wrap around the conduit. To bring it in, simply do the reverse.

[ianl]

tab track?

[DSA]

but I need a way of raising and lowering it from the stage floor level

I mean repeatedly - sorry for any confusion.

 

Do you need the band to disappear at the end?

I suppose not - but there is more than one band, and it may be used repeatedly for diff. bands (not too much though!)

 

tab track?

Um, possibly, but I think it will look better going up...

 

Fix gause at top so there is a bit of extra length at the bottom. Fix this to a bit of circular conduit or something similar then roll conduit so you get the conduit upstage of the cloth with a few turns on it. Fix two lines to the grid slightly downstage of the cloth, drop them infront of it, pass them under the conduit and back up to the grid to a couple of points in line with the other two but slightly upstage of the cloth and bring them to a cleat somewhere at stage level (using pullys as required).

To raise the cloth simply haul in on the lines and the cloth should wrap around the conduit. To bring it in, simply do the reverse.

I like that idea - just need to find a tube etc. long enough and not too heavy...any ideas. Perhaps a guttering downpipe - dont know if there is one knocking about though.

 

Thanks,

David

[Andrew C]

Umm, I said :-

 

 

tumbling isn't difficult but you do need a large diameter tube, say 100mm that isn't going to sag too much at the centre of the span.  A couple of pulleys at the end at grid level, and a rope wrapped around the tube to give the turning required.

 

I wouldn't use conduit or plastic drain pipe as it will bend. 100mm dia ali is the best bet, try your CDT dept.

[DSA]

Yes that will be my main line of enquiry then, thanks....however the chap was out earlier when I tried to speak!.....always the way

 

David

[Jivemaster]

Scaf tube with a terrain underground drainpipe over goes to 200dia or more

[DSA]

I now have possession of said gauze cloth, and it is not very heavy really, which is good.

 

However there is another problem, the top edge is frayed (as if a bit has been ripped off at some point - so I suppose that I will have to sew on tapes or something....(any better ideas)?

 

Another suggestion was carpet roll tubes. Fuse a couple together, and hey presto. However that connection would have to be quite strong.

 

It was suggested having the roller at the top, and attaching a rope to the end somehow, to be turned. I am worried that a very large force would be reqd. to turn the roller. From experience, would you say that this is the case?

 

Alternatively I thought of just passing a rope under the bottom of the gauze in several places and hauling on the lines (via pulleys) to lift. I am not sure whether that would look smart - perhaps the gauze would fan out? - And I don't know how to deal with the lines being of different length/keeping the bottom of the cloth straight.

 

Any more help/ideas?

 

Thanks,

David